So you’re scouring the internet for a new job because your current employer has figure-four leglocked you into submission. Or, you’re ready to get off the couch and onto someone’s payroll. You peruse the job boards until you come across a posting that makes your eyebrows jump with optimism. You click it as your limbs tingle in delight. You read through the job description and it seems like it was written specifically for you.
It’s your dream job — or at the very least a better one — and you’re excited about the opportunity to apply for it and fantasize about throwing the deuces to drudgery. You look through the applicant requirements and see they’re requesting a resume and cover letter. Nothing out of the ordinary. You’ve seen this a bunch of times so you already know the drill.
You open your resume and agonize over the wording to make sure it fits exactly what the company’s looking for. You’re happy with what you’ve come up with and you’re ready to submit. Then you remember you still need to attach a cover letter. You open a blank word document and stare at the blinking cursor and the negative space it’s created. You type a few lines, hit delete, then say fuggetaboutit. You download a cover letter template from some random site, or use one you’ve saved and fill in the info where it tells you to. You attach your resume and cover letter then click submit. You pat yourself on the back, cross your fingers, then go back to work or tv.
You may have just cost yourself the opportunity of a lifetime.
One of the most frequent questions I get as an HR Generalist and former headhunter is “Do hiring managers and HR people really read cover letters?”
I’ll be honest with you. The answer is sometimes. And when they do read cover letters, they’re usually doing it for one of three reasons:
- It’s a values-driven organization and they wanna know why you’re applying and more importantly what makes you a good fit within the culture.
- They wanna assess your ability to convey your thoughts via written word. The job description may not say strong writing skills are required, but they don’t want to email back and forth with a dodo that doesn’t understand red squigglies and structure.
- They’re on the fence about your application and they’re looking to your cover letter to determine if they give you the nod or the head shake of despair.
Regardless of why they’re looking at your cover letter, you don’t want to take shortcuts in the application process. Let me ask you a question that’ll put you in the shoes and chair of the person that’s deciding if you get your foot in the door:
How would you feel if someone handed you a stack of 200 applications and told you to go through them and look for the people that not only meet the requirements, but also set themselves apart from the rest? How would you feel if you got to application 153 and realized someone had taken a generic template and plopped in the relevant information? You took the time to review their application and they couldn’t even take the time to be original. Yeah, hoop dreams into the trash can.
You never know where your application is gonna fall in the batch, or how many people submitted resumes that look just like yours. You think you’re one in a million, but your profile is one of a hundred. How you differentiate yourself is the difference between having healthcare benefits and living the struggle in the flesh.
Here are a few simple things you can do to increase your likelihood of professional happiness:
Thank Them Early
Most people start their cover letters stating where they found the position. That’s cool, but so did the other 152. You should always assume that your resume was toward the end of the pile. Open your cover letter by thanking whomever it may concern for taking the time to review your credentials. It’s a small change, but does wonders in terms of setting the tone. Who isn’t perked up by appreciation, gratitude, and humility other than the Grinch, Satan, or a curmudgeon?
Tell Them You’re Excited and Why You’re Looking
The second sentence should say something to the effect of “I was excited to come across the X position on Y site. I’m currently in the process of seeking a new opportunity *state why you’re looking and spin it positive* and this role is exactly the type of position I’m looking for.
Convey What Made You Excited About the Position (Pause)
You follow up the last point with something like “What really jumped out to me about this opportunity is X.”
It’s here that you highlight specifically what it was about the job description that got you excited. It could be usage of certain skills you have, or something within the values or organizational history that resonates with you on a deeper level. You don’t have to bare your soul, but you need to tell them who you are.
When you clicked on that posting and decided to apply, there was something that got you excited or made you wanna submit your application. The cover letter is the perfect opportunity to do that. You can repeat this process with one or two in-depth examples and it should suffice.
