Ways To Give

Job Search Tip: Write a Cover Letter that Works

Written by Justine Hwang

On my supervisor’s desk swam a sea of 500 cover letters that answered the question:”Why do you want this job?”

I didn’t envy my supervisor’s task of shortlisting only 100 of the 500 applicants.

To my surprise, she said it wasn’t too difficult to weed out the 400 losing letters. What was it about those 100 winning letters that stood out?

In my quest for the secret ingredient of an effective cover letter, I discovered that, while specifics like formatting and action words are important, it’s the general philosophy and attitude with which you write your letter that will make it stand out from the rest.

The secret is quite a simple principle that is based on the basic communication model of sender > message > receiver. What’s the secret principle?

Identifying your audience is one of the first steps in communicating clearly. If you want to write an effective cover letter, be explicit in targeting the employer

.

The key message to communicate is what you can do for the employer, not what the job will do for you.

That’s the secret.

And so my supervisor’s job of selecting 100 applicants out of the 500 was quite easy. These were only 100 applicants who conveyed an attitude of wanting to serve and benefit the employer.

The other 400 weeded themselves out by writing about how the job would help them achieve their goals and build their experience.

So the next time you write a cover letter, think about who it’s really about: you or the employer?

Keep these tips in mind:

• State specifically how your skills and experience relate directly to the employer and to the job. For example, “I have created three databases for the Business Week magazine. I am confident I will efficiently manage the volunteer and donor databases at YWCA as well.”
• Do make a connection to the company if you have one, whether it be a person you know or some information you’re researched or specific interest you have in the company.
• Discuss relevant skills only. Don’t talk about your excellent interpersonal skills if the job involves working alone in a lab. This also means absolutely no form letters – most employers can spot it a mile away!

Justine has written over 70 cover letters and is glad to have a rest from churning out the letters while she’s on her current job for the next few months. Originally published in Communique, Simon Fraser University’s Communication Co-op newsletter. Used with permission.

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