How to Write a Cover Letter Properly

Applying for jobs isn’t as easy as most people think. Good thing is, you can get your head around it with enough preparation and commitment.

If you’re a fresh graduate, or if this is the first time you’ll be sending out job applications, a good start would be crafting a smart-looking resume. Next to it is creating specific cover letters for every employer you will send your CV to. Not all employers require applicants to send a cover letter. However, it would still be ideal to attach them to your resume to clearly express your intentions and desire for the role.

While there’s no specific format in creating a cover letter, we’ve laid out how to write a cover letter properly in this blog post.

Without further ado, here are the cover letter writing tips that could help attract and convince employers to ring you and consider your job application.

Keep it brief.

For a cover letter, one page is enough. Putting too many details and words in your letter makes it look like a lengthy essay. This can be really off-putting moving forward and can make you look a bit pushy and redundant.

Employers are looking for brevity, and they want to see your skills at selling yourself without waffling on. Make sure you stick to the pertinent information. Express your desire to apply for the role first and foremost and let them know, as briefly as you can, why you are right for the role.

Be informative, but also leave them wanting to know more about you moving forward.

Stay relevant.

The worst thing you can do is produce a generic cover letter for all your applications. This would probably work if you apply for the same job titles and job descriptions, but that’s not usually the case.

For example, if you have three certifications — one is a Certificate in Photography, the other one is a certificate in business administration, and a certificate in social media marketing — you can mention only the appropriate certification for the role you’re applying for.

Your letter shouldn’t be a ‘one size fits all’ piece. You need to ensure that the information you include is relevant to each role you want to apply for. You’re going to need to showcase the skills and abilities you have that are relevant to each job, and this might mean a unique cover letter for every role/job you apply for.

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Be enthusiastic.

You must make the reader feel how passionate and interested you are in the role. This would give a positive impression to the hiring specialist or the manager.

You don’t have to use grand words though to be able to convey your strong desire to get hired. You can express enthusiasm by simply saying “I’m excited to get assessed for this role because…” or “I’m excited to hear from you soon.”

Don’t over or undersell.

There’s always a temptation to oversell oneself when applying for a role. On the other hand, there’s also a thin line between trying to be humble and underselling yourself as a candidate.

Underselling yourself makes you come across as incapable and disinterested while overselling yourself makes you seem overconfident and a person who makes promises they can’t truly deliver. Getting the perfect balance for your cover letter is the secret to improving your employment prospects today.

Skill up.

If you can highlight a specific certification or qualification in your cover letter, that would be great. Meanwhile, if you feel like you’re not qualified enough for the role, then maybe it’s time for you to skill up and make both your resume and cover letters sparkle.

When we say skill up, we mean equipping yourself with the knowledge and skills required for the role. You can do this by studying an online course related to the career you want to pursue, or by getting trained by an expert in this field.

Here at Get Course, we offer top-grade online courses that can help you become more qualified and knowledgeable in a specific field. Some of the courses we offer are related to business, IT, beauty, human resources, health, farming, horse care, online horse courses, animal care, administration, accounting, and so much more.

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Answer “Why should we hire you.”

When crafting the perfect cover letter for a job application, you need to put yourself in the shoes of prospective employers and query why they should hire you over anybody else.

This can be tricky, but if you can nail it, then you have a really good chance of securing work. You are showcasing your skills and experience in a cover letter, and it should be written in such a way that it makes it impossible for the reader to not want to take a look at your CV as a result.

Research about the company/industry.

Take the time to research and understand the company as well and subtly mention what you know about them in the cover letter.

A good example would be “Before I go straight into my intentions, I’d like to congratulate you for bagging the best employer award this year.” This allows you to refer to specific aspects of the company and it incorporates yourself to their culture as well.

These are just some of the many great ideas that you can keep in mind when crafting cover letters for various employers. Above all, an employer values someone who is clear and genuine with his/her intentions so stay as sincere and authentic as possible.

In addition, if you’re interested in any of our online courses, you can reach out to us by clicking the orange button below, and filling up the inquiry form.

Hope this helps!

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