Underestimating the power of a cover letter and focussing solely on a powerful resume is common. But HR departments do generally expect a cover letter to accompany a resume. Here is how to go about writing the cover letter.
Many of us underestimate the power of a cover letter and choose to focus solely on a powerful resume. But this is a case of misplaced optimism as most HR departments expect a succinct cover letter to accompany a resume, often using it as a quick initial yardstick to evaluate the candidate. If the cover letter doesn’t stand out, chances are that the recruiters are less likely to spend time going through your resume, regardless of how good it may be. The key take here is that your cover letter has to have the desired punch, be precise and well formatted, so that within 30 seconds of eyeing it, the HR person gets a very positive impression about you, your enthusiasm and your appropriateness for the job.
The golden rule is to keep the contents of the cover letter within a page. Keep it as precise as possible (rambling is an indicator of poor communication skill!). The 4 paragraphs should typically adhere to the following guidelines:
The golden rule is to keep the contents of the cover letter within a page. Keep it as precise as possible (rambling is an indicator of poor communication skill!). The 4 paragraphs should typically adhere to the following guidelines:
- The Opening. Explain which position you are applying for and where you saw the vacancy advertised.
- A summary about your appropriateness for the position you are applying for. Detail the skills and experience that demonstrates the qualities they have mentioned in the advertisement (e.g. My 2 years as President of the Investment Society at the University helped me hone my leadership skills, imperative for a Product Marketing team leader.)
- A synopsis of your key accomplishments - Highlight only the top 4-5 accomplishments rather than making this a laundry list going back to your 12th grade marks! (Your resume will provide all that.) In the order of importance, mention only your major achievements, preferably in bullet point. (e.g. As Assistant Marketing Manager at Company x, I helped increase sales by 11% within 7 months.)
- The close. Reiterate your interest in the position, mention the attached resume for details and name any referees they can get in touch with if need be.
The next problem is formatting, which if shoddy can be a major put-off. Remember, first impressions matter! So make sure you do a simple grammar and spell check to avoid sloppy typos and punctuation! And just like your teachers always told you in school, don’t go with very small handwriting (font size) or the examiner (recruiter) won’t bother reading at the risk of his/ her eye sight! Crowded margins are another no-no. Do yourself a favor and also include all your contact information on the cover letter just in case it gets separated from your resume (this happens more often than you think).
A stellar cover letter and resume are like "coffee and coffee mate… you can’t have one without the other!” Hence, you should ensure you apportion sufficient time to the cover letter so that it supports and pulls up, rather than push down your stellar resume!
A stellar cover letter and resume are like "coffee and coffee mate… you can’t have one without the other!” Hence, you should ensure you apportion sufficient time to the cover letter so that it supports and pulls up, rather than push down your stellar resume!
