A cover letter is your chance to catch the attention of the hiring manager and address what you can’t add to your resume. Most hiring managers and recruiters can spot a robotic, templated cover letter from a mile away. The main reason your cover letter ends up in the trash is that it follows the boring, generic format starting with "To whom it may concern."
Storytelling is an art, and if it's authentic, your cover letter will add value as long as you meet the job requirements. Each cover letter needs to be customized. The first step is to apply only when you qualify or start building a network to go through the back door. A bad cover letter highlights your needs, not the company's, and is irrelevant to the job description.
We’ve been taught how to write essays in school but not how to write resumes. A cover letter doesn’t need to follow a specific format—you can be creative and tell stories. Stand out with your cover letter if resume writing isn’t your strength. Think back to your school days when everyone wrote essays, and use those skills to impress the hiring manager. The cover letter is where you can show your brand with stories and include details you can’t add to your resume, such as gaps, career pivots, job-hopping, etc.
Do you want to be different? Why follow the crowd?
Do you want that dream role?
Do something that others don’t!
A cover letter is an extra piece of marketing material, so why leave it out? You can address any missing details on your resume in your cover letter, such as gaps, career pivots, or certifications you’re currently enrolled in. Feel free to add recommendations, testimonials, performance review feedback, and more as quotes.
A cover letter is your story, which you can’t fully highlight in the resume section. Nobody in real life talks like a resume, but you can shine through your cover letter. The sky is the limit—be creative!
Ditch the template, and bring your story and brand to your cover letter.
Feel free to add recommendations, testimonials, performance review feedback etc. as a quote.
Add missing information on the resume such as career break/ employment break
How to write a cover letter
Get an official email only used for job applications or a professional email with your full name.
Email subject line: your name, title you are applying for, date of posting/job number/ attn to the job poster/ hiring manager
Don't know the email of the hiring manager or look who posted the job on LinkedIn? Reach out to mutual connections or people within the organization/department. Try https://hunter.io/
Most government/ public sectors warrant a cover letter, you must follow instructions.
Following the company's request based on the application, instructions to send a cover letter could be in email or attached.
Greet them right, and address them with their name if you can. Find the information! (To whom it may concern the type of cover letter needs to be in recycle bin now! )
Where did you find the job posting? is it online? is it a referral?
If you are referred, then drop their name to score brownie points.
Research the company, especially the mission, values, and awards.
Start with the story of why you chose the career and industry. This is where you got to have them at hello, your story that connects the dot. Your why is important to connect with the hiring manager emotionally.
Focus on what you have, not on what you don't have.
Address the gap or career pivot, missing certifications etc.
Include a branding statement that should include the years of experience, and the pain you could solve based on the job description or your research. Provide at least two pieces of evidence of your accomplishments with data.
Use the industry lingoes that the company uses within the department.
Talk about the recent pain the industry is dealing with and how you have provided solutions in the past.
Select an appropriate formal closing: best regards, Sincerely, or Thank you.
Sign off with your name, contact phone number, email, and LinkedIn profile UR ( customize your LinkedIn profile).
Attach your resume and a cover letter or use the body of an email as a cover letter.
Close it with the call to action- i.e. interview or you are looking forward to talking soon.
Add P.S on the end to get an attention
Tip: follow up after you send your resume in a week.
Cover letter email sample with example
Sales Associate
(Please note each cover letter is different and the real cover letter may not be in the same order/ format outlined in the example below).
A customized cover letter strategy is covered under our One Size Doesn't Fit All Package.
Hello xxx,
As an introvert, five years ago, I accidentally chose the sales field just to pay for my tuition fees. Facing rejection shattered my confidence, and I almost gave up. One day, I developed a sales framework and started testing it out, ditching the traditional methods of outbound sales. That's when I discovered the power of high conversion rates through listening skills—a strength for an introvert. The 80/20 rule on sales calls works like a charm!
No one should have buyer's remorse.
I learned that sales are about impacting three key contributors where everyone wins: customers, employees, and the company, which aligns perfectly with your mission.
I have been an award-winning Outbound Sales Associate in each role for the last ten years by using a similar framework. Your posting for an Outbound Sales Associate on XXXX caught my attention immediately as your company thrives on service excellence, with numerous awards such as XXX. With five years of experience working in a fast-paced service environment, I would bring higher customer satisfaction to your team by meeting KPIs. Recently, I contributed to:
Exceeding the assigned target by 30% during the off-peak period by developing a new script.
Increasing customer acquisition by 20% with a specific follow-up framework.
Increasing First Call Resolution (FCR) from 60% to 80%.
I look forward to the prospect of learning more about this role and discussing how I can assist your team at XXXX.
Please find the attached resume in this email.
Regards,
Your name
Phone number
LinkedIn URL
Enclosure: Resume (for email, you could simply write please find the attached resume in an email before the signature, instead of using Enclosure at the end)
(An enclosure in a cover letter is a list of any additional documents you've included in your application. Typical enclosure documents include a Resume, letters of recommendation, certificates, and written tests associated with the job application.)
P:S- I was looking at your current outbound promotion on xxx product, I have a couple of ideas on a few outbound sales campaigns on how to increase conversion within 1 month. I am looking forward to discussing this during the interview.
Are you tired of sending countless resumes and cover letters without getting any responses?
Sweta Regmi is a hiring manager from award-winning companies turned into Founder and CEO at Teachndo, a Certified Career & Résumé Strategist.Sweta Regmi is a globally recognized top career expert, speaker, and LinkedIn Top Community Voice for Career Development, Job Search Strategies, Personal Branding, Public Speaking, Resume Writing, and Interviewing with over a decade of experience empowering career professionals. Sweta's insights are featured in CBC National News Prime Time & Local, Global National News Top Story & Global Local News, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, CTV News, City News, FOX 26 News, Daily Mail, BNN Bloomberg, 5 times in Globe and Mail, Yahoo News, National Post, MSN, theaustralian.com.au, FORBES, Toronto Sun, 80+ times in LinkedIn News, LinkedIn Hello Monday award-winning podcast, LinkedIn Creators, Indeed, Employment services, Top Colleges and Universities, Career Conferences, Leadership Conferences, and 100+Top media outlets have widely recognized Regmi's expertise, see here. Regmi has also partnered with leading brands and organizations to elevate and spearhead career strategies, career sites, and outplacement and establish non-profit employment services partnerships. Her RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards nomination by Women of Influence in 2022 and 2023 further demonstrates her success as a recognized career expert in Canada. Regmi is also the Amazon Best Seller of 21 Resilient Women: Stories of Courage, Growth, and Transformation. The book has been recognized by libraries, ministers and MPs in Canada.
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