Close It Out Traditionally, But With a Twist
After you’ve conveyed why you’re excited about the role, you can close it out with “Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions regarding my application. I’m happy to discuss my accomplishments as well as the challenges I’ve faced over the last few years.”
Most folks just say don’t hesitate to contact, drop their number, and throw in the signature. With the approach I suggested above, you’re letting them know that you’re confident in what you’ve accomplished and ready to talk about areas where you may have failed or run into obstacles. It takes the “salesy” tone out of your cover letter and lets them know you have nothing to hide.
If you follow these four steps, you’re putting yourself in a much better position with the person that’s initially determining if your dreams become reality. Regardless of what you think and what people tell you, don’t slack on the cover letter. At the very least, it’s a great feeling to know that you’re always providing the best representation of yourself possible. Happy Huntings!
Eyes Bleeding,
Great article. You definitely just taught me a thing or two, as I can now see some areas of opportunity in my cover letter writing. Thanks a lot.
Hold up! I didn’t know you were gonna be all Mr. Employment Helper Dude! This was awesome information.
What about when you’re submitting to a company that uses an applicant tracking system? How about one with pre-screeners? How important is the cover letter then? Is it read after you pass the pre-screeners? If they are scored, would a cover letter help you if you score low on the pre-screeners?
Also, as an HR professional, have you encountered unspoken rules? For example, I’ve heard, from the horses mouths, that HR folks who get loads of resumes will eye every fifth resume or stop looking at applications after they get to a certain number. The requisition will still be open but they stop looking at new applicants.
Lastly, aside from Payscale.com, what other sites can folks use to see pay rates for their industry, position, etc. when considering a position or asking for a pay/benefits increase?
I’ll come back to this when co-workers aren’t lurking and I can write something well thought out.
Thank you so much for asking these extra questions! Excited to hear the answers.
You didn’t ask me but I’ll answer. This is just what I do, every manager is different…
I’ve used pre-screening service before with a few questions because I hire for more technical jobs and yes I read all cover letters. However, typically I jump straight to their education and job history. If I like what I see, I go back and read the cover letter. If the cover letter is written well and I like what I read, it tells me the person can write well and communicate well (in my mind). I feel like ppl who can write well are more intelligent and I can always tell if there’s a language barrier, etc. For me, the cover letter is a plus IF I already like what I see on their resume. If there’s a low score, cover letter won’t help. My HR mgr sends all resumes to me but I don’t receive too many at a time to where I’d read every couple, etc. I don’t want to miss out on any good resumes that way.
payscale is the only one I’m familiar with. I’ve heard of salary.com
Great info. I specifically asked those questions because a lot of job seekers just don’t understand what goes on behind the scenes or where they can find resources. They focus solely on their resume and the interview. This is the information we need to be sharing. As a matter of fact, lemme go share this on FB and the Twitter.
To answer the questions, most companies use an applicant tracking system nowadays. Some recruiters are gonna use it to filter people out based on some pre-screening questions. Others will use it to search for candidates via keywords. No matter what, there should be a cover letter for them to look at. Truthfully, I’ll look at the resume first to see if they at least have experience or skills on par with the role, then I’ll click over to their cover letter. If you’ve spent the last 10 years baking cookies and we need someone with demonstrated computer programming experience, a cover letter won’t do you any good.
And a recruiter eyeing only every 5th resume in a pile isn’t doing their job. I think that’s foolish and I’ve never worked anywhere where that’s been the case. And even if that is the case, make pretend yours is 5th, 10th, 15th, etc.
Aside from Payscale, most folks use salary.com or a google church for their position and the salary. You can also try vault.com and even you really want aggregated data, you can check out the bureau of labor statistics site at bls.gov. You gotta rememeber that these salary sites are only as good as the information submitted by people taking the surveys in most cases though.
I was in a training and there were some HR ppl from some very large corps there who said they have ‘ways’ of lightening their workload. Looking at every 5th resume or only looking at the first 200 were just a couple of the things shouted out.
