Getting your cover letter right is important if you want to get the job you want. It’s your chance to make a good first impression on a potential employer despite not having physically met. That said, it can be hard to do for some people who find writing in general difficult. Even the most seasoned veterans sometimes have problems putting their best foot forward on paper. A lot of people who send out cover letters don’t take the time to read over them and see what they’re actually saying, but there’s really no excuse for writing bad prose. If you are struggling with your own cover letter or someone else is having trouble with theirs and you want to help, here are a few elements of a well-written cover letter that you need to know:
1) Start your cover letter with an eye-catching introduction
The first thing anyone sees when opening up your cover letter is going to be the introduction. If they like what they read, they’ll keep reading your letter, but if they don’t like what they read in the introduction, chances are that this is going to be where they stop. It’s just human nature for people to do things like that. The best way to prevent people from stopping at the introduction is by writing something that catches their attention early on in your cover letter.
2) Concise information
No one likes a person who drones on and on about themselves or whatever topic is being discussed without really saying anything of any importance. That’s why it’s important to get right down to business and start talking about yourself and all of your wonderful qualities, even some of your most notable career highlights, as soon as possible. Having a cover letter with too much fluff will make you look bad because it will most likely be obvious that you’re just trying to fill up space with nothing of importance.
3) Not too much information, but just enough
It’s one thing to have a cover letter with vague information because it will allow the person reading your letter to have their mind wander around in it. It’s another thing when your cover letter has so little substance that it fails to do even that. You need to find this happy medium where you can give out enough information so the job-seeker knows what they are getting themselves into but not so much information that you are simply rehashing everything they already know about you.
4) Correct grammar and punctuation usage
There is nothing worse than having an error-ridden cover letter. That’s why it’s important to make sure that your cover letter is free from any grammatical or punctuation errors. Even one error can leave a bad impression and give someone the wrong idea about you and your ability to communicate well in writing.
5) Change of tone
Finally, another thing that many people get wrong when they’re trying to write their own cover letters is the tone of the letter itself. It needs to be taken into account what kind of position you are applying for and who is reading your cover letter. Knowing this information will help you pick out the best words to use so that you can get across whatever message it is you want them to know while impressing them at the same time.
Review Cover Letter Examples or Get Assistance!
There are also plenty of references and cover letter examples on the web that you can check out so you can see what is right or wrong in it. You can even get ideas from other cover letters to know what works and what doesn’t before you start writing your own.
If you need help with your cover letter so that it’s well-written and professional, consider hiring someone to write it for you, or opt for an online design and writing software that can help you come up with your cover letter. By doing that, you will be able to put together something that fits all of the criteria mentioned above.
There are ways where a writing software can make sure your cover letter looks unique by using special programs to give your document a personal touch without having to actually write everything yourself (the writer would still suggest changes or additions though). Go ahead and write your cover letter using platforms like Venngage! It offers a selection of cover letter templates that you can modify to fit the job and company you are applying for.
Putting together a cover letter for a job you want can be tough, especially if you’ve never done it before. But you also don’t have to be an expert to write something that catches attention! If you take the above-mentioned elements into account and follow them as closely as you can, there’s a good chance that you’ll have a cover letter that will help you land the job of your dreams.
