How to Write Your Perfect Cover Letter

1. The Importance of an Effective Cover Letter: have you been unemployed Insurgent for work for more than one month? Are you sending job applications after job application and not getting any response? Let me ask you, Do you have a loan cover letter that you carefully customized before sending it out? Or do you have one cover letter and one CV that you send out for every job application? Or do you just forgo the Cavil ITER? Send the city on its own? If you answered yes to any of these than you are limiting your chances for getting a job, you see a cover letter is an eventual part of the job application process. If it's written incorrectly, your job chances are weak. My name is Tom and I have worked as a recruiter for the past two years. I have seen hundreds of job applications throughout my experience. I have come across a lot of mistakes on cover letters and TV's. I soon came to realise that it doesn't matter what are person has 30 years of experience or is just a fresh graduate writing the cover letter N. C. V is an entirely different topic altogether, so I decided to make this course I wanted to help jobseekers find a job they want as fast as possible. For this to happen, you need a great cover letter and a powerful CV. The purpose off the cover letter is to get the recruiter to move on to your CV. The purpose of the C V is to give the recruiter to call you and book an interview. This course is focused on writing the perfect cover letter. So if you have had no luck in your job search, if you have found yourself just sending application after application week in and week out , this course can help you sign up today, and you will learn how to create the perfect cover letter within the hour. Ah, better application. Greatly improve your chances for getting a job Cioni inside. 2. What is a Cover Letter and Why You Need One: Hi, I'm Tom, and I want to welcome you to my course. Thank you for enrolling. You will learn how to write the perfect cover letter. But first I want to start by answering two very important questions. What is a cavil? Iter. And why do you need one? You see, a cover letter is a letter that you send to the hiring manager in which you explicitly state why you are the perfect candidate for the job. You want to show a link between your experience and skills and the position you are applying for. And you should focus on how you will provide value to the company so it should be tailored to the job. In short, you want to sell yourself, but you will not get an interview just from the cover letter along. So why do you need a cavil litter then? The cover letter is I promotion. So did the hiring manager moves onto your CV. You see, the job of the cover letter is to get recruiters to read your CV, and the job of the C V is to get the recruiter to call you and book an interview. The cover letter is a short document that comprises 3 to 4 paragraphs. You want to be brief and sell yourself in a few sentences. You don't want to spend more time on writing your cover letter than writing your CV because there's a high probability that the cover letter will not even be read now. This might sound strange, but I'll go into more detail on this issue later in this video. The cover letter is different from your CV. Not only do you specify why you are a suitable candidate for the position, but this is your chance to clarify some events that typically are not included in your CV, such as gap in your employment or your plans to relocate to another city. After reading candidates cover letters, I have decided that there are two primary things not to include so, firstly, don't restate the same information that you already have in your CV. And don't mention reasons for leaving your previous job. This is not necessary. If you have to explain this, then you can talk about it during the interview. If you are still a little bit hesitant as to the cover letter, then I want to end this lesson by sharing with you three compelling reasons why you not only shoot but must prepare a cavil iter when applying for a job. Earlier, I said that you should spend more time on your CV than your cavil iter because there is a high probability that your calculator will not even be read. The reality is that many recruiters will not even glance at your cover letter. They have hundreds off job applications to go through. They just don't have the time. So they request a cover letter as a test, a simple test to see if you can read the job, advert carefully and follow the requirements. Here's the harsh truth. Ever recruiter requests a cover letter and you don't send one. Your application may be deleted just like that. Even if you are the perfect candidate, you still will be overlooked. So that's the first reason you want to include a cavil, litter the cavil it or showed that you are motivated for the job. Sometimes applying without it will show laziness on the applicants part Now. The second reason is that you are essentially building a brand around your candidacy. A cover letter is a tool that lets you promote yourself for the job. It's a chance for you to stand out amongst other candidates, and the third reason is that it lets you present your writing skills. If a recruiter read your letter and it's written in bad grammar and it has long and irrelevant to paragraphs, this is not a good sign. But if you write it using correct grammar, if the letter is short and to the point and looks professional, it's really boost your chances for getting an interview. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you in the next lesson. 