How to Write a Cover Letter That Gets a Recruiter's Attention

What is a cover letter and why write one

This is a short text that explains why the company should consider you. More than half of Russians do not consider it is necessary to write cover letters, but nevertheless it is useful to say a few words about your experience. For example, if you are applying for a creative position: it is easier to show creativity in a letter than in a concise resume. By the way, sometimes the employer directly indicates in the vacancy that they will consider only candidates with a story about themselves. The presence of the text will show that you have carefully read the requirements.

A cover letter becomes essential when a resume seems to fall short. Let's say you retrained, and there is no experience in a new direction yet.

Writing a couple of sentences is important when you are considering vacancies from different industries. For example, programmers are needed in banks, IT companies, and large enterprises. A resume in this case can be general, and your advantages for a particular area should be indicated in the letter. For example, the bank will definitely evaluate if you have an economic education or you worked in a fintech startup.

How to write a cover letter

Templates from the Internet can be used as a sample, but not exactly copied. The recruiter should get the impression that you are interested in a particular company, and not responding to everything. If you resort to the help of neural networks, be careful. They will generate a letter based on the data you provided in the resume, but the text may turn out to be dry or, conversely, overly frivolous. It is better to write in your own words, without going beyond the formal business style.

Make sure the letter has a clear structure.

Say hello to the recruiter

If the vacancy contains the data of a specific specialist, you can contact him by name.

Please indicate which position you are applying for

Often a recruiter works with several vacancies. If you are sending your resume by email, specify in the subject line what kind of work you are interested in. Avoid complex and formulaic phrases.

Write why you are suitable for the position

It is better not to duplicate information that is already in the resume. Add more specifics.

Explain lack of experience

Even if you previously worked in a different field, try to highlight the skills that will be useful in a new place.

Emphasize specific skills

The purpose of a cover letter is to strengthen your resume and reveal you as a candidate. Therefore, even if you really need a job, do not put pressure on emotions and do not beg the recruiter to look at the profile.

Add a final part

Write that you are ready to come for an interview or complete a test task. Duplicate contacts by which you can be quickly contacted: phone number, messenger.

Here are a few more tips to help improve your writing:

• Limit yourself to 3-5 short paragraphs of text. A recruiter can view dozens of resumes a day, and he hardly has time to read a few pages. Such a volume is appropriate only when looking for a person for a leadership position.
• Stick to the “one paragraph, one thought” rule. A text in which the author jumps from one idea to another is difficult to read.
• Check spelling and punctuation. This is worth doing, even if the position you want to get is not related to texts. About 77% of recruiters reject summary, if it contains typos and grammatical errors. And they see the cover letter first, so they may not get to the questionnaire.

What not to talk about

If you have not worked for a long time, do not fill in the gaps with non-existent experience. Some companies vet applicants and the scam may come to light. Tell in the letter that you were employed on a temporary project or studied. Sometimes the break is due to personal reasons - for example, you spent several years on parental leave. In this case, it is better to write the truth than to use vague language about self-development. A couple of months of professional downtime can not be explained - indicate in the resume only the years of employment.

In the cover letter, they will definitely be superfluous:

• Personal information. If the employer becomes interested in when you got married and what your passion is, he will ask about it at the interview.
• Stamps. All candidates are punctual and stress-resistant when they need a job. Do you want to emphasize some quality? Give an example. Let's say you helped the company participate in tenders - this is an excellent indicator of strong nerves.
• irrelevant experience. If you worked as a merchandiser at 18 and now want to become a business analyst, you can skip this career episode.
• financial expectations. It is better to discuss them in person. By the way, if the change of profession is due to the fact that you were not satisfied with the income in your previous position, this should not be stated directly either.