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8 Secrets to Writing and Editing a Great Cover Letter

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Tue Nov 07 2017

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8 Secrets to Writing and Editing a Great Cover Letter-a6cac14e716089ee5f1b63e958792a752402e3b6f4c6602dfd23da0f0262c2c4

To some, writing, printing, and handing in a cover letter may seem like a thing of the past. Within the recruitment industry, there is still a huge amount of debate on whether it’s really necessary.

Enough companies require a cover letter that it’s not worth the risk of not sending one. That being said, when it does come to writing your cover letter, you want to make sure that it’s perfect. To get you started, here are eight tricks and tips you need to know to secure that all-important interview.

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Don’t Copy Your Resume

There’s no point in writing a cover letter that simply repeats what you state in your resume. This isn’t what a cover letter is used for. The purpose of a cover letter is to highlight the skills and talents that are perfect for the role that you’re applying for, as well as including any information that you couldn’t fit into your resume.

Donna Hamilton, an HR manager for Elite Assignment Help, says, “Always remember, when you’re writing your resume and your cover letter, that they shouldn’t be the same thing. Instead, use one to complement the other.”

Highlight Your Future

The majority of your resume will talk about your past education and any experience that you’ve acquired throughout your career history. However, in your cover letter, take the opportunity to talk about how you’re going to be in the future.

In your letter, try highlighting some of the roles and tasks mentioned in the job posting, and make it extremely clear that these are roles that you’ll be able to fulfill. Prove that you’re completely capable of handling the job.

Stress Skills Over Education

Emphasizing your skills is especially important if you’re new to the career ladder and this is one of your first job interviews. Many companies will need to see your education to ensure that you’re capable of fulfilling the role. However, this isn’t the most important part of your cover letter.

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Employers are much more interested in the experience that you have, so whether you’ve worked in a previous company or have worked on projects during your time as a student, make sure you highlight it.

Tell a Story Throughout Your Letter

You can really help to make your cover letter, and the rest of your application, stand out from the others by telling a story. To do this, you can mention what has brought you to the company and why you’re applying for the job.

Be sure to keep your stories short and precise, but feel free to express why you think this company will be the best place for you.

Kendall Pate, the head of HR at UK Top Writers, says, “It can be so much more attractive and engaging for a recruitment manager to read through a cover letter that tells a story, rather than generic cover letter content that every other applicant has sent. Make yourself stand out.”

Play Around With Figures

Your cover letter can be very effective if you use numbers and statistics. If you have any figures you can include in your cover letter, such as sales figures, positive feedback numbers, or any other indications that your last employers used to monitor your performance, include them.

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This is speaking your employer’s language. It helps you stand out and shows that you care about results.

Use Tools to Perfect Your Cover Letter

There’s no point struggling through creating a cover letter from scratch when there are tools out there that can help you to achieve perfection. Here are a few to get you started:

  • Resume Service is an online resume-building tool that can help you with correctly formatting and editing your cover letter.

  • Oxessays is an online writing community that can help answer any questions you have about writing your cover letter. This type of services is recommended by the HuffingtonPost.

  • Academadvisor is a blog full of tips and tricks on how to write using proper language and spelling.

  • Big Assignments is an online writing service full of guides on how to edit your cover letter professionally.

  • Studydemic is a blog about grammar that also features comprehensive writing guides.

  • BestAustralianWriters & Revieweal are online tools full of guides on how to proofread your work professionally and correctly.

  • Cite It In is a free tool for adding citations and references to your cover letter professionally.

Be Authentic and Genuine

If you’re genuinely excited to join this new company, then there’s no reason why you can’t share your passion and enthusiasm for the role in your cover letter. This means you shouldn’t generate a cover letter to be used in all your applications; you should write a new cover letter for every position, just like you would your resume.

Don’t Write in a Monotone

While job applications may seem tedious, they don’t have to be this way. You can be fun with your cover letter and bring some life to your content. Be creative with how you write and format your cover letter; you could even include images or visuals if you feel it’s necessary, depending on the company you’re applying to.

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