Writing a cover letter is often one of the most tedious parts of any job search. Here’s how to write the perfect cover letter for your next job application.
Perfect Cover Letter Templates to Use
Perfect Cover Letter
Writing a good cover letter can take a lot of time and effort that not all job seekers will have. Fortunately, there is an easier way to write great cover letters that can land you that coveted job interview. Let’s take a look at how you can write the best cover letter.
Best Cover Letter Format
Great cover letters tend to follow a specific format:
- Header
- Personalized salutation
- A hook that captures the potential employer’s attention
- List of your most relevant skills, work experience and other achievements
- Explain why you’re the perfect fit for the role
- Call to action
Let’s see how you can shape your cover letter template
Header
The header should contain all of your contact information, including:
- Full name
- Address
- Phone number
- Email address
- Links to a portfolio or job networking profiles such as LinkedIn
You also need to include the hiring manager’s contact information:
- The hiring manager’s name
- The company name and address
- The company phone number
- The hiring manager’s email address
First paragraph: Salutation and hook
The opening paragraph is crucial for a cover letter. It determines if a recruiter will give your application a chance or be discarded. Begin your letter with a personalized salutation such as, “Dear Mr. Smith.” Then begin your opening paragraph by taking the time to introduce yourself and cleverly highlight your most relevant skills and experience to hook the hiring manager into wanting to read more of your cover letter.
Second paragraph: List your skills, work experience and best achievements
You don’t want to simply repeat the information from your resume in this section. Rather, you want to go into more detail about your best skills and experience featured in your resume. If you are unsure about e which skills or experiences to discuss, make sure to carefully read the job description to pick out any keywords you can use in your cover letter. This can help your application get through an applicant tracking system (ATS), which is designed to analyze applications for these specific keywords.
Third paragraph: Why you’re the perfect fit for the role
You can then take the skills, experience and achievements you discussed in the previous paragraph and further elaborate on why they make you the best person for this job. Bringing up a work-related anecdote about how you succeeded in your previous workplace can illustrate how your specific skills can easily fit within the role you are applying to.
Closing paragraph: Call to action
In this last paragraph, you should summarize all your best achievements and skills. This can help the hiring manager remember who you are and what you’re best at. Then request that they reach out to you at their earliest convenience for an interview.
Finally, use a professional sign-off to end the letter, such as “Sincerely” or “Best regards.” Add a enclosure cover letter if needed, to inform the recipient of any extra materials or items accompanying your letter.
Perfect Cover Letter Example
Common Cover Letter Mistakes
The cover letter should be a document that highlights why you are the right person for a specific job. However, job seekers continue to make the same mistakes when writing their cover letters. How can you avoid them? When tailoring your cover letter, whether it's a file that you'll upload on the company’s website or an email cover letter, keep in mind these common cover letter mistakes.
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A generic opening
The cover letter gives you the chance to explain why you are the perfect candidate with the perfect resume for this particular job ad. You need to personalize each letter to the company and hiring manager you are writing the letter to. Researching the company culture and who the hiring manager is can help you establish a more direct connection.
Generic job application openers are not only impersonal, but they can come across as lazy, too. Avoid using these common generic openers:
- To Whom It May Concern
- Dear Hiring Manager
- Dear Sir or Madam
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Mentioning irrelevant skills
Recruiters read through dozens of job applications every day. If you start talking about irrelevant skills in your cover letter, they’ll stop reading your cover letter. You don’t want to highlight your creative writing skills for a medical assistant job posting, for instance.
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Not proofreading
Nothing will put a hiring manager off more than seeing typos and grammatical errors throughout a cover letter. This is why it is so important for you to proofread your letter before you send it. A good cover letter can show off your communication skills, but a letter riddled with errors will make you look lazy and not detail oriented.
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Crafting a wall of text
Walls of text are not at all pleasant to look at or read. It can be tough for a prospective employer to pick out what you are skilled at or why you want the job at all. You need to break up your cover letter into easily digestible sections that a hiring manager will have an effortless time scanning through.
