Cover Letters

Write a different Cover Letter for each position

It may seem like an unnecessary extra step, but writing out a different cover letter tailored to each position is extremely important. It shows the recruiter or hiring manager that you are interested in pursuing the position, and that you are willing to invest time into working there. In the same way that it is frustrating as a candidate to feel like an un-individual number in a sea of other applicants, employers don't want to be on the receiving end of a generic email or submission. Companies like time and special attention with cover letters.

Generally, a hiring manager that has an inbox full of resumes will only open one document attached to your email, and you want that to be your resume. A blank email body with a resume and cover letter attached isn't very inviting continue reading on.

A long block of text may go unread, even if it includes all of the relevant information about you as a candidate. A good structure is as follows: Warm salutation, introduction sentence, 3-5 bullet points that highlight your strongest experience and qualifications, a departure sentence and signature. Long paragraphs are likely to be skipped over.

When employers are overwhelmed by resumes, they go through their inbox quickly, and look for keywords. Look closely at the advertisement you are responding to, or a job description if you have one - what words are used repeatedly? Is there special emphasis on a particular skill or type of experience? If you have these skills, make sure you use those words in your cover letter.