Cover Letter Tips

To stand out as a candidate cover letters must be catered to the specific job and/or employer. It takes time, but since employers are using ATS (applicant tracking systems) to filter out materials using keyword searches it is worth the effort. Here are some tips on how to make your cover letter stand out from the crowd. 

• First thing to do is to THOROUGHLY research the company! A focused letter will stand out and will increase your chances of being flagged in Applicant Tracking Systems.   
• NEVER start a cover letter with To Whom It May Concern. Nothing screams generic or template than this salutation. If you cannot find a name then go with a generic title instead, such as, Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Search Committee.

• HIGHLIGHT the skills/qualifications from the job description that you want to highlight in your cover letter because nothing is more off-putting than a clearly generic cover letter. The generic candidate will ALWAYS be behind his/her/their peers who did take the extra 2 minutes to write a well researched and focused cover letter. Remember it is not a race as to who can get the resume in first, it’s who can present themselves the best.

• PICK THREE skills/qualifications that the employer is looking for in a candidate and focus on those by drawing the parallels from your resume. The resume tells the employer what you did, but the cover letter shows what you learned. The employer wants to read about action, implantation and/or results in a concise manner. It also demonstrates that you read the job description because you are talking their language. 

Cover letters can be equally as important as a résumé. For example, if an employer has 10 résumés on their desk that are all equal, but only wants to bring in 5 people to interview then the cover letter is the way to make the cut.