Top Tips for Your Cover Letter

1. Research the company before you write the letter.
Before you ever write your cover letter, you should first learn about the company culture, which will help you understand what the company is looking for in job seekers. Visit the company website, look through the company’s social media presence, and get a feel for the company’s goals, culture, strengths and challenges.

2. Make sure your cover letter fits the job application.
Tailoring your cover letter to a specific job is crucial. Read the job posting thoroughly and pick out important skills and qualifications the employer is looking for. Then put together a list of your own skills, experiences and achievements that address these needs.This will form the backbone of your cover letter.

3. Be specific about why you’re perfect for this role.
You want to convince the hiring manager that you’re the best person for the position. To do that, list specific transferable skills from your skill set and talk about specific achievements and experiences. Specificity is key, especially because it can help you get through the applicant tracking systems (ATS) and to an actual hiring manager.

4. Make sure your cover letter complements your resume.
It’s also important that your cover letter and your resume work together in terms of content and style. Make sure they use a similar color scheme and design, and make sure your cover letter isn’t just a carbon copy of your resume – it should expand on the details you provide in your resume.