How to Write a Perfect Cover Letter for Applying in a Job? Get Well Versed with Techniques of Developing One for YOU!

Abstract:

To make a cover letter effectively, use a standard business letter format, include your contact details and the potential employers' contact information, address the hiring manager if possible, and in 250-500 words, explain how your achievements, skills, and work experience make you the best fit for the job.

Keywords :

Cover Letter, Employers, Employees, Jobs, Format, Skills, Experience, Achievements

Learning Outcomes:

After undergoing this article you will be able to understand the following:

1. What's exactly a cover letter?

2. Why a cover letter is important?

3. When should you write a cover letter?

4. How do I write a cover letter?

5. What's the ideal structure of cover letter?.

6. What are the contents of Cover Letter ?

7. How to edit your cover letter?

8. Strategies for Developing perfect cover letter

9. Sample cover letters

10. Conclusions

11. FAQs

References

Let's proceed...

1. What's exactly a cover letter?

A cover letter is a one-page business letter that you submit when applying to a job, along with your resume. As a piece of persuasive writing, your cover letter will aim to convey to the employer why you're a great candidate for the role.

2. Why a cover letter is important?

Your cover letter complements your resume by making it easy for the employer to see how your experience and interest connect to the position. Your goal is to convince the employer to interview you.

With your cover letter, you’ll aim to:

Highlight your qualifications: You’ll show how your skills and experience relate to the employer’s needs for a specific position.
Showcase your motivation: You’ll demonstrate your enthusiasm for the specific position and the organization.
Reflect your voice and written communication skills: You’ll give the employer a sense of your personality and writing style.
Not all jobs require cover letters. So, how do you decide whether to submit one?

3. When should you write a cover letter?

Not all jobs require cover letters. So, how do you decide whether to submit one?

SUBMIT A COVER LETTER WHEN…

The posting explicitly requests that you do so
You’re applying to an opportunity at a mission-driven organization
You think that doing so could provide important information to the employer that they wouldn’t get from your resume

CONSIDER SUBMITTING A COVER LETTER WHEN…

It’s marked “optional” in an application, and you have the bandwidth to do so
You have content that you can easily recycle or repurpose into a tailored cover letter

NO NEED TO SUBMIT A COVER LETTER WHEN…

A posting specifically tells you not to submit one
There’s no way to submit one in an application portal, and doing so would require a serious workaround

4. How do you write a cover letter?

Your cover letter should articulate your qualifications and motivation for the position. Read the job description closely and research the organization. As you craft your cover letter, use examples that demonstrate your relevant skills, knowledge, and interests. The cover letter should be concise, clear, and well-organized.

5. What's the ideal structure of cover letter?

Cover Letter Structure

As a business letter, the cover letter should include:

Heading: Include your name and contact information in the same format as your resume
Salutation: Address your letter to the specific individual who can hire you, if this is known. If the name is not included in the job description, address the letter to the Hiring Manager or title mentioned in the job description.
Body Paragraphs: Discuss your experiences, interests, and skills to show the employer how you can add value to their team. See the section below for more guidance.
Signature Line: Include a closing and your name.

The cover letter should be one page, about three or four paragraphs, and single spaced. Use 10-12 point font and one inch margins.

When applying online, upload your cover letter as a PDF file, unless another format is specified. When sending your resume and cover letter by email, you may write a short note or paste your cover letter in the body of your email (without the address header) and also attach the PDF file.

6. What are the contents of Cover Letter ?

Your cover letter should answer who, what, when, where and why you are applying for the opportunity.

Basic Cover Letter Structure

Cover letters are used to introduce yourself and to give the employer a glimpse of your personality.

Cover letters must answer the same 2 Questions:

How can you help the organisation ?
Why you, the best fit?

You do not repeat your resume in a cover letter but highlight the key points

A cover letter should always accompany a resume, and be addressed to a specific person. In general, cover letters should be one page long consisting of three to four paragraphs.

