Career Cube Blog

Yes, that wise man was correct. Every resume needs a cover letter. And yes, it’s better to muddle than to cut and paste, even though cutting and pasting is much simpler, and takes less time and brain power.

It’s tempting to use the same cover letter, because you can sit down and rip through the job sites, applying for anything that strikes your fancy. But that’s a dangerous strategy that is vitually guaranteed to bring you exactly the opposite of what you want. You’re more likely to find what you’re looking for - your perfect job - with a focused and targeted strategy, rather than a shotgun approach.

So if you’re answering an ad in the paper, it’s a given that you’re not the only one answering the ad. So how do you distinguish yourself from the hundreds of other letters coming in over time? Easy. Make yourself stand out from the pack. After all, you’re selling and you want a buyer - the product is you and the buyer, of course, is the company. They’ve only “bought” when you have successfully scheduled an interview.

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Most job seekers put a lot of work into creating a résumé or CV, as indeed they should. But most of them then treat the accompanying cover letter as a formality - and that’s a tactical error. Most people simply don’t understand the role of a cover letter or the art of selling, and therefore most letters are weak.

Six common mistakes include:

1. Does your cover letter essentially say no more than “My résumé or CV is attached”? If well-crafted, your cover letter is a key selling tool that can dramatically improve your chances of getting job interviews.

2. Do you have one cover letter that you use for many different jobs on offer? One of the roles of a cover letter is to personalize your résumé or CV for a specific employer and job opportunity, so you’ll need to create individual cover letters for each position for which you’ll be applying.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Creating a job search cover letter doesn’t need to be a laborious process. Effective cover letters are short, skimmable and easy to read (a good rule of thumb no matter WHERE your cover letter is going) – three to four paragraphs tops.

If you are answering an ad, address the requirements in the ad and speak to how your experience relates to each. If you are sending the letter cold, make sure your letter reflects some research on the company, how your background relates, and why you have an interest in that company.

But instead, what generally happens is this. Bob is looking for a job. He looks through the paper, finds a bunch of ads that sound interesting, and circles them all with red pen. Then he sweats out the cover letter, personalizes each address, attaches his resume, mails them out, and congratulates himself on a job well done.

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Popularity: 9% [?]