The Cover Letters That Make Hiring Managers Smile (Then Call You)
You know that next job of yours? Yes, that’s right, the really
amazing one with the brilliant co-workers, cool boss, and fresh, free
snacks in the office vending machine? That one.
You know how you’re going to land it? By quickly showing your future employer that:
a) You’re going to perform incredibly well in this job.
b) You’re insanely likable.
c) You’re really going to fit in around there.
These are the three primary factors that influence the selection
process. The person who wins that great job will be the one who shows
the decision makers, quickly, that he or she is all three of those
things. And you have an amazing opportunity to begin planting these
seeds right from the introduction, à la your cover letter.
Most people squander the opportunity.
Instead of using their cover letter real estate to their massive
advantage, they toss over bland, cliche-filled, or
completely-redundant-to-the-resume clunkers. Or worse, they showcase all
the things that they want out of the deal, without pausing for a moment
to recognize that the company cares a heck of a lot more about what
it’s going to get from you.
So, how do you pull off a killer cover letter, one that conveys
passion and talent and that makes the recruiter or hiring manager’s day?
Make sure you do all of these things.
1. Tell Them Why, Specifically, You’re Interested in the Company
Decision makers never want to feel like you’re wallpapering the
universe with the same pathetic cover letter. They want to feel special.
And so, you need to make it clear that you’re approaching this
organization for very specific reasons. And ideally, not the same very
specific reasons that everyone else is giving.
Example: Try a high-personality lead in like this:
“Having grown up with the Cincinnati Zoo (literally) in my backyard, I
understand firsthand how you’ve earned your reputation as one of the
most family-friendly venues in the State of Ohio. For 20 years, I’ve
been impressed as your customer; now I want to impress visitors in the
same way your team has so graciously done for me.”
2. Outline What You Can Walk Through the Doors and Deliver
This isn’t you making a general proclamation of, “Hey, I’m great. I
swear!” You need to scrutinize the job description and use whatever
other information you’ve gathered about the opening, determine the key
requirements and priorities for this job, and make it instantly clear to
the reviewer that you can deliver the goods on these key things.
Example: Consider crafting a section within the
letter that begins with, “Here’s what, specifically, I can deliver in
this role.” And then expound upon your strengths in a few of the
priority requirements for that role (they’re typically listed first on
the job description or mentioned more than once).
3. Tell a Story, One That’s Not on Your Resume
As humans, we love stories far more than we love data sheets. (OK, I
speak for most humans). So, what’s your story? What brings you to this
company? Did you used to sing along to all of its commercials as a kid?
Did the product make some incredible difference in your life? Do you
sometimes pull into the parking lot and daydream about what it would
feel like to work there? Tell your story. Just make sure you have a
great segue. Random trivia can come across as weird.
Example: Say you’re applying for a marketing job
with a baked goods company known for its exquisite tarts and pies. You
may want to weave a sentence or two into your cover letter about how you
took the blue ribbon in the National Cherry Festival pie eating contest
when you were 10, and that you’ve been a pie fanatic ever since. (Yes,
this was me, but I actually came in second place. Sigh.)
4. Address the Letter to an Actual Person Within the Company
Not one employee at your future new company is named “To Whom it May
Concern,” so knock that off. You’ve got to find a real person to whom
you can direct this thing.
This seems so hard or overwhelming, but it’s often easier than you
may think. Just mosey over to LinkedIn and do a People search using the
company’s name as your search term. Scroll through the people working at
that company until you find someone who appears to be the hiring
manager. If you can’t find a logical manager, try locating an internal
recruiter, the head of staffing or, in smaller companies, the head of
HR. Address your masterpiece to that person. Your effort will be noted
and appreciated.
And a last, critical factor when it comes to delivering a great cover letter: Be you.
Honest, genuine writing always goes much, much further than sticking to
every dumb rule you’ve ever read in stale, outdated career guides and
college textbooks.
Rules can be bent. In fact, if you truly want that amazing job with
the brilliant co-workers, cool boss, and fresh, free snacks? They should
be.
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