Here’s The Secret to Writing a Good Cover Letter

Applying for a job never comes easy. The average time that it takes a person from job searching to being employed is approximately six weeks. Not only that, every time a fresh resume is brought out, there is another step that poses a challenge in the application process: writing the cover letter.

Writing a cover letter may be challenging for a number of job seekers

According to a study by ResumeLab, six out of ten applicants opt-out of handing in cover letters along with their resume, partly due to the pressure of making a good one. They also found in a separate survey that 83% of the time HR personnel were convinced to hire an applicant that had a less promising resume but had an impressive cover letter.

While it is true that it can be very challenging to write a convincing cover letter, this might be the one thing that could nail our applications and seal the deal. And it’s only a matter of how we choose to write it. 

Study shows that a large percentage of recruiters are impressed with a great cover letter

ZipRecruiter CEO Ian Siegel believes that the cover letter should demonstrate communication skills rather than qualifications and achievements. Talk about your enthusiasm and desire to be part of the company instead, this display of positive energy can make a big impression. According to Siegel, one big mistake that an applicant can make in their cover letter is to talk mostly about themselves. 

Companies should be able able to visualize you as part of the team, so paint them that kind of picture for them in your letter. Explain how you are aligned with their mission and vision and show genuine interest in the service.

Siegel narrows down the other characteristics of a good cover letter to three main points: enthusiasm, knowledge about the company, and showing your commitment to contributing to its development.

Showcase your communication skills in your cover letter

Sometimes it doesn’t have to be technical knowledge and previous achievements that land us a job, it’s also our values and principles, and whether or not the company sees that we are a good fit for them because we share their vision and we have a genuine interest in the field. 

Because as important skills are in a position, these things can be learned. But work ethic, attitude, commitment, these are innate traits that are beyond the contents of a textbook. And most of the time, these are what matters most. 

The resume is an avenue to show off our many achievements, but the cover letter is where we bare our hearts and, when done the right way, can be a much more powerful and convincing way to present ourselves to potential employers.