Cover letters are concise and to the point, and are made of the following 4 paragraphs:

Paragraph 1: What do you want – this is your employment objective

INTRODUCE Yourself perfectly

State the position for which you are applying. If you have a referral or spoke with someone from the company, you can mention it in the introduction. Provide some basic information about yourself; this can include your class year and what you’re studying at university.

Briefly outline why you’re interested in the organization and what you bring in terms of relevant experience and skills.

Paragraph 2: Highlight of Education / Skills / Experience – Don’t repeat whole resume – highlight a couple of key points to demonstrate suitability to job being applied for.

More on BODY PARAGRAPHS

These paragraphs will highlight your qualifications and strengths that are most relevant to the organization and position.

Use the job posting and your research as clues to determine what the employer is seeking in a candidate. Have your resume beside you and reflect on what you want the employer to know about you.

Are there experiences you want to expand upon that demonstrate your understanding of the role and ability to do the job requirements?

Structure the paragraphs based on relevance, not chronology. Lead with your most relevant skill or strongest experience.

Start each body paragraph with a clear topic sentence. This can highlight a key skill set, a transferable experience, or a core area of knowledge you’ve built through your studies.

Walk the reader through a project or experience, integrating the relevant skills you used and qualities you demonstrated. Provide details about your accomplishments and impact.

Connect how these experiences have prepared you for this role and why you are motivated to do this job. There is no need to apologize if you feel you lack experience; focus on the accomplishments that you have.

Paragraph 3: Personal Attributes – What else do you want them to know about you that makes you an ideal candidate for the position.

Paragraph 4: Direction – Tell them what you want them to do.

CONCLUDING Matters a lot!

Recap what you would bring to the organization and your interest in the position.

Thank the employer for their consideration.

Keep your tone positive and enthusiastic.

7. How to edit your cover letter?

Editing Tips

To make sure your format and content is in line with best practices:

Ensure that the content reflects the requirements in the job description
Keep the cover letter concise, at one page or less
Correct any errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling
Use the active voice
Avoid beginning too many sentences with “I”

Cover Letter Format Guidelines

Length: One page only (no more!) on 8 ½ x 11 paper.

Font: Cover letters are written in 10, 11 or 12 Font size and this can vary with font choice, the most common are Times New Roman, Arial and Helvetica. Do not use a minute font to keep your cover letter on one page. Bold, caps and italics should not be used in a cover letter. (NOTE: Keep same font and same font size throughout cover letter) When e-mailing, unless otherwise specified, use .rtf (in Word) or ASCII (Notepad)

Margins: Are set a 1 inch maximum or ½ inch minimum and are consistent throughout. Begin all information from left hand side of the page. Be consistent with your formatting.

Spacing: Maximum of two spaces between paragraphs

Bullets: Bullet points are not normally used in a cover letter.

Date: Make sure you include the current date

Address Blocks: You should include your address block at the top of the letter and you should have the contact name and company address under the date

No contact name: Address the cover letter to the Human Resource Officer.

Salutation: Use proper salutation if you have a contact name. If do not have a contact name and are addressing the human resource officer use Dear Sir/Madam;

Proofread: Have an objective reader look over your resume to proofread it for content, grammatical and typing errors

8. Strategies for Developing perfect cover letter

Before Writing

RESEARCH THE EMPLOYER

Learn enough about the organization to articulate why you are a strong fit for that firm.

Review the firm’s website and LinkedIn page.
Speak with current or previous employees.
Read articles and social media for current news.

ANALYZE THE JOB DESCRIPTION

Look for skills, duties, and qualifications of the job so you can design your letter to match these as much as possible.

REFLECT ON YOUR EXPERIENCE AND MOTIVATION

Identify skills and personal qualities you have developed which will be useful in this role. Ask yourself:

What attracts you about this role / company / industry?
What have you have done in your work experiences, classes, internships, activities, projects, volunteer work, travel, etc., that is similar to the duties required of the job?

