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In recent years, there has been more and more speculation about how cover letters are becoming irrelevant and are soon to be obsolete. Don’t believe it. Maybe this will one day be the case, but it is not the case yet, and my experience tells me that it won’t be for a very long time yet. Many companies—including my own—won’t even look at résumés or interview people who don’t include cover letters.
This is not to say that some hiring managers, jobs or professions rely less on cover letters than others, but unless the job announcement specifically requests that you leave the cover letter out, you really should take the time to include one whenever possible.
The cover letter is your opportunity to convert your résumé or curriculum vitae (CV) into a story about how you are uniquely positioned to address the organization’s needs. It helps you stand out from the crowd and promote the best of what you offer for a specific position within a specific organization. It is also an opportunity to show the prospective employer your writing skills, your ability to persuasively communicate a concise message and your professionalism and willingness to put forth the extra effort.
If you want your cover letter to land you the interview and increase—rather than reduce—your perceived value, you’ll want to pay attention to the following guidelines.
To whom should you address the cover letter?
This is not the time for laziness. Make a sincere effort to find the name of the individual for whom the position reports, and use that name and title in the letter. Sometimes, the person to whom you should address the letter is actually listed directly in the job announcement, but often it isn’t. When you can’t determine the person from the job announcement, start digging.
Start with the company’s website, and check for the division, department or unit that the position works. Maybe you can see a department head’s name there. Also, check for any organization charts to see if you can learn the name there. You could even call the organization directly to ask for the name of the hiring manager or supervisor for the position that has been posted.
If you still have no luck, locate the human resource executive or manager from the HR section of the website, and address the letter to that person. If all else fails, address your letter to the company’s chief executive. Though the position you’re submitting for may not directly report to this person, indirectly it will because everyone in an organization ultimately works for the CEO.
The key point here is to address your letter to a human being. Address it to a real person who works in the organization, and the closer you can get to the position, the better.
How long should your cover letter be?
Just as with an effective resignation letter, your cover letter should typically be one page in length so go in with the idea to draft the best narrative you can in as few words as possible. In rare instances, such as in academia, it’s appropriate to submit a longer (up to two pages) letter of interest along with your CV.
Be sure to tailor a narrative that best advances your message, and eliminate redundancies or duplicate content that can be found verbatim on your résumé (or CV). The cover letter should serve as an enhancer to your résumé and a supplemental marketing or promotional tool. It shouldn’t just restate everything on your résumé or CV.
What should your cover letter include?
You cover letter should include approximately three or four paragraphs. What works for most job applicants is an introductory paragraph, the body of the letter and a closing paragraph.
The introductory paragraph:
This is where you indicate the position for which you are applying and how you learned about it. If you were referred by a company employee or some notable figure to the organization, go ahead and drop this name in this first paragraph. The Muse provides some examples of attention-grabbing openers that help your cover letter stand out from crowd and ensure it doesn’t sound cookie cutter.
You’ll also want to include a sentence or two in this first paragraph to describe what aspect(s) of the job matters most to you and how you’d immediately focus your attention to lighten the load or burdens of the team, the supervisor or the organization. The goal here is to pique the reader’s interest and compel him or her to continue reading. These details send the message that you have done your homework. You want to show that you understand the strategic aspects of the job and how your background and experience make you uniquely qualified to deliver.
The body of the letter:
You will want about two paragraphs here or one paragraph and graphics, lists, etc. Focus your message on the employer’s needs (not your own). The cover letter should tell a compelling story for how you are best positioned to make immediate contributions and address the employer’s challenges and concerns. Based on the job announcement and other details you learn after conducting research about the company, figure out how you could stand out from the competition.
Use your cover letter to tell the hiring manager about the value you can bring to alleviate the organization’s pain points, advance its strategic priorities, increase performance outcomes and support a high-performance culture.
You don’t have to stick to old rules that call for nothing but paragraphs. You can include creative formatting whereby your letter presents information in paragraph form as well as column, table, bullets or boxes. It’s okay to add some eye candy that will draw the reader in on a special point or specific piece of information that you want to be sure he or she can’t possibly miss.
To highlight your understanding of the organization’s strategy, its current successes and challenges, its operating model or organizational structure, etc., you could get away from regular narrative and use promotional design tools like boxes, tables, charts, graphs or columns to make your point. These tools are also great for emphasizing quantifiable data or metrics to demonstrate major successes.
The closing paragraph:
This is where you remind the reader that you are prepared to make immediate contributions to the team in a specific area or two and then express that you welcome a meeting to share more about your background and learn more about the position. Finally, tell the reader that you appreciate his or her time, and give details for how you can be reached.
Close it with something like “sincerely” or “respectfully” and then put your name and the enclosure notation to indicate that you are including your résumé/CV and any other material you will be attaching.
What shouldn’t be included in your cover letter?
Here are a few things you really should not include in the cover letter.
- Again, don’t copy and paste sections of your résumé. You can highlight specific skills, but the cover letter is where you embrace and communicate the value that your talents, education and experience provide for the specific position you are seeking. Your cover letter’s purpose is to weave a narrative your résumé/CV doesn’t so resist all temptation to just copy and paste the résumé on different paper.
- Don’t include your home address in full. It’s not necessary, and there is too much risk to doing so. People are stealing identities and violating the privacy of others. If you must include anything about your address, stick with your city and state only. You can provide your full address as you advance in the process to the next step.
- Don’t include any references within your cover letter, and don’t bother adding the statement that says “references upon request.” If you move along in the process as a candidate, you can give this information at a more appropriate time.
- Don’t leave typos or grammatical errors in your cover letter. Check this again and again, and after you have proofread it three or four times, have someone else proof it for you if you can.
Yes, you really should include a cover letter.
In times where you don’t have the ability or time to include a cover letter, either ask a friend or hire someone. Unless the job posting specifically directs you to exclude a cover letter, you really should include it. Also, some jobs or companies are more lenient about cover letters than others. If you really have decided that you absolutely don’t want to do the work to include a cover letter, and the job posting doesn’t specifically say to leave it out, give the company a call and ask if they have a preference.
Most people actually don’t take the time to add a cover letter, and many others don’t take the time to ensure their letters add value to the résumé or CV and elevate them as candidates. It’s up to you to use your best judgment to decide whether to move forward without the cover letter. When you decide it’s in your best interest to include this letter, I recommend that you follow the above guidelines to ensure your cover letter does the job you need it to do for you.
