How to wow an Employer with Your Cover Letter
by Laura Robinson
• Published 24/10/2022
Welcome to the second in a series of blogs designed to help you make positive changes to your life.
Part two of our life skills series takes a look at how to write a cover letter to impress a future employer. The jobs market offers plenty of opportunities right now so if you were thinking of a career change or are new to employment, there's never been a better time to start.
There are hundreds of generic cover letter guides and formats online but below are some of our top tips that will really impress a recruiter and almost certainly guarantee you that interview.
Whilst not all companies request a cover letter, you should always include one (unless the application process specifically states no cover letters). One of the biggest mistakes people make with their cover letter is to regurgitate everything on their CV. A cover letter should complement your CV and be centred around the organisation and role you’re applying for.
Take some time to find out the name of the person who will be reading your CV and cover letter. This might be available in the job post or in the contact details of the application. If it’s not however (which it often isn’t), make an effort to call/email the HR team or message the job poster on LinkedIn. This extra personal touch probably won’t go unnoticed by your potential future employer and will make you stand out against the competition. I’ve done this many times and always received a friendly and swift response so don’t be afraid to ask the question. If you really can’t find a name, “Dear Sir/Madam” will suffice
How did you find out about the role?
Include how you found out about the role and expand on it. If you spoke to someone at a careers fair, mention this.
“After speaking to one of your employees at the Liverpool Careers Fair, I am incredibly keen to join the team.”
If you found it on LinkedIn, tell them you often like to stay up to date with their company’s news on LinkedIn and on other social channels. HR teams also love to hear how candidates find out about their roles and which channels are best for advertising on, so offering them this information should earn you some extra points.
Make sure you take the time to tailor it to the role and company you’re applying for, never make a generic cover letter and send it to every role you apply for. If the company describes itself as “ambitious and driven”, tell them how and why you’re ambitious and driven. Often employers aren’t just looking for someone who has the right skill set but also someone who can be a great team fit.
Talk about exactly why you want to work for their organisation. What is it about their company culture specifically you like and makes you think you’d be a great fit? Maybe they’ve recently spoken at an event and you saw a video from it, or they’ve done some great work for a local charity. Looking through recent LinkedIn posts can be a great place to find company specific material that will support your application to join the business. Whatever it is, mention specific details – don’t be generic.
Talk about how you’d like to make your mark in the business and progress, don’t suggest it’s a stepping stone until you find a better job (even if this is the case). Recruitment is a timely and expensive process, so recruiters want to be sure they’re employing someone who’s likely to stay.
Talk about your thoughts for the future
Mention the organisation’s future plans and how you would be able to help them achieve these. Highlighting your awareness of the organisation’s goals will demonstrate your commitment to the organisation. You’ll usually be able to find long term goals on the company’s website or short-term goals in blog posts/LinkedIn posts or company announcements.
Has the Marketing team just won an award? Mention how you’d love to join the “Marketing team of the year 2022”. This will show you’ve done your research and you’re staying up to date with the business’s news and achievements before you’ve even got there.
This ensures the format won’t change. You could write the best cover letter in the world, but if the recruiter opens it to find it’s re-formatted to Comic Sans size 24 green font it might take the shine off, so PDF it to be safe!
A great cover letter really could be the difference between getting an interview or not, so it’s worth taking the time to take our advice on board. We hope you find these tips helpful, if you have any questions please let us know!
Check out part one of the series on blogging
here.
Don't forget to
Follow funeral-notices.co.uk on social media to see when new articles are published:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
