Getting your player ready...
Have you ever wondered if a cover letter matters when you apply for a position? Many job seekers, thinking they can skip this step, are counting themselves out of an opportunity. The cover letter is your chance to tell hiring managers and recruiters that you read the position description and have given their problem intelligent consideration. While it may be true that some hiring managers or recruiters choose to focus primarily on the resume, the cover letter remains one of the best ways to screen out people who don’t follow directions or don’t understand the key factors involved in the position.
The cost of a poorly written cover letter. Your resume and cover letter are examples of your work product. A prospective employer uses these examples to judge the potential quality and fit of your contribution. If you have been using a generic cover letter that describes your traits and skills in a general fashion, you risk sending the message that your thought processes will by lazy once on the job. A cover letter that has typos and poor grammar signals sloppy work and weak communication skills. Using a generic cover letter that does not address specific requirements or that fails to convey your understanding of the company and its culture can cost you an interview.
Target job postings with care. Applying to job postings online and waiting for responses that are slow in coming, or that never come at all, can be discouraging. Therefore, it is critical to target job postings carefully and respond only to those for which you are fully qualified. That way you can take the time to craft core language and repurpose that language for multiple cover letters in a way that is still targeted, thoughtful and authentic.
Create a cover letter
strategy. Take the time to develop the core language for a cover letter that matches the key skills of jobs you truly fit. Develop wording about relevant accomplishments, not responsibilities. For instance, instead of saying, “Responsible for managing editorial projects and supervising project teams,” you would say, “Built collaborative and efficient editorial project teams that produced $1 million in annual revenue, generating repeat and referral business from customers.” Identify the most compelling accomplishments and success stories from your career to date, and distill that into key bullets for future cover letters. Look for ways to match your accomplishments and unique skills sets to the most important duties and requirements listed in each job posting.
When drafting each cover letter, review the accomplishment statements you have already created and customize those to show how your knowledge and experience is relevant to the specific posting. Know your audience. Read between the lines of each job posting to find hints about company culture and values. Review the company website and read industry articles. Integrate your findings in your cover letter. Finally, take the time to inject personal warmth and passion for your work. For the hiring manager who is overwhelmed with canned responses, it is refreshing to receive a cover letter that conveys the ideas of a professional. insor-Games is the principal of The Winsor Group, a Denver-based boutique firm offering career coaching and transition services for professionals and executives. Visit us online at www.thewinsorgroup.com
strategy. Take the time to develop the core language for a cover letter that matches the key skills of jobs you truly fit. Develop wording about relevant accomplishments, not responsibilities. For instance, instead of saying, “Responsible for managing editorial projects and supervising project teams,” you would say, “Built collaborative and efficient editorial project teams that produced $1 million in annual revenue, generating repeat and referral business from customers.” Identify the most compelling accomplishments and success stories from your career to date, and distill that into key bullets for future cover letters. Look for ways to match your accomplishments and unique skills sets to the most important duties and requirements listed in each job posting.
When drafting each cover letter, review the accomplishment statements you have already created and customize those to show how your knowledge and experience is relevant to the specific posting. Know your audience. Read between the lines of each job posting to find hints about company culture and values. Review the company website and read industry articles. Integrate your findings in your cover letter. Finally, take the time to inject personal warmth and passion for your work. For the hiring manager who is overwhelmed with canned responses, it is refreshing to receive a cover letter that conveys the ideas of a professional. insor-Games is the principal of The Winsor Group, a Denver-based boutique firm offering career coaching and transition services for professionals and executives. Visit us online at www.thewinsorgroup.com
