The Cover Letter Employers Love

Most employers hate to read cover letters. They’re boring, ramble on, or simply repeat what’s on the resume. For most jobs, a cover letter is the first thing HR managers see and the first thing they skip over.  If the first paragraph doesn’t grab them, they’ll turn it into a paper airplane and sail it into the round file.

But there are those rare cover letters that employers love to read. Here’s what they say about them:

You made it personal. You didn’t address it “To Whom it May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam.” Of course, you don’t know me personally, but you took the time to learn my name and title—and you spelled my name correctly. You were off to a good start.

 

You kept it human. Your letter didn’t sound robotic or like something from a cover letter template.  You didn’t use words that sent me to the dictionary. Or long, convoluted sentences I had to read three times to figure out what you were saying.  You spoke to me like a mensch.  Like two people talking.  

You didn’t repeat your resume. You showed some creativity and initiative by not parroting your resume. My wastebasket and shredder are filled with cover letters that repeated or merely summarized what was on the resume. 

You were confident. You weren’t shy about your achievements.  They weren’t buried in long sentences or surrounded by extraneous verbiage. You used bullet points to put your best foot forward. 

You weren’t “full of yourself.”  Smart is good. Smart ass is not. You didn’t say things like, “If you don’t hire me, you’ll regret it” or “A company like yours needs me to survive and stay competitive.” You appeared plain and honest about your self-appraisal and abilities. You avoided superlatives when describing yourself. 

You were specific. You backed up one to two key achievements with facts, figures, percentages, dollar sums. There was little doubt that goals were met, targets were reached, and that results exceeded forecasts.  I was convinced you led the charge, rallied the team,  inspired those under you and impressed those over you. 

You kept it relevant. You tied in your achievements  with  our company’s objectives. You took the time to dig into our product line, our distribution network, our yearly sales figures. You dovetailed your abilities and skills with our current needs. In other words, you told me what you can do for us, not what we can do for you. 

You kept it short. Your letter was one page long, not three. It had three paragraphs not one long paragraph. Your introduction got right to the point, telling me how you found out about the job, that you were referred by another current employee whose name and title you included. The second paragraph included an overview of your qualifications. And the third paragraph included references and an enthusiastic and specific request for an interview. In other words, you did what every successful salesperson does—you "asked for the sale.”

 

Will they love your cover letter?  Practice what you’ve just learned and let me know the results.