When you know you have the potential to do the job-but your past experience doesn’t straightforwardly sell you as the perfect person for the position-try focusing on your skills instead. That’s what the hiring manager is looking for most. You’ll want to make sure you describe how you can deliver on those key priorities.Īnother trick: Drop the text of the job description into a word cloud tool like WordClouds, and see what stands out. Not sure what skills and experiences you should be featuring? Typically the most important requirements for the position will be listed first in the job description, or mentioned more than once. Then emphasize the skills and experience you have that make you the right person to solve them. Try to identify the company’s pain points-the problem or problems that they need the person they hire to solve. Frankly, hiring managers are aware of that-what they really want to know is what you’re going to bring to the position and company. Think Not What the Company Can Do for YouĪnother common cover letter mistake? Talking about how great the position would be for you and your resume.What about your personality, passion, or work ethic made you especially good at getting the job done?.What details would you include if you were telling someone a (very short!) story about how you accomplished that bullet point?.What approach did you take to tackling one of the responsibilities you’ve mentioned on your resume?.
Having trouble figuring out how to do this? Try asking yourself these questions: For example: “By analyzing past client surveys, NPS scores, and KPIs, as well as simply picking up the phone, I was able to bring both a data-driven approach and a human touch to the task of re-engaging former clients.” Don’t simply repeat yourself: “I was in charge of identifying and re-engaging former clients.” Instead, expand on those bullet points to paint a fuller picture of your experiences and accomplishments, and show off why you’d be perfect for the job and the company. **Need inspiration? Check out these examples of how to start your cover letter in an engaging, attention-grabbing way, or these eight examples of awesome cover letters that actually worked.Ī super common pitfall many job seekers fall into is to use their cover letter to regurgitate what’s on their resume. ” But consider introducing yourself with a snappy first sentence that highlights your excitement about the company you’re applying to, your passion for the work you do, or your past accomplishments. It’s good to mention the job you’re applying for (the hiring manager may be combing through candidates for half a dozen different jobs), and yes, you could go with something simple like, “I am excited to apply for with. No need to lead with your name-the hiring manager can see it already on your resume. Or if you honestly can’t find a single real person to address your letter to, aim for something that’s still somewhat specific, like “Systems Engineer Hiring Manager” or “Account Executive Search Committee.”įor more help, read these rules for addressing your cover letter, and a few tips for how to find the hiring manager.If you can’t figure out the specific hiring manager’s name, try addressing your cover letter to the head of the department for the role you’re applying for.Never use generic salutations like “ To Whom it May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam”-they’re stiff, archaic, and did we mention that cover letters need to be customized?.And if you’re not 100% positive whether to use “Mr.” or “Ms.” based on the name and some Googling, definitely skip the title. If you know for sure that the company or industry is more casual, you can drop the title and last name (“Dear Jane”). The most traditional way to address a cover letter is to use the person’s first and last name, including “Mr.” or “Ms.” (for example, “Dear Ms. Tell them why they should pick you and use examples on how you will add value to their business 3:47.Tell them why you genuinely picked them, not how awesome you are 1:12.Make it personal and use their name 0:34.Watch 5 steps to a great cover letter video: