4 Best Tips On How To Write An Impressive Cover Letter To Get You Hired!
By Susan Gitonga
A cover letter is the most overlooked part of job application for most job seekers. This is mainly because most job seekers do not know how to write one, and others do not think that it is all that important.
As a person working very closely with the chief recruiters in Ethiopia, I can tell you for sure that writing a cover letter will increase your chances of getting the job you want by 95%.
According to Cynthia Wangechi, a Recruitment Officer at Corporate staffing , writing a cover letter gives you the opportunity to showcase your strengths and unique qualities, and any other relevant details that are not necessarily on your CV, to sell yourself to the employer.
That said, here are 4 tips on how to write an impressive cover letter
1.Ensure that your cover letter is both on the body of your email, and a separate attachment.
Usually, when sending your application, you need to write an email to the employer, together with your CV and Cover letter attached on the Email.
A cover letter should be on the body of the email and at the same time, it should be sent as an attachment.
Sending a job application with the cover letter as the body of the email saves time for the employer as it’s easy to scroll through the letter as opposed to first downloading it and then reading it.
2. Write an enticing cover letter
A cover letter should be enticing enough for the employer to want to open the attached CV. No employer wishes to open something boring or too lengthy; that’s why it should be brief. It is important for job seekers to note that the cover letter should not be a copy paste of your CV.
The attached cover letter especially becomes useful in case future reference is needed, as it can be downloaded and printed. The printed quality of the download is better than that of the body of the email.
3. How To Address Your Application
All the job applications should follow instructions given in the job advert. In the case that it is not indicated to whom you should addressed it to, it is okay to only write ‘Dear Sir/Madam’.
4. How To Write The Subject Line
In most cases, the job adverts will always indicate what should appear on the subject line of the email. Some may tell you to indicate the position being applied for or the job reference number in the subject line. If it is not indicated, write job title and use it as your subject line.
Also, you can be creative and write a catchy title that makes the employer want to read your cover letter. One such like title is “Why I Should Be Considered For This Job.”
In closing, there’s not a standard way of writing a cover letter. Just ensure that it is very interesting to read and persuades the employer hat you are the best candidate for the job.