How to Write a Cover Letter: Structure and Content Guidelines

A good resume is rated today as the most effective job search tool. It may be considered as your extended business card, but not a short autobiography. Whether you will be invited to a meeting or not – depends on how correctly and competently this paper is composed. Drawing up a resume is a bit like collecting together a jigsaw puzzle; you need to choose everything important from your life and generate a widespread picture.

Ideally, a new resume is prepared for different vacancies and each new requirement. This does not mean that you come up with something new every time, you just look at yourself, your work experience from a different angle and evaluate your life not as a strict examiner, but from the perspective of an interested individual who is planning to invite a worker to the job.

Therefore, before start executing this challenge, it is significant to realize exactly what job you attempt to receive, study its basic requirements, and the general responsibilities that you should fulfill. Definite strict rules for generating a CV are not determined today. But some points must be followed when submitting information in order to disclose the winning information as best as possible. The common requirements for the format of a resume include brevity, honesty, concreteness, activity.

An accompanying paper is an essential document that determines whether your CV will be read. In this article, we will provide complete guidance on how to write a cover letter and not just write, but create a unique masterpiece!

What Is a Cover Letter: Definition and Common Information

Have you ever failed to find a complete answer to the exciting question, “What is a cover letter?”? Try to read the information below carefully if you want to solve your problem. It is really of great help.

An accompanying paper is usually represented in a format of a mini-story about oneself. In any case (except for very creative specialties), it should be completed in a formal style, taking into account the rules of good manners. The essential instruction is to start work only when you think you have fully understood the general requirements of the organization, as well as the specificity of its operation. It is logical that the paper should include an introduction, main part, and conclusion, with smooth transitions from one to another. Start with why did you choose this position, and end with plans for the future and the prospects that the company opens up for you. The document is usually created with one main purpose – to generate interest in the HR manager, demonstrate to him your valuable skills, and explain what role you can play in the organization.

This written paper is comparable in importance to a resume. In no case, do not consider it an unnecessary formality and do not deliver replies like: “Good afternoon. Can you consider my candidacy for your job vacancy? Respectfully”. The accompanying paper should represent a whole story. The HR manager usually wants to find the answers to three key questions:

• What is the aim of your joining the company?
• What were you guided by when choosing an organization?
• Why do you consider yourself a suitable candidate?

Through this paper, you should clarify the elements of the CV that might raise questions. Try to tell why you changed the industry several times, why you took a long break from work, why you decided to move from science to business, etc.

Considering all of the above, it seems appropriate to represent a cover letter definition: “It is a type of official documents that supplements your resume with information about why a particular job position attracts you and why in the future you plan to develop in a certain area. In this short story, it is appropriate to competently represent your basic skill in the best possible way, describe the education received, professional experience, career success, and participation in public life”.

We’ve only told you general information about how to make a cover letter. It seems necessary to provide a more detailed guide.

What to Include in a Cover Letter: Basic Structural Elements

If you are currently trying to find an answer to the question “What to include in a cover letter?”, read the information represented below.

This paper usually comprises four required parts:

• Introduction. Here you introduce yourself, tell how you managed to find out the data about the organization, and point out the reasons why you decided to apply for a certain vacancy;
• Advertising offer. In the second part, you describe the experience in relation to the requests for a job. This part only needs dry facts. No water, no descriptions of what you did. Include only clear concrete results. Try to connect each fact with some need of the employer from the vacancy announcement;
• Use the data about the company’s activities. Here you provide the reasons why you are interested in the open vacancy. You can indicate significant achievements, an unblemished reputation, and anything that is of value to the organization. The recruiter will understand that you chose him carefully, being guided by weighty reasons;
• Your contacts. This data will allow the recruiter to contact you without trying to find your specific resume among thousands of others quickly.

Remember that in today’s race for the career of your dreams, the winner is the more persistent one, uses all the possibilities to the maximum, and does not sit still. It’s not enough just to send the CV to an employer and wait for a response. There is only one job vacancy, but there are a lot of applicants. Therefore, try to generate a memorable cover letter, which will cause the desire of the employer to make a positive decision about the hire.

How to Start a Cover Letter: Requirement for an Introduction 

The issue of whether or not an employer will hire you directly depends on the kind of paper you create. Its first lines should attract attention. But how can this result be achieved? How to start a cover letter?

At the initial stage of organizing work on creating an accompanying document, you need to answer the following questions that will help you with the choice of material:

• What unique, special, and impressive you can highlight in your life?
• What aspects of your personal life will help the reviewer better understand you or differentiate you from other candidates? In particular, remember here the history of your family, the uniqueness of your surname, people who have had a significant influence on the formation of your personality, etc.
• When did you become interested in your chosen field of activity? What have you already learned about it? What contributed to your choice? What achievements do you already have?
• How do you expand your knowledge in the chosen area (attend classes, read special literature, attend seminars, communicate with people already involved in this field of activity)?
• If you already have work experience, what have you learned? What skills have you acquired (leadership skills, teamwork)?
• What successes have you achieved in your career?
• Have you achieved any academic achievements? Perhaps you are an excellent student or have high scores in individual subjects? Have you passed your exams successfully?
• Have you ever overcome any difficulties (family, economic, physical, etc.) in your life?
• What personality traits (for example, impartiality, reliability, compassion, resilience) do you possess? Will they help you succeed in your chosen field? Can you demonstrate these qualities?
• What general skills (for example, leadership, communication skills, competitiveness) do you possess?
• Why are you a better candidate than others?
• What are the most compelling reasons why the HR manager should accept you?

