The art of the cover letter.
In the halcyon days of the Sunday broadsheets’ Appointments Section it was a given that one would submit a CV together with a compelling cover letter.
Fast forward to today’s “online first” recruitment landscape and it would seem the art of the cover letter has been drowned out by a deluge of automated CV parsing systems and other AI recruitment solutions.
You might assume — rightly in many cases, sadly — that a cover letter simply won’t be seen by human eyes. But just in case it is…
- A cover letter is a fantastic way to set yourself apart from the applicant crowd. But be sure to make it count. If not effected with due care and attention it can prove counterproductive. A generic cut-and-paste effort simply will not do. Make it bespoke.
- The ultimate goal of a cover letter is to pique interest and make the hiring manager want to know more. Keep your cover letter succinct and use it to provide fresh detail and context. It is meant to be a supporting document to your CV not a recap. It’s the hook, and you don’t go fishing without a hook.
- Just as in the real world where typically you only have seconds to deliver a captivating elevator pitch, you need a strong opening. Grab the reader’s attention from the word go. Compel them to keep reading. Remember that other savvy applicants will be writing cover letters too, your objective is to make yours stand out. For the right reasons.
- Tap into something unique that shows you’ve done your homework. This could including detailing your views on the company’s values and mission statement, playing off the original job posting or something more specific to the hiring manager. But tread carefully here: there is a fine line between researching someone and err, cyber stalking.
- Your cover letter should reflect the tone of voice of the company and/or the job posting. In most cases you will find that these are aligned in any case. Try to leverage the essence of the company culture. If your cover letter is aligned you’ll have gone a long way towards ticking the “cultural fit” check box.
6. Just about every job out there calls for strong verbal and written communication skills. If you’re able to demonstrate you can deliver a well-written, succinct and on-point message via your cover letter then that’s another check box ticked off.
7. A good cover letter can bring an otherwise dry CV to life. It allows you to showcase your personality. You can use it to address any obvious questions e.g. career gaps. This is especially important if you’re pursuing a lateral move or taking a step back to facilitate a change of career path.
8. Let’s be honest one CV looks very much like another. The cover letter is your chance to stand out, to sprinkle some magic dust and set yourself apart from the competition. Which for some popular roles can be significant. Indeed it could very well prove the difference between getting a call to interview or otherwise. So stack the odds in your favour.
9. Including a cover letter hands you the initiative and puts the onus on the hiring manager. It’s harder to ignore a thoughtful, personalised cover letter than a generic CV that’s been unfortunate enough to fall into the event horizon of the ATS (Applicant Tracking System).
10. Candidates have become accustomed to not hearing back if they are deemed unsuccessful. Worst still some job postings even come with a disclaimer: “only successful candidates will be contacted.” This is wrong. If you’re going out into the ether, cap in hand, then the very least applicants should expect is the courtesy of a reply.
We love a good cover letter, we do. And we’d be happy to review yours on a no-obligation, no-expectation basis if you’d find it helpful. Get in touch.
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