3. When NOT to send a Cover Letter: welcome back In the previous lesson, I emphasized the importance off sending a cover letter with your job application. I would like to clarify on this here now. The cover letter, while being essential to most job applications, has a couple of exceptions when you do not need to submit one. As a general rule, employers from larger companies and recruitment agencies expect to receive a cover letter even if they did not ask for one. However, if you are applying through an online website, which asks you to fill in all your details on a step by step basis and you never get asked for a cover letter, then you don't have to send one. And the other exception is if on the job advert, it's specifically states that Onley your Fyvie is required, then you don't need to travel yourself with preparing a cover letter. In all other cases, you should send your cover letter. Thanks for listening 4. How Long Should Your Cover Letter Be: Hello again. In this short lesson, I want to talk about the ideal cover letter length. We've surveyed employers on this topic and have arrived at our own conclusions. But also I have found that the subtle but college did a THIEVY survey on employers in their district. Basically, there's one outcome that is shared amongst most employers, and that is the shorter your cover letter, the better. Most employers don't have time to read a cover letter that is also a life story. Employers and recruiters are busy. They want to find a great candidate and fast when writing your cover letter. Ideally, you want to keep it half a page long. Maximum 3/4. And don't worry so much about the word count. Here's an example of the ideal cover letter linked. Basically, just aim for half a page in the fun size off 10 or 12. Now, if your cover letter looks like this, then you're doing something wrong. This is too long, and by writing a letter, which is so long, you are also wasting a lot of your own time by preparing sitting down and writing so you don't get any benefit from writing a letter this long and employers don't want to read something like this. Which reminds me over an extreme example at work. One guy was so in need of a job that he printed on a three size book, which was basically his life story. For anyone that doesn't know a tree is a size off, two or three standard print sheets joined together. It's huge. Now this guy went to on Expo and was giving these books away on the first few pages. Or he's early years on explanation off why he went to university and he's life purpose. Later on page four or five, I think. Finally, he had Heath Cover letter, which was also about two pages long, and then he CV. Now this example is extreme and actually scares potential employers away. I feel sorry for this guy, but something like this is just too much. It's too needy, and it just shows you're insecure to summarize. Just keep it simple and short. Half a page is all you need to land your ideal job 5. How to Structure Your Cover Letter: Hi, Tom. Here and in this lesson, I want to show you the elements off the cover letter. The 1st 1 is the header or the personal details section. You will want to keep this section simple and professional. Here's a sample cover letter which I think is very good. And if we zoom to the top, we've got the header. The most important details here are your name, your address and contact details. So you will want to include your phone number and your email address. Next comes the salutation. There is some debate as to how you should write your salutation. I will show you that I d line below. But first, let's look at some examples not to use. Don't use to whom it may concern. This salutation is too generic, and it doesn't look good on a cover letter. Next we've got dear Sir Madame, this is a little bit better. I still think that the salutation is a little bit too generic for a cover letter. You have really have only two options. First, you can research who is the person in charge of hiring and write a letter addressed to them . But let's be honest. This takes a lot of research, and a lot of the time you might not even be sure who exactly will receive the letter. So if you are unsure, I would go with the second option. And that is dear hiring manager. The way I see it, it's OK. If you don't know who that person is, you will not be disqualified. After all, you don't work there yet. Also, considering that there's no guarantee that the cover let will even be read, why waste your time researching someone's name? I also think that if someone chooses to disqualify your a job application on the basis that you don't know the hay char stuff person's name, then I really don't think you want to work in such a company. Next comes the first paragraph in this paragraph. You basically want to introduce yourself so you want to include the job that you are applying to. Where did you see the job advert? And perhaps you could include an introductory statement as to why you are a suitable candidate for the job, but your suitability will be the focus off the next paragraph. Let's look at an example. So in this letter, the person writes. I am writing to apply for the position off area sales manager, which was advertised on job seat dot com. It's simple short, and we know what he is applying to and where he found the position. The focus of the second paragraph is own. Why you are the best candidate for the job. You want to highlight a couple of key strengths that you have now make sure that these key strengths are relevant to the position you are applying for. You may focus on key skills or relevant experience that makes you ideal for the job. So here we have. For the past four years, I've worked as a sales representative for an insulation manufacturer. I developed knowledge of marketing and promoting our products. Every day I had contacted customers and learned how to make the sale. Okay, I think there is a link between his experience and the position of an area sales manager. The paragraph three is optional. The paragraph is basically an extension to the second paragraph. If you want to mention some more experience or skills than you can add this in for in paragraph three. But you see the goal off paragraph two entry is to make a direct link between your experience and the job position here. Paragraph tree is I am a good much for the job because I know how the sales process works in your industry. I've prepared new sales consultants before, and I have managed teams of up to five people during peak sale periods. Simple. And I think it emphasizes why Here is a good candidate for the job. Paragraph four is the last paragraph. Your aim is to conclude your letter informed the recruiter that more information is available in your CV and you will want to add a call to action. So you will want to mention that you welcome an opportunity for an interview or are willing to discuss your job application