Cover Letters: Do Not Sell Yourself Short

December 21, 2009 by: mr.know it all

Cover letters can be seen as the sales copy of the job seeker. They are used by managers as a means to separate pontential employees based on their communication skills and past accomplishments. Job seekers should use cover letters as a way to promote themselves and to start a dialogue with a perspective employer early on, even before they acquire the interview. In this day and age of extremely competitive job markets, having the upper hand is critical to landing your dream job. A professional cover letter can be the one thing that pushes you past the other applicants in your field.

Application packets should not read like an autobiography. While you should include important details about your past and your experience, you should not give a potential employer every minute detail about your life. There will be more than enough time for getting to know one another personally later on. The cover letter should simply get your foot in the door so that you can “sell” yourself in person. There are a few specific ways that a cover letter can accomplish this:

1. A cover letter shows professionalism – Drafting up a clear and concise cover letter explaining why you are qualified for the job is one of the best ways to show that you are professional and were born to work in this field. More than a note to the hiring committee, the cover letter can a mini report of your experiences and education.

2. Cover letters allow you to brag – The cover letter is one of the few places in business that it is not only okay, but recommended that you brag on yourself. Pull out the whole bag of tricks and talk about every accomplishment that is related to the job you are applying for. Talk about how you kept your last project financially successful despite tough economic times or how you were the top salesman at your last company three years running. Make sure that all of what you say make sense for the job you are applying for or at least “spin” them in such a way to make them relevant. It is always difficult to figure out what will be of interest to a perspective employer and what will not be, but make your decision based on their job ad.

3. Cover letters show attention to detail – A well written cover letter that zeros in on the aspects of the job highlighted in the job ad, indicates that you not only pay attention but that you are concerned about what it is that the company does. Do some research on the company on the web and through offline media and find out about some of the issues surrounding the corporate structure. Knowing your interviewers names and addressing them personally in the header of the cover letter is one of the best ways to show attention to detail and showcase your researching skills.