How to Make Your Cover Letter More than Just a Formality

In the world of job seeking, a cover letter is much more than just a simple document. It’s one of the key steps in forging a relationship between a job candidate and a potential employer. These letters get a lot of attention throughout the hiring process, so it makes sense to look closely at how they are written, and how they should be written.

In fact, a lot of hiring experts would now say that a cover letter is just as important, or more important, than a resume. The resume lists technical qualifications and skills without much detail. A cover letter makes a persuasive case for the person’s competitive position.

Using Keywords

Just like you use keywords in a resume, it also makes sense to use keywords in a cover letter. If the job role relates very closely to some kind of complex things such as computer programming, including your specific IT skills in the cover letter can help a lot. This is one way to add substance to the cover letter and make it more than just a boilerplate letter.

Use Style

Again, like in a resume, a cover letter can benefit from an attractive design. Look at the fonts, colors and shapes that you use for the cover letter, and try to make it flow well. Presenting an attractive resume and cover letter can make a difference in the job application.

Show Life Experience

A cover letter can also be a place to show life experience and present yourself as a consummate professional. In the resume, you may have certain things listed such as past education and job roles. But sometimes those things don’t really describe what you’ve learned on the job, where you’ve been, and what you’ve done in the past. There is an opportunity to do that concisely in a cover letter with a kind of “elevator pitch” embedded in perhaps a paragraph or two. Is there a trip or set of trips you have taken that you think the company might be interested in? A particular experience you’ve had in the relevant industry? You can cover this in your cover letter with just a few words.

Tailor the Cover Letter to the Company

Some hard-working job seekers actually write a different cover letter for each company. They look very closely at what the company needs, at the company culture, and what the company does. Then they write a cover letter directly to those ideas. This can help a lot, because companies are often looking for specific kinds of people. They’ll have specific demands related to a job role. So having that level of detail involved in the cover letter can really work well.

About Full Steam Staffing

Full Steam Staffing is a full-service employment agency focused on providing clerical and light industrial staffing solutions to manufacturers, distribution centers and other organizations that need qualified, reliable workers. If you are looking for a new job in Modesto, California, browse our available opportunities or contact our team today!