further on an interview in this example, we've got my resume attached with this. Job application gives you a summary of my experience, skills and qualifications. I welcome an opportunity for an interview to discuss my application further, and that's basically it short to the point, and we're using simple language that has meaning that it's quite detailed. Now I think I should say what not to do for your conclusion. Don't write that you will contact the employer in a couple of days to see how your application is progressing. It's too forward. Most employers don't like this type of behavior. It's what a sleeve e salesman does, one who constantly hassles people he called calls. I don't like having salesman call me and hustling me about the same offer over and over and needed to employers. It's better to finish off with a pleasant and professional ending if the employer wants to talk to you. They are the ones who have to pick up the phone and make the call. And after your content is Britain, either right, your sincerely yours truly regards or thank you. Now let's look at another example of ah, effective cover letter. Here is another great cover letter in the top. We have the heather, and the personal information is included, So the name, address and a contact phone number. Then we have the salutation dear hiring manager. In the first paragraph, he states, I am interested in the position off content marketing specialist. I believe that I would be able to help the company by writing quality content and boosting website traffic. So we know what position the applicant is interested in and how he would be able to add value to the company. Moving on to the second paragraph, I am familiar with content marketing practices. I developed these skills by working as a copywriter in the gaming industry. I am a fast and accurate writer with a keen eye for detail. I've written email sequences, blow content and fails pages. So the emphasis off this paragraph is on how he skills and experience would much to the position of content marketing specialist. Then the third paragraph is very, very short. In addition to this experience, I know how to set up landing pages for capturing leads, program email, marketing campaigns and optimize Compton for conversions. So he's letting the employer know that he has some technical skills as well, which are related to their position. Then the fourth paragraph. I would enjoy having the opportunity to talk to you more about this position and how my skills can benefit your company. Thank you for considering my application. So this is, ah, a nice professional ending and then regards Joe Smith. I would say it takes up about 1/3 or 2 50 Let's say 1/3 off the page, which is a good length, and it lit. It is well formatted and is inviting to read. Would that I would like to congratulate you because now you have learned the main parts off the cover letter. Nothing else is required. If you put in more effort and add more details and add more paragraphs, more information, there's no advantage for you. If you want to give more details, you can talk about it during the interview. But to get the interview, This is all you need. A short cover. Elated it. It's simple and gets to the point fussed. 6. Insider Recruiter Secret: Preparing Your Cover Letter File: welcome back in the previous lesson, you learn everything you need to know about designing your cover letter. Now, I wanted to give you two more useful tips. Number one. When you're covered, letter is completed. Always converted to a Pdf format, it looks more professional. And number two. I want to show you how recruiters named the documents they send onwards to employers. You see, recruiters get paid when a company hires unemployed that they recommend. So it's a recruiters priority to make the candidate stand out as much as possible. Recruiters deal with hundreds off CVS and cover letters, and they have developed their own way off naming these files. Instead of naming your document cv dot dog or cat related A. Pdf gave more details in the document name. You can use your name, the title of the document, and sometimes the company you are applying to this makes your file stand out for the recruiter or potential employer. After all, they will download your files into my folder, which has literally hundreds off other application files. If your documents are named differently, you will stand out, and there's a better chance you will be seen. Here's an example of what I suggest that you do so you could name the File Joe Blog's Underscore cover letter. Underscore ABC fermented PDF or John Smith Underscore CV the PdF Well, you see the former here includes the relevant information such as your name, the title document and perhaps the company you are applying to and separate each using an underscore. It makes your documents easier to find and much more visible to employers and recruiters. 7. 4 Tips for Writing the Perfect Cover Letter: in this lesson, I want to share with you four tips for writing the perfect cavil ITER These are guidelines that you can follow. Let's jump into the lesson tip number one less is more when you write your cavil itr. Get to the point fost be concise in your writing on Lee included that which is absolutely necessary. Keep it short, but to the point right short paragraphs with no more than three sentences, it will look better and be more inviting to read than, ah, large block off on formative text. Remember, half a page is the ideal length for your cover letter. Tip number two Use insider language. Every industry has its set off words and language used. If you are applying for a position in which you have experience, then add some industry lingo, your application will stand out. It shows that you have some specific knowledge about the industry and the job. Here are a few examples, so it's cover one. If you are ah programmer than some of the words would be back in front and design user friendliness, compatibility or compatible or another example would be marketing than you've got. Campaigns leads conversion rates. Customer needs Target market. Unique selling proposition. If you use these words, you give notice to the recruiter that you have experience in the industry. Tip number three Always tailor your cover