The Mysterious Cover Letter

One of the most frequent questions I receive from candidates is: What do I do about a cover letter?  Do I even write one?  What do I say in it?  How do I differentiate myself in my cover letter?   Let’s take a look at cover letters a little more closely.

First, a few formatting and structural tips: Always include a brief cover letter when you are submitting your resume and application.  Don’t think that if you are applying online and they give you the option that it means you should skip this section.  Even if you’re writing a few sentences in an online field about your interest, it is an important way to show that you are attracted to this particular job.  As a hiring manager, we don’t like to get the feeling that an applicant is mass-applying to every position they see online, so writing a short cover letter will help distinguish your application.  

If you are submitting your resume via email, I always prefer that you use the body of your email for your cover letter, vs. attaching a document.  Don’t include a cover letter in the same document as your resume, as this can be a bit confusing and water down the information on your resume.  If you are attaching it, then attach it as a separate document.

Your cover letter should be unique for each job you are applying for.  There is no value added to an application if it’s apparent to all that read it that this person is using the exact same cover letter for every application they send out.  I also recommend to do your best to address your cover letter to someone specifically, rather than writing something like “Dear Sir or Madam.”  This comes across as a bit impersonal.  Sometimes the hiring managers name and/or email will be on the job posting, but if not you should look on the company or firm website to see if they list a contact person for hiring, or if not there then perhaps you can find a hiring contact on LinkedIn.  As a last resort, I have seen good results from simply calling the receptionist and asking “I’m sending in my cover letter and resume, I was hoping you could help me personalize it by letting me know who I should address it to directly?”

When writing your cover letter, be brief.  I’ve found that most hiring managers will prioritize viewing your resume, and then go to your cover letter after they’ve taken a look at your resume.  Keeping this in mind, use the cover letter to address any immediate questions that a hiring manager might have when reviewing your resume.  For example, if the position requires that the applicant have 5 years of experience, but you only have 3, acknowledge it, and overcome it with your cover letter.  “While I realize that your firm is looking for someone with 5 years of experience, I believe that although I have 3 years of experience, my education in this field could warrant consideration for your opening.”  Additional hurdles that I look for people to acknowledge and overcome in their cover letter are if an applicant is applying for a position in a different geographic location than they live; applying for a position that would be a complete career change; or applying for a position that at first glance would be a step-down in responsibilities or pay from their current role.

Here are a few things you would want to avoid with your cover letter:  The first is a cover letter that regurgitates everything in your resume.  If it’s listed on your resume, then do your best to not re-state it in the cover letter.  Also, restrain from writing a cover letter that is longer than 2 paragraphs.  While this isn’t a rule that is set in stone, I’ve found in my experience that anything longer than a paragraph or two doesn’t get read by a hiring manager, and thus is unnecessary.  

Lastly, use the cover letter to say why you’d love to have the job!  Again, this doesn’t have to be a complete story, but one or two sentences about why this position and company motivated you to apply are good to read.  I love seeing that someone has researched my company enough to provide a brief note about what resonated with them.  A well-written cover letter isn’t going to automatically get you the job, but if you follow a few of these tips it will help you get your foot in the door.