If you are looking for a part-time job or planning to apply to a new course or institution, you may be asked to write a good old cover letter. A cover letter is a good thing since it gives you space for creativity. However, when it is placed together with 1000 others, it becomes hard to stand out and shine. Read these tips and learn how to make your cover letter amazing.
No trivial mistakes
It is important to double check your document and ask your friend or a parent to do a small editing. A spell-check and proofreading will save you from rookie errors in your cover letter. Mistakes in your document are a big red sign that says, “This person is not attentive and lacks qualification”.
Don’t forget about the formatting, too. It is a good idea to make it a PDF file to make sure that a recipient will open it regardless to what OS he/she uses. Your cover letter is a first impression, so don’t ruin it!
No formalities
Of course, a cover letter should be written in a professional tone, but don’t make look like your grandma wrote it. Traditional style with all that fluffy language is not very helpful. Employers and committee members have already seen millions of cover letters and resumes, so your task is to make it personal. Use your voice and show that you are an alive and excited person.
No hints
Committee members and employers are used to reading dozens of cover letters and sometimes they just give them a quick look and read only a first paragraph. You need to make them want to read more and to read what comes after it. You should give them a taste of what is going to be further, but don’t show everything at once!
No generalizations
Show them passion! I mean, demonstrate that you want this job or place in the university and show that you fit the vacation or institution. Explain why this position is something you want and how is it going to help you achieve your goals in life.
No garbage information
Get to the point. You need to encourage a person who reads hundreds of cover letters a day to read yours so do not make it boring and overwhelmed with useless text. Keep it simple and leave some white space. White space is okay if it is not an extra blank page at the end of the document.
No repetition
Your cover letter should demonstrate new information, not repeat was has been already said in the resume. Don’t use a resume-like paragraph form; provide additional information in the form of narration. Just a line that states the place of your previous work or institution says nothing about your real experience. Tell them how your experience is relevant to the position you are trying to get.
No uncertainty
No one likes clichés. Avoid such words as “attentive to detail” or “hardworking”, because it says nothing about you. Give examples and explain why you are a hard worker. Prove it!
To be a creative cover letter writer, think about the most common phrases and things other people are writing and… never use them! Be original.
