Category: Cover Letters

What should go in a cover letter?

2/7/2019

Many people find the idea of writing a cover letter daunting – some will even avoid job applications where a cover letter is requested. If you’re one of these people, you may need a quick refresher about the purpose of a cover letter. Cover letters are actually pretty easy to write once you know what's supposed to go in them!

A cover letter is not a college admissions essay, nor is it intended to be a writing sample. It’s also not supposed to be a version of your resume in paragraph form. To put it simply, a cover letter serves as a preface to the rest of your job application. Think about it as the introduction to the story you’re trying to tell in your resume – how are you going to frame the rest of the information you’re putting forth in your application?

To write a good cover letter, all you really have to do is concisely explain why it makes sense for you to work at a particular company. What skills do you have that align with the most essential skills a hiring manager is looking for? Why are you interested in the company or role on a personal level? Are there any unique circumstances that make you a stand out candidate that can’t be demonstrated in a resume? And that's really it. If you can answer these questions in half a page or less, you’ll be in good shape!

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Cover letters don't have to be scary!

9/21/2018

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There’s something about the word “cover letter” that strikes fear into the hearts of many job applicants. College career centers tend to put a huge emphasis on creativity and flowery wording when teaching cover letter writing, and this can be daunting -- who wants to write a college essay every time they see an interesting job posting? To make things worse, that advice is usually wrong, so applicants spent a ton of time writing a cover letter that bares their soul only to get ghosted. Who wouldn't want to avoid writing one at all?

We don't know why this scary, bad advice persists, but once you tune it out, you'll realize that c over letters are actually very simple to write. The art of cover letter writing will really click for you once you start to hire candidates of your own, but until then, we can demystify the process.

First, remember your target audience when writing a cover letter. A hiring manager is a busy person with a full-time job, so you don’t want to waste her time. Keep your cover letter SHORT! She is also not an English teacher, college admissions representative, or AP essay grader. There’s no need to include some extravagant backstory that shows how you’ve overcome challenges or how your childhood impacted your decision to apply for this job. No one cares.

Second, think about why you’re applying for this position. Is it something you feel you’d be good at? Why? What have you done in previous positions that can prove to the hiring manager that you have the right skills? Do you enjoy the type of work that’s being produced or the tasks that will be required? All you need to do is explain why you want to work for this company and why it makes sense for the company to hire you. And if you’re having a hard time with these questions, maybe you should reconsider your application.

Ultimately, all you really need to do is think about how you would explain your reasoning behind applying for a specific job to a friend and write it down in a few short, professional sentences. You can convey your passion for the job by stating it simply and reinforce the skills listed on your resume with a few key highlights. Don’t overthink it. And certainly don't let a cover letter scare you away from a potential opportunity.

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The hidden purpose of a cover letter

7/13/2018

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What’s the purpose of a cover letter? The obvious answer is that it allows you to explain your intentions to a potential employer. It’s the place where you can briefly describe why it makes sense for you to work at a particular company. But that’s not the only way a cover letter can be useful to a hiring manager – it can also measure writing ability and attention to detail.

A typo-filled cover letter is a dead giveaway that you didn’t take the time to proofread or that you simply don’t have a good handle on grammar. Triple check each cover letter before you send it off. If writing isn’t your strong suit, have a friend read it over to make sure it’s perfect.

You should also pay attention to the submission instructions in the job posting. If a posting asks you to send resumes only, don’t send a cover letter! The hiring manager probably won’t read it, and by sending one, you’ve failed to follow directions. Similarly, if a posting asks for you to include a specific phrase in the subject line, copy it word for word. This is a test to see if you can follow directions.

It’s easy for a hiring manager to discard an application because of errors in a cover letter, so don’t let this easily-avoidable mistake cost you an interview!

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What's the best subject line to use in a cover email?

5/18/2018

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We’re often asked what to write in the subject line of a cover email. Some people like to get creative and put things like “Rockstar Assistant Candidate” in their subject lines, and while there are definitely hiring managers that will respond well to this, it’s also possible that some will think it's overly showy. Because of this, we like to play it a little safer.

From our perspective, there are two good options for your subject line. Often, the hiring manager will indicate the exact verbiage for the subject line in a posting as a test to see which candidates can and cannot follow directions -- an easy way to weed out unqualified applicants. When there's a specific directive, follow it exactly -- if they used all caps or a colon, you should do that too. In this case, if you choose to go with your own subject line, don't be surprised when you don't get a phone call for an interview.

When there are no specific subject line instructions in the posting, we like to use “[Position title] Candidate: [First & Last Name]” (for example, “Agency Assistant Candidate: John Smith”). Using this format allows you to clearly indicate what position you are applying for, and it also helps you stand out in the crowd. Many email programs tend to group emails that have the same subject line together, and using your name will ensure that you will get your own thread. Plus, it makes your email easily searchable later on.

Realistically, your email subject line won’t make or break your application (unless you have a spelling error or fail to follow instructions). There are plenty of options that are perfectly acceptable, so pick one and then focus on creating a stellar cover email!

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