Everyone has to find a job at some point in their life. Doing that requires them to create a good job application and a cover letter. Employers usually look for various things in the cover letter submitted by a candidate.
These things can vary if you’re applying to different jobs as not each job description is the same. However, there are a few things that every employer keeps a lookout for since these elements describe whether the candidate can be considered for the role.
If you’re looking to apply to different jobs, you’re going to need an effective cover letter for it. We recommend you read this article before you start creating the cover letter as we’re about to discuss some of the elements of a winning cover letter that can help you land the job you’re looking for. So, let’s get right into it then.
A winning cover letter is…
1. Tailored for the Job Description
The first thing that an employer looks out for in the cover letter submitted by a candidate is if it is tailored to the job description. This is because some people send in their cover letters and job applications to employers without putting any thought into it and reading the job description thoroughly.
You might think that employers don’t notice but it is easy to spot if a candidate has put some thought into making the cover letter and tailored it to the description or not. The cover letter you’re submitting has to be tailored to the role you’re applying to. Highlighting any skills and past experience that are relevant to the position can massively increase your chances of landing the job.
Employers prefer cover letters like this and look forward to calling the candidate for an interview. The cover letter should also show the employer that you have done your homework by researching the company and taking a look at its work ethic and how it operates. Demonstrating your knowledge and appreciating the culture of the company you’re applying to can go a long way in making a winning cover letter.
2. Ensures Maximum Clarity
Employers receive many cover letters and job applications each day. This is why they usually skim through each one till they find a suitable candidate for the role. Therefore, it’s important to create a clear and engaging cover letter for yourself. Many employers also take this into consideration.
If you fail to achieve clarity in your letter, the employer might have to spend some time understanding it and determining if you’re a good candidate. Your letter should be absolutely clear and easy to understand. Avoid the usage of jargon and overly complex language, words, and sentences.
You can instead, try focusing on using plain and direct language to communicate your key points. This way, the employer also gets the notion that you spent time crafting the letter and haven’t used an already existing template.
3. Maintains Conciseness
Cover letters are supposed to be kept concise. The rule of thumb is to write a cover letter that’s no more than one page long. This seems like a hard thing to do but can be done if you figure out what you should include and omit from it.
For that, you need to include only the relevant information and skills in your cover letter. No need to tell the employer that you’ve worked in a restaurant before when the job you’re applying to is for a software developer.
You can also sit down and create a summary of your skills and past experiences; this way, it’ll be easier for you to determine the best skillset that should be included in the cover letter.
Another thing that you can try doing is writing a long and lengthy cover letter, and then summarizing it afterwards. During the post-writing summarization, you can take out the unnecessary information and leave only the essentials.
And to make things even better, there are tools available online that you can use for this purpose. In other words, you can write your cover letter as you want and then summarize it using an online tool like Summarizer.org. The tool will make the meaningful information out of the letter and compile it all together for conciseness.
4. Shows the Candidate’s Enthusiasm
In order for a cover letter to successfully do what it’s supposed to, it needs to show that the candidate is passionate about the job and joining the company. This is one of the biggest elements of a winning cover letter as it shows the hiring manager that you’re eager to contribute to their team and are excited about the opportunity.
Failing to do so can massively reduce your chances of getting hired. Therefore, it is important to try and show your passion. You can give suggestions to the employer and tell them how you can be a valuable addition to their team.
Let them know that it’ll be best for them if you get hired by giving them subtle hints that you can fix any problems that they might face once you get the role. Besides this, you can also include details of your past experience with a similar job and include a portfolio for the hiring manager to take a look at.
5. Has No Grammatical Mistakes
A winning cover letter has zero mistakes of grammar. Therefore, you must proofread yours thoroughly to eliminate any errors in spelling, pronunciation, and grammar.
If the hiring manager spots mistakes in your letter, it can lead to a bad impression and can give them the notion that you didn’t bother to read your own cover letter after you crafted it. This can make them assume that you aren’t professional enough and reduce the chances of you landing that job.
Besides this, having these mistakes in your cover letter can reduce its quality and make it look dull and amateurish. Good cover letters with no mistakes show the employer that you have strong communication skills since good grammar is essential for effective communication. It can also demonstrate your attention to detail, which you’ll need a lot in the professional context as companies look for detail-oriented employees.
Conclusion
Cover letters have to be hand-crafted to perfection in order to increase your chances of landing a good job. In this article, we have listed some of the essential elements of a winning cover letter that can help you fulfill this purpose.
