How to write a cover letter?

Many people think that writing a cover letter is not necessary at all. They strongly believe in the power of their resume. Rich work experience, knowledge of languages, prestigious courses, serious achievements… With such merits, all doors are open! Only now a week passes, and the manager of the company did not even open the document. Why is this happening? It's all about the cover letter.

Why write a cover letter?

Imagine that the HR manager is you. The boss wants to hire a new employee. So you've posted the job on the right site and are waiting for responses. At the same time loaded with a whole bunch of other work. Busy from morning to evening. The company is well-known, and there are a lot of people who want to get here. The mail was flooded with letters from candidates. It will take forever to review each resume. How to proceed?

This is where managers come to the rescue with cover letters. It is easier to select people for them than to open all resumes. First, it is an announcement of your career history. A real advertisement. Compare with the book: if the announcement on the cover is not catchy, there will be no purchase. So it is here: if you are too lazy to write a good cover letter, you may not read further.

Secondly, it is an indicator of motivation. Interest is important to the employer. When a letter with a “naked" resume arrives in the mail, the question immediately arises: “Does a person want to work here?” It seems like he sends a response to all good vacancies. And next to it is another letter. In it, someone says that he wants to work in this company. And explains why he will do better than other candidates. Any normal recruiter will arrange an interview for the author of the second letter.

How should you write a cover letter?

First of all, avoid stamps. Nobody loves them. The Internet gives hundreds of links for the query “examples of cover letters”. And most of them will be the same. With a common set of banal phrases. It is worth staying away from such habitual turns.

Be as specific as possible in your thoughts. No water! This is exactly the case when brevity is the sister of talent. You don't even need to rewrite your resume. Now you are writing his advertisement. She has to catch on. And push the recruiter to open the master file.

1 The right start

Don't be too creative. And also formal, pretentious and funny. Don't know when managers will read the letter? Don't wish them "good day". From morning to evening, you are free to write “Good afternoon!”. In the evening, at night, or just as you wish, there is the option “Hello!”. Don't ignore the person who submitted the job. Put his name in the greeting (“Hello, dear Ivan Ivanovich!”). Referring to a specific person will make the letter more personal.

Cover letters can be divided into two types. The first category is those sent in response to an open position. The second is letters that are sent to a company without current vacancies. In them, the author writes that he wants to work in this company and indicates the position for which he can apply.

If you applied for a job from a site like HeadHunter, skip to the next step. If you randomly write to a cool company, explain that this is your dream job. Tell us that you want to get into such an organization and hope for attention.

2 Content middle

This is where the most important part of the letter begins. You need to explain to the recruiter that you are the best candidate for the position. And you really want to work in his company! Even if it really isn't. The manager does not need to know that you are knocking on all doors.

Do not write that your work experience meets the requirements of the vacancy. This phrase will be ignored. It is better to tell about your experience so that it immediately becomes clear: you are suitable for the position. For example, employers want a person to shoot and edit video. List what video editing software you have used. Do they need a desire to learn? Say that you improved your qualifications or went to courses related to your specialty. Experience that is not related to the vacancy, it is better to leave for the resume.

It will be easier to write a cover letter if you answer every point of the requirements in it. Candidate requirements are the basis for your letter. Structure it so that all requests are satisfied.

Explain all the qualities that you can be proud of. Sociability, stress resistance and multitasking are empty words without examples. It's better to say that at your last job you constantly communicated with clients. They were calm and focused in difficult situations. Managed several projects at the same time.

And further. It is not necessary to list all levels of your education. Suffice it to say that it is profile. If suddenly education does not fit the specialty, do not be silent about it. In summary, this paragraph will still raise questions. So answer them while you can. Write about what will be useful on the new path.

3 Happy ending

The main task of the last sentences is not only to say goodbye beautifully. You must say that you are waiting for the continuation of communication. This may be an invitation to an interview or a willingness to do a test task.

Thank the manager for his attention to the resume and remind you of your name (signature “Sincerely, First Name Last Name”). Here you are supposed to leave your contacts. Even if the email address has already been displayed, and the phone numbers are in the resume. These are the requirements of etiquette.

Cover letter outline

If you carefully read the previous chapter, you can already make a cool “announcement” for yourself. But we want to make your task even easier. Therefore, we offer a universal formula. According to our scheme, you can quickly write a cover letter for any position.

1. Greetings.
2. A few words about how you heard about the vacancy (if it's not clear anyway).
3. Why did the job interest you?
4. Why are you the right person for this place.
5. What can you give the company.
6. An offer to move on to the next stage (test task or interview).
7. Signature and contact information.

How to write a cover letter: tips from professionals

Avoid stamps. Recruiters have seen template letters hundreds of times. What's more, they've met candidates who "think they'll be good for the company." Believe me, if at least a couple of them failed, such phrases will cause unpleasant associations. You will be secretly added to the number of inexperienced braggarts.

Reduce. Don't go into too much detail. You can do without a biography of three pages. No one cares about a gold medal at school and a diploma for success in the third year. Hobbies, too, save up to direct questions about it.

Break into paragraphs. Each item from those that we have identified in the diagram, it is better to start on a new line. This will give the cover letter structure. Bonus: The manager will remember the right information if the letter is easy to read.

Don't overdo it with creativity. This point is very relevant for professions dealing with the word. Journalists, copywriters, PR people understand that there are many competitors. And they stand out against their background with a “creative” cover letter. With lyrical digressions and well-aimed metaphors. Honestly: sometimes it works. But even a broken clock shows the correct time twice a day. Statistics say that it is better to take a business style and not take risks.

“No” to complaining and boasting. You should be writing a cover letter, not trying to move your future boss to pity. Debts and hungry children are inappropriate here. As well as excessive admiration for a loved one.

Test yourself for literacy. It's one thing if you're a professional philologist. And it’s quite another if you don’t use the written current language too often. Make sure to include commas in all places. After all, for "-tsya" and "-tsya" now they are completely ready to arrange a lynching.

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