Before you get down to the creative letter-writing process, take a little research on the company you want to join. Everything is important to you: the company’s place in the market, its competitors, goals, principles, etc. This will help you write your story in the style of the company, which is very important. Carefully read a few articles on the company’s website to understand their style and transfer it to your accompanying document—highlight keywords and terms.

Contact a specific addressee. If you are applying for an existing job, try to find out the name of the recruiter who is offering the job. Try to find his/her name on the company’s website. If you fail to do this, start the letter with a neutral “Good afternoon!”, but in no case try to address everyone at once “Dear colleagues!”. Collective letter readings have long gone out of fashion, so try to appeal personally to the reader.

At the initial stage, you also need to decide on the volume of the paper. Do you not know how long a cover letter should be? It is usually one page of printed text.

So, from the above guide, you’ve already got the information on what is a cover letter for a job, how to generate a good cover letter and increase the chances of hire, and how to begin the work on creating the best cover letter.

Cover Letter Tips from Professionals

Leading experts in the field of writing various business correspondence provide several important cover letter tips:

• Explain for what purpose you are sending your resume;
• Don`t forget to tell how you managed to find out data about an existing vacancy – a flyer in your department, website, through a friend who works in the organization, etc.;
• Convince the HR manager of the importance of reading a resume;
• The first thing a recruiter will see is your cover letter, so it should be very well written and aimed at that employer;
• Draw your employer’s attention to the key elements of your professional profile: education, leadership skill, and experience that meets the requirements for the job you are looking for;
• Try to be specific and use examples.

If you really want to write a professional cover letter, take these tips into consideration.

How to End a Cover Letter: The Importance of Contact Information

Don’t know how to end a cover letter?

The cover letter ending must be short and specific. Try to finish your cover letter with a definite action proposal. Take the initiative. To do this, at the end of the paper using the following phrase: “I will contact you within three days to answer any questions you may have. In case of urgency, call me at (000) 123-4567 “. This will make an additional impression on the employer, especially if you are applying for a management position. And if you promise something, then keep your word! Subsequently, the HR manager will definitely hire you!

How to Write a Cover Letter Example

Are you searching the up-to-date information on the question “How to write a cover letter example?” Read a sample below:

Jane Allen

Human Resources Management

Optimal Workplace Inc. 321

Employment Avenue

Melbourne, Australia

9 August 2020

Dear Ms. Allen!

From the newspaper “Job and Training,” I learned that your organization has a vacancy for a sales manager for advertising space. I really hope that you will be interested in my candidacy for this job position.

Currently, I work in the advertising department of the company “Premium-class” as a manager for advertising projects.

My main tasks are finding clients for placing commercial information, conducting transactions, interacting with related departments of the company, working with advertising agencies and contractors, maintaining the existing client base.

Existing experience in product presentation, collecting information about a potential client, and communication skills with managers of all levels, allowed me to achieve high results.

Having carefully studied the range of responsibilities and requirements for the vacancy, I assume that the existing work experience and general skills will allow me to achieve high performance, bring profit to the company, and I will continue to grow professionally. I am ready to make every effort to become a worthy member of your team and contribute to the development of your business, as well as do everything in my power to achieve even better business results for your company.

I would be grateful for the opportunity of a personal meeting for acquaintance and personal conversation.

Contact information: tel. (4217) 56-69-85.

Best regards,

John Smith

How to write a Cover Letter with No Experience?

Don’t you know how to write a cover letter with no experience? Or even consider it impossible? You are wrong. Our guide will help you create unique paper easily.

If your previous work experience was in another field, or you do not have any work experience at all, focus on those abilities and personal traits that can help you fulfill new responsibilities and gain new knowledge and skills. For example: “Thanks to my ability to successfully organize the work of the student council of the faculty, it was possible to implement a national project in a short time”.

You also need to emphasize the knowledge and skills you have acquired in courses and training, through an active public position as a volunteer, or during the internship. Describe what tasks you faced, how you coped with them, what you learned, etc.

To describe your academic skills, list whether you practice in conferences, attend expert presentations, and present reports on your own, read literature, and whether you are interested in the latest scientific discoveries.

If you have your own articles, speeches, reports, or developments, they should also be listed. Be specific; give vivid examples of your activities, successes, and achievements.

How to Write a Cover Letter in 2020?

The last section of our guide is devoted to answering the question, “How to write a cover letter in 2020?”. In fact, here we will select the key points from all the information provided above.

So, you need to follow these tips in order to generate a memorable cover letter:

• Make your appeal to the company personal;
• Present yourself correctly and give answers to important questions;
• Demonstrate your perseverance, activity, and reliability;
• Remove all shortcomings and errors in the content;
• Finish the paper with a proposal for specific actions.

Start working right now! You already have all the necessary material for the completion of this task.