Companies and recruitment agencies receive tons of responses to every job vacancy available – and with 2.6 million people currently unemployed in the UK, the pressure to stand out from the crowd is mounting.
With so many applications coming through the door, your cover letter will get an average of 20 seconds of attention before your potential employer decides whether or not they want to look at your CV. If you’re serious about getting the job you rightly deserve, your cover letter must be attention grabbing and hold the unique element that says nothing but “I am perfect for this job.”
Here are five tips to make your cover letter stand out.
1. Make it personal
It’s easy enough to write a generic cover letter and send it out to every employer you’re contacting about a job. We know this is easy, and that’s why everyone else does it. Take the time to write your own personalised cover letter for every job you apply to.
Make sure you prove you’ve done some research about the company – this will help you in the end as it will prove that you are serious about getting the job and not just going through the motions.
Writing individual cover letters will also stop job roles being confused – you could end up sending your cover letter for a travel agent to the company with the great insurance jobs you’re dying to land, and completely squash your chances if you’re not careful.
2. Save-savvy
The fast world of emails has eliminated the trouble of waiting two weeks after applying for a job, however, this has opened up a whole new world of problems. Make sure you save your cover letter as your full name and not something indistinguishable that will not be easily located on a company computer.
Although your job application won’t get lost by a distracted carrier pigeon when sent by email, it’s worth BCCing yourself in on your application email – that way you’ll know it definitely sent.
3. Address your letter to the right person
This one is simple, but also a common mistake. If you know the name of the person you’re addressing, name them at the beginning in bold so they know you’ve taken the time to find out who they are. However, if you’re completely in the dark then use a term which can be used for anyone. This will save you the embarrassment of getting it wrong and will make you seem more professional.
4. Explain employment gaps
If you have gaps between employments on your CV, take the time to explain these in your cover letter. This will especially be beneficial if you have something to show for it – a year volunteering in an orphanage in Argentina will win you major Brownie Points and prove that you are interesting.
5. Proof read
Write your cover letter, look it over and make any obvious changes. Be sure to check it over again before you send it though, as some grammatical and spelling mistakes only make themselves obvious after you’ve taken a break from staring at a computer screen. If time isn’t on your side, draft in a friend or family member to go over it as fresh eyes will spot the tiniest of errors.