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As a recruiter I?ve sifted through hundreds, if not thousands of resumes. Occasionally a cover letter will supplement a candidate?s application. At first, as an eager recruiter, trying to do everything I could in order to understand a candidate I did always read the cover letter. After reading letter after letter I realized they all sounded so similar. Did everyone download a cover letter template off of Google and slap in into a Word document? I also noticed that often times the name of the company hadn?t been changed or the title in the letter was not what they had actually applied for. I noticed that their skills they were praising had absolutely nothing to do with this job. I started to skip the fluff of the cover letter and get straight into the nitty gritty of their resume.
So what is the deal with cover letters? Why do people take the time to attach them to an application if they are so indistinguishable? Isn?t the point of a cover letter to explain what sets you apart from the rest and to highlight your exceptional skills? I think people attach them because they were taught to do so in school, and think it is a necessary addition. I also think that applicants don?t realize that everyone else?s cover letter sounds a whole lot like their own.
My first observation that I see quite often in cover letters and is a huge turnoff are the broad statements listed. A lot of times I see ?works well with others,? ?excels in a fast-paced environment,? and ?strong work ethic?. Okay, those should be bare minimum requirements. So, you?re saying that you are average here. I think that if you are to take the time to create a cover letter, make sure you put in details.
What are some of the facts from your past experience?
Did you increase sales by a percentage?
Did you manage a team? How many people?
What types of interesting projects have you worked on?
What do you know about the company you are applying for?
What are some ideas that you could put into place immediately in this role?
I think those are some statements that would make a much bolder statement than rest.
Another tip is to keep it concise. I honestly cringe when I see a novel-length cover letter. Recruiters or employers really don?t need your entire history. I would keep it to a half page, single spaced, or full page, double, but make every sentence matter. There really is no reason to add fluff into this document ? we can tell that you?re just taking up space, and it doesn?t look good.
Also, have you heard of the term sesquipedalian? Don?t be that. Sesquipedalian is an adjective used to describe someone that uses big words just to impress other people. Just because you put long, complicated words into your cover letter doesn?t make it sound great if you?re not using those words properly. Make sure that everything makes sense and flows ? read it out loud or ask a friend to read it to ensure that it can be properly understood.
Lastly and most importantly ? address your cover letter to the right company! Nothing is worse than opening a cover letter addressed to a competitor. I understand that you are most likely applying to more than one company, but it is a huge turnoff when an applicant doesn?t take the time to properly adjust their cover letter template. It?s also extremely frustrating to find a cover letter headed with ?Dear Sirs? ? believe it or not, women are in the workplace these days as well.
Overall, I don?t think it is necessary to attach a cover letter to your application. But if you choose to do so, make sure it is clear, concise, and full of information that will make me want to pick up the phone to set up an interview before I even get to reading your resume.
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