{"id":12220,"date":"2023-08-14T11:36:27","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T11:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=12220"},"modified":"2023-08-14T11:36:29","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T11:36:29","slug":"stop-sending-the-same-cover-letter-heres-how-to-personalize-to-make-an-impression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/14\/stop-sending-the-same-cover-letter-heres-how-to-personalize-to-make-an-impression\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Sending the Same Cover Letter\u2014Here\u2019s how to Personalize to Make an Impression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An excellent cover letter performs two tasks: It explains why you\u2019re a valuable candidate and how your skills fit a specific position. Sending the same cover letter with each application won\u2019t meet these goals, and since hiring managers receive about a hundred applications per position, they quickly discard the generic ones<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s be honest, though. Writing a new cover letter from scratch for every job application is a time-consuming task. Want to personalize your cover letter to make an impression while simultaneously saving your schedule<\/a>? Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Begin with a template<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Start your cover letter template by developing its structure. Insert placeholders for information that needs to change with each application, and write out sentences that can be safely reused, such as contact information and a strong conclusion (more on those below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recommend all placeholders be bracketed and highlighted\u2014for example, \u201cI believe my experience with [job skill 1], [job skill 2], and [job skill 3] makes me a promising candidate for the [title] position.\u201d Using brackets and highlights makes the placeholders stand out, ensuring you won\u2019t send a letter with one unfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, save your template in a secure location, and never write directly on the file. Copy-paste it in a separate folder for each new cover letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The salutation and closer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The top of your template should include your contact information: name, address, phone number, and email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next comes the salutation. It\u2019s best to avoid the clich\u00e9 \u201cTo Whom It May Concern.\u201d The wording may be one-size-fits-all, but it comes across as dismissive. Instead, locate the hiring manager\u2019s name online, and include it, \u201cDear [Mr. or Ms. Hiring Manager]:\u201d. If their name isn\u2019t readily available, try calling or substituting with a \u201cDear [department]:\u201d or \u201cDear Madam or Sir:\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the complimentary close, a simple \u201csincerely\u201d will suffice. If you\u2019re sending a hard copy, be sure to pen your signature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An eye-catching introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first paragraph should capture the hiring manager\u2019s attention. To do that, it needs to speak to the position you\u2019re applying for. That means writing an original introduction for each cover letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A strong introduction will specify the position, explain your interest, and describe why you\u2019d be a good fit. To begin aligning yourself with the company, utilize a tone that fits its culture<\/a>\u2014fun, caring, purpose-driven, results-oriented, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go beyond your resume<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your resume showcased desirable qualifications<\/a>; now, your cover letter should illustrate how your work and interpersonal skills<\/a> will exceed the company\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way is to tell a story about how your skills netted a positive outcome. Another is to describe quantifiable results your efforts brought to a former employer. Another is to mention accolades you received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much of the body written from scratch will vary per cover letter. Chances are, many of the positions you apply for will have overlapping qualifications. This means you can use material from previous cover letters you\u2019ve written. Be careful to revise such material accordingly. Pay attention to tone, word choice, and transitions, and read your cover letter aloud to assess flow and check for mistakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to highlight a skill or accomplishment not previously mentioned in a cover letter, pen it from scratch. Save your post cover letters as resources for future applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finish strong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your conclusion should summarize why you\u2019re a good fit and include a call to action. Your call to action should prompt the next step\u2014for example, \u201cI hope to discuss the contributions I can make to [company] with you.\u201d And don\u2019t forget to thank the hiring manager for their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusions are straightforward, so you can write one for your template and adjust details as necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A personal missive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With these steps, you can quickly and efficiently craft a cover letter<\/a> for each company you apply to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A final word of advice: Your cover letter should reflect that you<\/em> would make a good fit for the company, its culture, and its mission. But don\u2019t sacrifice your identity to sell yourself as someone you aren\u2019t. To properly personalize a cover letter, you need to let your personality shine through.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An excellent cover letter performs two tasks: It explains why you\u2019re a valuable candidate and how your skills fit a specific position. Sending the same cover letter with each application won\u2019t meet these goals, and since hiring managers receive about a hundred applications per position, they quickly discard the generic ones. Let\u2019s be honest, though. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,4,5,8,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-featured","category-international","category-jobs","category-naija-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Untitled-2.jpg?fit=625%2C350&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12220"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12222,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12220\/revisions\/12222"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}