letter to the position. Read the job advert carefully and tailor your cover letter to the job. This does not mean that you have to write and read. Write your cover letter for each and every position you apply. Not at all. This would take too much time. If you have seen my cover letter structure, listen then I am talking about changing one or two sentences only by tailoring your cavil. ITER. You are letting the recruiter and employer know that you have basically read the job advert and your experience is relevant to the job, which makes you on ideal candidate. Plus, if you send out just a random generic cover letter, the employer or recruiter they will know that you didn't put any effort into applying for this position and that you have probably sent out hundreds other cover letters off the same type. Okay, tip number four proof. Read your cover letter. Make sure that you don't have any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors as a recruiter, it really is disappointing to see typos in a cover letter or even in a CV. It puts a question mark over the candidate. Our recruiter will think that this candidate cannot even run a simple spelling check or that this candidate is not very detail oriented by sending a cover letter full of typos. So always run spelling and grammar. Check if possible, get someone else to read over your letter, and another piece of advice is. Write your letter on one day but edited on another. When you give yourself a day or two off and then you'll come back to your cover letter, you'll be able to improve on it with a fresh mind. Trust me, this works. 8. 4 WARNING Signs that Your Cover Letter is Wrong: high in the previous video, I gave you four tips for writing the perfect cavil ITER. In this lesson, I want to share with you for warning signs that your cover letter is on the wrong truck. Once again, these are guidelines that you can follow to improve your cover. Letter warning Sign one. Don't copy what you already have in your CV, repeating it. Word for word. Using the copy and paste function isn't good. Use off the recruiters time, and it doesn't say much about you. Instead, add value to your job application. Include information in your cover letter that doesn't appear in your CV, such as why your skills and experience are suitable for the job you are applying or explain your plans to relocate or a gap in your employment in general. Focus. Or how you can add value to the company. Warning Sign Number two. Don't use a generic cover letter for every application that you send. I generic letter shows laziness on the part of the candidate, and our recruiter who reads it will instantly know that it's just copy and paste generic material. They can actually hurt your job application, so instead, tailor your letter to each job. Find out what makes you the best candidate for the job and include this. Either includes some relevant skills or experience that makes you ideal for the position. Warning sign. Number three. Don't use big words to try and sound Almighty. I have seen many people, right, using big, long, complicated words. Utilize is one example. I can't stand it. I just can't stand this word. So many people, including recruiters, actually used the word utilize. Why not just use while use Utilize is so overrated and it adds no value to your text. Here's a snippet from a university curriculum. See if you can understand anything from it. Enable students to develop broad and comprehensive knowledge in the field off sustainable finance with an analysis off the environmental, social and ethical and governance dimensions off different financial service sectors and evaluating related initiatives for both private and public benefits perspectives. Do the sentences mean anything to you? Not only is this very difficult to read, it's actually when you have a look at it. It's all one giant sentenced. This whole huge paragraph is one sentence. My advice, simple and to the point, is much better. It's easier to read, and a recruiter will be able to understand your writing and warning. Sign number four. Don't go over one page. Linked Recruiters and employers don't have time to read long letters. Make it half a page no more. 9. The Biggest (Most Irritating) Mistake Made in CVs and Cover Letters: Hello, everybody. Tom here. In this lesson, I want to share with you the biggest and most irritating mistake that I see in cover letters and CVS. Every person is guilty off this. At first, everyone wants to stand out and be original, so they end up doing the exact same thing. The mistake is using generic wards and statements to describe yourself, so buy generic. I am referring towards like hardworking, committed team player. In fact, these are known as buzzwords. They're not only generic, they have been overused and mean Absolutely nothing. Here's a list of the most overused words in FY V's and cover letters. Excellent communication skills. Goal driven, flexible, motivated, strong work ethic, multi tasker, independent, detail oriented and self motivated. When you combine these words into sentences, you get generate statements that have no meaning. You can Justice will delete them as they're not helping your application. They're just taking up space. Here are a couple of examples. I am a great team player and have worked with people from a variety of different backgrounds. I am a motivated individual. I am a hard worker. These words or thes sentences, they mean nothing. If you want to show that you're motivated or a team player than given example that show this gave more details. The meaning is in the details given example of when you worked well in a team to achieve something. Here's what I want you to do instead of writing. You're a good team player. You could write coordinated with my colleagues to implement a software system across three offices To show that you are a hard worker, you could write, created a new quality inspection process from scratch within a six month period. These examples have details which give the statement meaning Once you get rid of generic statements and give more details, your cover letter will be more readable and a recruiter will instantly get a picture of ho . You are by giving details you will separate yourself from other candidates.