When it comes to job searching, writing a great cover letter is key to scoring a job interview.
Unlike your resume, which is a straightforward list of former employers, accomplishments and job titles, your cover letter gives you a chance to display your character, address any gaps in your work history, mention whether a current employee referred you and showcase your fit for the job. Employers “are first and foremost looking for someone they’ll get along with,” says Alexandra Levit, co-author of “Mom.B.A.: Essential Business Advice from One Generation to the Next.” “Make sure [your cover letter] is friendly and shows your personality a little bit.”
But there are still pitfalls to avoid. For example, starting a cover letter with “To Whom It May Concern” can make it look like an outdated form letter that you’ve sent to multiple hiring managers.
Still stumped about how to perfect this all-important job application document? Here’s what to know about writing a cover letter.
What Is a Cover Letter?
This written document typically accompanies your resume and any other application materials when you apply for a job. The cover letter doesn’t just repeat what’s on your resume. It builds and explains the details of your work history and outlines why your previous experience will help you succeed at the job.
Alternatives for ‘To Whom It May Concern’
Sorry, folks. Kicking off your cover letter with “To Whom It May Concern” is outdated and may make you sound totally out of touch, experts say. It also may make your cover letter sound like a form letter that you’ve sent to dozens of hiring managers, says Dawn Fay, district president for Robert Half, which staffs workers in the finance, accounting, technology, legal, creative and administrative professions.
Instead of starting with that five-word cover-letter cliche, make an effort to find out who will be reading your cover letter and use his or her name in your formal greeting.
Want to know how to address your cover letter? Here are a few alternatives to “To Whom It May Concern,” according to former U.S. News On Careers contributor Vicki Salemi.
— Dear [hiring manager’s name]
— Dear [recruiting manager’s name]
— Dear Recruiting Department
— Dear [name of department you’re looking to work in]
— Dear [name of referral]
“Whichever way you decide to spice it up, please don’t be that guy or gal who makes the ultimate faux pas: ‘Dear Sirs,'” Salemi writes.
While these alternatives come off as less stilted than “To Whom It May Concern,” Levit still cautions against using phrases such as “Dear Hiring Committee” or “Dear Hiring Panel.” “You’re not going to get to the top of the pile that way,” she says. At the end of the day, while personalizing the greeting in your letter is a great way to make it stand out, it’s probably not going to make or break your application, so go with what sounds appropriate and makes you feel comfortable.
Why Should You Avoid Using ‘To Whom It May Concern’ in a Cover Letter?
Not only does the phrase come off as old-fashioned, it also shows that you haven’t done the appropriate legwork and research to determine to whom you should address your letter. Starting with “To Whom It May Concern” makes your cover letter look like a form letter, not one that was tailored to the specific job description and hiring manager.
Having the name of the hiring manager or department head will make your letter pop from the first word.
How to Find the Name of the Person to Whom You’re Addressing the Cover Letter
Ideally, you were referred by a professional contact who can tell you to whom to address the cover letter, Levit says. “I don’t believe in blind cover letters,” she says.
Having that name on hand is a great way to avoid using “To Whom It May Concern” or another corny introduction.
But if you’re not sure what name to use, look at the job posting. Does it tell you to send all application documents to Mr. X or Ms. Y? If you’re working with a recruiter, he or she should be able to demystify the name of your contact at the organization. You may also be able to do some online sleuthing on the company’s website or a business networking site such as LinkedIn to locate the name of the hiring manager. Even if the manager won’t be the first person to open your email, it’ll make it look like you did your homework and customized your cover letter for that specific job.
What to Know When Looking for Cover Letter Samples
There are tons of places to search for cover letter examples online. “It’s an easy Google search,” Levit says.
For example, you’ll find dozens of examples on job-search sites and on university career center websites, among other places. But don’t just stop at the generic cover letter template, experts say. Make sure to customize your search by including your industry, Levit says. Different employment fields have varying customs when it comes to the style and substance of a cover letter, and you want to ensure that you’re adhering to industry norms and common practices when penning your letter. After all, a cover letter from, say, a computer engineer should look very different from one coming from a journalist.
What to Include in a Cover Letter
If you’re responding to a job posting, pay close attention to what the post asks for you to put in the cover letter. Does it require you to name the digital file in a certain way? Should you answer specific questions or address requirements? Make sure that your cover letter complies with any instructions so that your application doesn’t get tripped up in any online system or simply ignored by a human because it failed to follow the rules.
Include a greeting, but avoid using “To Whom It May Concern.” If you were referred by a professional contact, which is a great advantage, the beginning of the cover letter is also the place to say who recommended you and how you’re connected to the person, Levit says.
As you construct the cover letter, don’t simply restate your resume in paragraph form. “It’s not a time to regurgitate everything on your resume,” Fay says. Demonstrate the value and accomplishments you brought to previous employment experiences by using metrics and other measurable proof of success, Levit says. You need to convince your future bosses that they want you in the job.
If your job history doesn’t line up perfectly with the job posting requirements — say, you’ve spent your career working at nonprofits but you’re applying for a corporate job — you can use your cover letter to demonstrate your fit for the job, despite your nontraditional experience, Levit says. “But, more importantly, the dots should be connected in the resume,” Levit says. “This means you need to customize a resume for corporate roles and any other roles that are different from the typical career progression.”
Smart cover letter writers will parrot back some of the language used in the job description to make them sound well-suited for the job, experts say. They will also avoid cover letter pitfalls, such as writing “I’m ‘perfect’ for this role,” which will strike the wrong tone with hiring managers. Your writing should be engaging and lively, with room to detail your connection to the company. But you also want to make sure you’re hitting the necessary points in your cover letter — telling your potential future bosses why they should want you in the role and describing how your experience lines up with the requirements of the position.
Before you submit the cover letter, have a professional mentor — someone you can trust with the news that you’re job hunting — review the letter and give you feedback, Fay says. Also make sure to use spellcheck and double-check every name, number and proper noun. The last thing you want is to misspell the name of the person to whom you’re addressing the letter. Plus, grammatical mistakes and sloppy writing could get your cover letter quickly “filed” to the trash bin.
Another common mistake that could get your cover letter tossed out? Using the wrong company’s name, incorrect job title or including formatting clues, such as a variation in font, which reveal that you’ve simply copy-and-pasted the text from a previous cover letter or online template. “You’ve got to spell-check it and proof [your cover letter] for errors,” Fay says.
How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?
Brevity is key when it comes to writing a good cover letter, experts say. “You need to keep them short and sweet,” Fay says. The job post might give you a word count or ask that you limit the cover letter to one page. If you don’t have any hints from, say, the job posting on how long it should be, opt to keep it short. “You want to whet their appetite,” Levit says.
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How to Write a Cover Letter originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 07/10/18: This article was originally published on Oct. 4, 2017, and has been updated to include new information.
