To Cover Letter or Not to Cover Letter

Cover letters are hard. As if writing a resume and tailoring it to the jobs you’re applying for wasn’t hard enough, now you’re being asked to submit a cover letter too. (And yes, you heard me right, you should be customizing your resume to each job your applying for.)

I know what you're thinking: is anyone even going to read this? Does it really matter? Honestly, it’s hard to say. While it won't necessarily hurt your chances if you don't write a cover letter, a really great cover letter can set you apart from the crowd. You never know who your stacked up against, and you don’t want to be the one person who didn’t submit a cover letter.  Not a good look.

So rather than researching whether or not you actually have to write a cover letter, and just write the darn thing. It's not so bad once you get going.

To get you started, here are a few things I’ve found most great cover letters have:

Catchy Opening

Writing a cover letter gives you the opportunity to show some character and really connect your experience to the job you're applying for. This is your chance to stand out among hundreds of other applicants and convince the reader that you're the one they want to hire. But before jumping in, you'll need to hook the reader’s attention. Without a catchy opening, they will never make it past the first couple lines. So if the opening to your cover letter sounds a little like this, “This cover letter is to express my interest in…”, you’ll need to start fresh.

Begin by telling a story, sharing a passion, or showing some charisma; anything that is uniquely you. Grab their attention.

No idea where to start? Check out these 31 attention-grabbing examples from The Muse. Again, the whole point of the cover letter is to share more of yourself with the reader. Use these ideas to spark some fresh ideas of your own, that are uniquely you.

What’s the Problem & Why You?

Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes. In order to position yourself as the best fit for the role, you’ll need to identify the motivation behind this opening.

Start by tapping your network. If you know someone who works at the company, ask them to lunch and pick their brain a bit. No inside connections? No problem. Take the responsibilities from the job description and imagine no one is doing those things. What types of problems might arise? If your experience is closely aligned, imagine the challenges your team would face if your position was vacant. These are probably pretty similar to the pain points driving this opening.

Now you can use this space to speak to the challenges the company’s facing. By showing you understand their pain points, you can position yourself as a solution. Reveal your accomplishments and contributions within the framework of the opportunity at hand. Allow your cover letter to be the bridge between your resume and the position you're applying for.

Speak Their Language

Just like your resume should be tailored to each job you're applying for, your cover letter should be too. This is your chance to show some personality and illustrate how you connect with the values and vibe of the organization. If they can see you as a part of their team before they’ve even met you in person, you're already ahead of the competition.

Now I'm not suggesting you change your stripes, but rather that you share your true self through the lens of the employer. Check out their website, careers page, and blog. Take a pulse check on the company's culture and look at the language they use to speak about themselves and attract talent. This is the same framework in which you will want to share yourself. Place yourself in this role, on their team, and now be that person as you're writing your cover letter.

Of course, employers are looking for certain skills and experiences, but they're also hiring for values and personality. And in some cases, the right attitude may be more valuable than meeting a laundry list of requirements. They won't know it from looking at your resume, but a well crafted cover letter can help them to understand who you are outside of the qualifications.

Details Matter

No matter where you're applying or what job you're applying for, employers are always looking for an attention to detail, communication skills, and some degree of professional polish. And whether you're planning for it or not, your cover letter will give employers information about all three. From your formatting to your signature and everything in between, details matter.

Before sending off your cover letter, review it with a fine tooth comb. Make sure your formatting is consistent between your resume and cover letter, matching layout, font, colors, and so forth. They should look like they go together, because they do. Next, triple check for spelling and grammar, then ask a friend to proofread. A fresh set of eyes will almost always catch something you missed.

Most importantly, read it out loud. Does it sound like you? Does it feel natural? Don't totally ditch your personality just to sound more “professional”. You can be both, I promise.