With regard to the salary sites, I always mention doing the research but folks (US) usually have never heard of these sites.
I love that you and SmartGirlFox are sharing this information!
I usually use salary.com to see salary by industry. But when I am looking at a specific company I usually look at glassdoor.com. Many times there are reviews about the company from employees as well as their salaries for different positions.
There’s also glassdoor.com for salaries, interview questions, company reviews etc.
Good tips. I will definitely be sharing this…
good read. i updated my cover letter earlier this year but fortunately i had the help of a mentor who critiqued it. i think my cover letter was key to me getting an interview at the job i have now. a lot of people think that a good resume or cv will get them over. not necessarily when there are a lot of applicants applying for the same job who have similar credentials.
Can’t emphasize enough the value of having a mentor. I just acquired one myself and I think it’s gonna pay big dividends down the road.
yep. in my field its imperative. now i’m the process of looking for a mentee because what good is amassing great deals of information and resources if you’re going to keep it to yourself?
+1
You know what though, that’s the attitude a lot of us have. It’s about the scarcity mentality, which is a completely different topic in itself. This may just have to be fodder for a new post. Different from that one I ran on SBM a while back about men supporting men.
**i fully admit to being incognito on your site lately. im totally failing on my 1/mo commitment but i still read!!!**
great post!!!! you’re definitely qualified to give ppl guidance on job application techniques. simple, easy to follow steps to an effective cover letter.
thanks for caring about ppl getting employed lol. in this economy, folks cant afford to be slippin!
you have a “pause” in every single post. the consistency of this is hilarious.
anyhoo… i shall be employing this advice to hopefully gain employment. great post.
I’m a business major, so I’ve taken classes that gave a variation of the same watered down advice on resumes/cover letters, but I found this post to actually be helpful! I’ll heed this advice & pass it along as well
Great post! I’ll be sending this to my friends who I know are on the hunt for better and greater opportunities – myself included! I’d post it to Facebook if I wasn’t already friends with some of my current co-workers lol.
Great post slim!!!
Thanks so much for sharing! I’ll definitely share this and use it to improve my cover letters.
Great Post Slim! I am in the process of sprucing up my resume and cover letter, and these tips are awesome. *prints out post* … now!
Great article and great timing! I’m looking and need all the advice I can get since it’s been a while. I also love that you worked a “pause” into there…you are much too much! LOL!
*hi- fives Slim* What a great post! I know a few people including myself that need these tips. I’m going to dust off my cover letter and resume this weekend and apply these tips. Thanks OluSlimmy.
This post is right on time for me as I am currently looking. I am always wondering how to get noticed since I know there are a lot of applicants.
Thanks for sharing! I am having a hell of a time finding a job and the cover letter information is a great help.
Slim and his pauses, lol!
Thanks a bunch for this post. As a person who’s currently seeking employment, your post gave me a few pointers that I had not thought about. I’m revising some things on my cover letter as we speak.
Thanks again!
Thanks Mr. Slim Jackson. All this time I did not know you worked in HR.
Thanks for the information sir. I am one who hardly ever sends a cover letter, but from now on, I will make sure I add one to all resumes.
Excellence, thank you. Writing “the cover letter” has always left me a little less than excited. This post will definitely help.
Where do you find a professional mentor? I need one like yesterday!!!
This was an excellent and informative read. Thank you very much for this information I plan to put it into use right away.
A very useful article, I was searching for something like this to help structure my own Covering Letter for a Scholarship…keep up the good work
Thanks so much for this great post. This will defintely help me structure my cover letters a whole lot better. Please do more post on job specific topics.
I have a few more ideas since this was so well-received. I think you’ll like what I have in store!
Absolutely amazing article. I will definitely be using this! Thank you very much.
Such a wonderful post. Bookmarked and referencing it now as I revamp my cover letter. Thanks so much for the great information!
This was very informative. I’m planning to try out this format as well as spread the information. Thanks.