In a highly competitive job market the professional resume cover letter becomes even more vital as it is the “sales pitch” of your personal brand. It is the initial introduction to the senior partner and (hopefully) future colleagues. In it, one must be honest, direct, and precise. Think of the type of person that would be the most trustworthy and comfortable for you to do business with. It will not be the loud, flashy car salesman that dresses poorly and promises the moon without being able to deliver. Include personality in the writing, but be sure it presents a confident, polished picture of professionalism. If the reader does not like a cover letter, he or she may not even bother to glance at the resume. These are good ideas to bear in mind before you begin.
8 steps to write a professional resume cover letter:
- Do not use ploys to garner attention. “Do you know why I should be hired? Because I’m the best . . . .” Does that question sound professional, and leave you anxiously wanting to read on? Probably not. The employer is expecting interesting, not hokey.
- Be informed about the company. Know to whom the letter should be addressed (call and ask if necessary) and double-check that the company name is listed correctly. A fast way to ruffle feathers is to mess up the business’s name. If it’s a magazine, read it. If it’s a marketing company, Google its most recent activities. This will help when deciding what relevant personal experiences to include.
- Relate your experience to the employer’s needs. One might wonder how exactly a summer job as a cashier at a local retailer has any correlation to an entry level position as an HR representative for a large company. List a specific example of applicable skills learned while a cashier. Mentioning the time that a non-English speaking individual needed assistance and how you, being bilingual, were able to appease the customer by doing x, y, and z would be one example.
- Show specifically how you can help their business team. Avoid the common mistake of writing a generic style, fill-in-the-blank cover letter. Chances are, it will not even get read. If the ad lists a specific problem that needs to be addressed then be bold and creative and suggest what you would do with problem x to make it disappear.
- Keep it interesting. You must use a professional tone, but that does not mean using stale, passive language. Write active sentences such as: I instructed a group of 15, I wrote 2 2,000 word articles a week, or I lead the production team of 22 to record profits of 23%. Using action verbs gives readers an impression of the writer’s self-confidence.
- Don’t sound artificial or contrived. Would you walk up to a brand new acquaintance and bombard them with unnecessarily long words? People would leave not only unimpressed, but would perceive you as arrogant. After employers sift through hundreds of resumes, they do not want to read something unnecessarily complicated.
- Stick to the point and be brief. If every little fantastic attribute and experience is discussed, then the employer will not only get tired of reading it, but also not need to learn more about you. Choose to include only the most relevant examples and skills. The idea is to leave the reader wanting to know more about your experience, and how you can help their company.
- Be proactive. End the cover letter with a statement that shows that you will follow up with the company to schedule a convenient appointment for an interview. This shows that you are serious enough about the position to put in extra effort in the hiring process.
Every professional resume cover letter you write is about explaining how your personal brand can help a company grow and improve. First impressions are vitally important, and although not impossible, a negative impression will be difficult to overcome. Use this opportunity to make an outstanding self-presentation that gets you to the next step – the interview.
Bethany Stringer is a graduate of Texas A&M University (class of ‘08) and has her B.A. in English Literature with minors in History and Psychology. Writing her first story at the age of 5 (with help from Mom), Bethany still enjoys writing and researching about everything from business and history to travel and fiction. Enamored with languages, she plans to teach English in Russia in 2010 as a CELTA certified teacher. She owned her own business working horses when she was 17, and still loves riding her horse Romeo. Always appreciating a challenge, she loves sea kayaking and prefers Rachmaninov to Bach.