9. Sample cover letters

SAMPLE COVER LETTER #1

Xyz Kumar

7, Apple County

Shimla: 122001, India.

E-mail:leman.mech@gmail.com

December 18th, 2023.

To,
Human Resource Officer

Pioneer Consultancy Corporation.

Chandigarh, India,

Dear Sir/ Madam:

Please find enclosed a copy of my resume which I submit for your review and consideration for the position of Electrical Technical Support Representative (Afternoon Shift).

I posses a B.Sc. Electrical Engineering degree with two years of co-op experience. Through my co-op placements, I have been working on research and development projects, voltage applications, and customer service efficiency. I have also been given the responsibility for the development of automated testing procedures and development of database systems for storage of test results. I also possess experience applying different testing formats (including Eddy Current, X-ray, Ultrasonic) in the casting for GM and Ford motor products to detect defects in engine blocks and heads.

I have been given the opportunity to develop and exercise my creativity, intelligence and leadership abilities in challenging environments as a result of my co-op experience. I am a hard worker and valued team member who is capable of working on his own when required. I am willing to learn and take on increasing technical support roles. I possess good oral and written communication skills, and am experienced in preparing and writing detailed analytical reports. I am able and willing to relocate anywhere in Canada as required, and I possess a valid work permit.

I would like to speak with you about the Electrical Technical Support Representative position you have available within your company. Please feel free to contact me at ( mobile no) and via email at: leman.mech@gmail.com.

Thank you for your review and consideration of my resume. I look forward to speaking with you about this opportunity.

Regards,

Xyz Kumar

SAMPLE COVER LETTER #2

Xyz Kumar

7, Apple County

Shimla: 122001, India.

E-mail:leman.mech@gmail.com

January 11th, 2022

Pramod Kumar Sinha

Administration Officer

Xyz Prestige School

Jaipur, India

Dear Mr.ABC;

I am pleased to submit my resume and cover letter to the Xyz Prestige School for a position as an Intermediate/ Senior grade level teacher for the 2022-2023 school year. I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in English in April 2017, and I am currently working towards attaining the B.Ed certificate from Jaipur College of Education in May 2018 with a concentration at the intermediate/senior level.

I possess over 6 years of teaching experience at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels which would prove to be of benefit to you. Through these experiences, I have been able to work with a variety of students possessing different levels of achievement and personalities. This has enabled me to develop proven problem solving, teaching, and organizational abilities in classroom management and discipline. I have learned that the development of a good lesson plan is the basis for good teaching. Because all students learn differently, I was able to assess their learning styles and develop lesson plans that were both interactive and adaptive to a student’s particular needs. By moulding the courses being taught to a student’s abilities and interests, the student’s performance levels increased dramatically, along with their interest and enthusiasm towards continued learning.

I am a mature and confident individual who possesses excellent leadership skills. I take the responsibility of teaching very seriously, and I would make myself available to provide individual support inside and outside the classroom. I would be ready to begin employment in September 2018, and I am able and willing to relocate to any school within the district. I possess current 1st aid and CPR certification, and can provide a clean vulnerable persons police background check.

I would like to speak with you about any Intermediate/Senior level teaching positions you have available within your school board.

Please feel free to contact me at your convenience by telephone at (mobile no) or email at leman.mech@gmail.com

Thank you for your review and consideration of my resume.

I look forward to speaking with you.

Yours sincerely,

Xyz Kumar

10. Conclusions

Conclude with a

A succinct summary of your strengths. This doesn't mean you should repeat everything you wrote in the main body.
A confident call to action. In a sentence or two you should suggest the next steps.
Express gratitude.
Use a professional sign-off.

While developing your cover letter you should be

Express confidence.

Be passionate.

Connect your talents to the role.

State your goals and set expectations.

Demonstrate your connection to the company's goals.

Remember to thank them.

Choose the right complimentary close.

Make it specific.

11. FAQs

For any specific FAQs, do consult me leaving your email in the comment box

References