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Cover letters
Cover letter is a letter that is usually attached to a resume, thus presenting you and your resume to a potential employer. That is why you should send each resume with a cover letter. One employer of a Russian company said, “Even great resumes fail if they are sent without cover letters”. Unfortunately many people do not know about this and keep thinking that writing cover letters is not so important as resumes writing.
Lots of people still consider cover letters as a fashionable “appendix” to a resume, that plays no significant role. There is some grain of truth in such meaning. Cover letter does not really determine anything. Its only aim is to increase your chances to be invited to a job interview, nothing more, nothing less. Nevertheless it is able to give you a considerable support in solving this task.
There are at least three reasons why it is necessary to write cover letters.
Firstly, such letter allows a reader to notice your advantageous qualities. Although resume gives much information about your work experience and education, cover letter outlines your particular skills which in your opinion can especially strike an employer.
Secondly, cover letter is of a certain interest for an employer, since it is an example of your writing skills. So let me give you advice: when writing such letters always pay attention to any detail, because cover letters, like resumes, create an image of you as a professional.
Thirdly, cover letters present very interesting information for an employer, since it is not difficult to trace character beyond the lines, also motivation of a person (that is why cover letters are sometimes called motivational letters): someone has a formal approach to writing and just follows the “rules”, someone is pedantic, provident and tries to dictate his will to a reader, someone is daring and tries to use this opportunity as an extra chance to get a job, a grant, etc.
A senior HR manager of large Russian company “Distribut.net” Yana Rubeko says: “No one resume is left without my attention, even if it is an attached file, but most letters begin with the words: “Dear Yana! I found your vacancy… I trust I shall hear from you soon…” Receiving resumes with cover letters is more pleasant: it gives hope, that a person sent his resume purposively to our company, and not sent out in thousands to lots of firms. By the way, a job seeker presents himself in most favourable light, because thus I can see his personal component and motivation, he is no more faceless.”
Rules of good “covering”
Cover letter is a small text, “covering” a resume. It is usually not longer than one or two pages. In modern HR environment desirable standards and requirements to cover letters have been already worked out, in other words, things that an employer expects to read. We must notice, that you should not neglect these rules.
In fact, the contents of a cover letter are a reasoned answer to the employer’s question: “Why you?” All that you can answer in real-time mode is the text of a cover letter.
Your letter should be a well-structured document. Mark three parts: introduction, main part and conclusion. Introduction is a formal headline of a letter. Never address it to the company, department or simply HR manager. You should address to a certain person – HR manager, head of department, company director, and so on – depending on how high your claims are. The address should contain the last name of a person. Otherwise your letter will be thrown away into the basket on the desktop, if it is an e-mail, or under the desk! Indicate, where you have found the information about the vacancy. Companies are usually interested which of the data channels work.
Subject of the main part is not limited anyhow, here much depends on you. But remember, it is advisable to keep to the following logical structure. First write in details about your professional qualities, progress and achievements. In resumes they are usually described with few sentences, while you can broaden this matter in a cover letter. Then explain, why you want to work exactly in this company and why you are interested in a certain vacancy. In Europe the main part of a cover letter is even called motivational. Better to say, you are expected to write several sentences explaining what you seek from this company. After this do not forget to mention your own professional achievements, widening general phrases from the resume at the same time, giving the employer concrete information.
HR managers often tell one joke, based however on the real dialogue. One candidate for a position of sales manager was asked to reveal the contents of his resume, where he mentioned his “promising innovations that increased sales…” So the genius of retail answered proudly: “Well, in fact, I suggested to make price lists not in Microsoft Word, but in Microsoft Excel.” As the saying goes, no comments. Later it turned out that it was his only “achievement” at his previous workplace. So if you did not achieve prominent success, you would better write what benefit your experience, skills and education can bring to the company of a potential employer. Remember, that professionals – people who do not set the Thames on fire, but know their business perfectly – are the basis of any organization. No need to turn a cover letter into a story about everything that you could do for the company. It is just a waste of time. An employer is interested first of all in information about your skills and your practical experience, and not in your plans concerning your possible achievements at the new workplace.
The main part of a cover letter is the most informative one, but try not to abuse white paper and, what is more important, working hours of addressees. It is better to confine oneself to some sentences, but there is a small secret: even in this short text you should hint an employer that you are quite familiar with the company activity and possess open source information about it. It is a necessary evidence of your professional knowledge.
When writing a conclusion you should also take into account some secrets. Here your purpose is to push an employer slightly to the first contact. Avoid common mistakes introducing such phrases as “Thousand thanks to you”, “If you please”, “Great respect for your company”, “I am ready to come at your convenience” and so on. Try to avoid obsequiousness, even if this job is vital at the moment. Such word combinations most often seem insincere, and the last phrase characterizes a person as a real idler, who is doing nothing but waiting for the responses from employers.
It is better to use firm, business phrases: “Please let me know, when I can call you to specify all details” or “I would gladly meet you at the preliminary stated time.” It is also useful to know linguistic and, to be more precise, psychological devices that can increase your chances to meet the addressee. You can emphasize your willingness to pass an interview, when you will “tell all details of fulfilled projects, because the size of the letter does not allow you to do this.” It is not a very intricate device, but rather effective one, especially if you worked in a rival company in the past. Even if the prospects of your getting a job are quite vague, you can be invited just to talk (it is so interesting to find out information about the competitors). And in process of the interview everything will depend only on you.
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