Unemployment: Cover Letters

Resumes weren't as difficult to redo as the cover letter, I found.  Sure, I might add certain things to match a particular job posting but for the most part, it stayed the same.  Cover letters are a different story.

In my opinion the cover letter is the only place that gives you the opportunity to be creative and try to show a potential employer who you really are.  Unless otherwise specified, the cover letter is your opportunity to tell the employer why you are the best person for the job, aside from your skills and experience.  For instance, you want to be able to answer questions an employer might have before they meet you.

If you're changing your career, why did you decide to do that?  Why are you interested in this position?  Why are you interested in this company?   If you have a lengthy history of experience in a particular field and you're looking to continue in that field, you want to try to answer the question in this way: I want to bring my unique combination of skills and experience to Company because...

Because the cover letter has to be specific to each position with each company you apply for, and to do it properly you need to research each place, this can be a very big task.  Again, it is easier if you are applying for a particular field or industry all of the time. (I addressed the "just looking for a job" seekers in a previous post, Unemployment: Resumes 2).

I've written some very difficult cover letters, mostly for federal government jobs.  They specifically request that you outline in your cover letter how your experience meets the skill requirement of the posting.  It reads about as interestingly as a resume.  Adding to the difficulty is that you have to figure out how to make full sentences and proper paragraph structure out of each disjointed statement.  Not my favourite.

In most cases, the cover letter is your chance to express your interest, your goals and show why you are the best candidate.  Take advantage of that.  "Cover Letter Magic" by Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark has an absolute array of examples, as do some Alberta government publications you can access on the ALIS  website.

Be sure to read the posting closely.  If they have a specific request, such as having a reliable vehicle or willing to travel up to 90% of the time, it's a good idea to address this in your cover letter.  Obviously your resume won't mention whether you have a vehicle and don't expect that because your last three jobs required extensive travel that they'll assume you have one.  Every little detail counts when demand for jobs is greater than the supply and it's sad to think your resume could get passed over for someone who did mention they had a vehicle.

Basic do's: cohesive formatting, spell check, coherent sentences, expressive of interest and passion.
Do not's: pictures, incorrect addressee, misspelt company name or addressee

Also, if you are using a job posting app, like Indeed, there is often a button at the bottom to view the job posting.  I recommend looking at the original posting because I think Indeed might have a character limit and not everything appears as it was intended.  Lastly, take your time (if you can).

Although it might feel better to send it and be done with it, I've had many occasions where I thought about it a day later and realized I didn't add something I should have.  If you have time, write it up and leave it overnight, read the posting again in the morning and then your cover letter and resume.  Try to think of it from the hiring manager's point of view.  What would you want to see?  Is it there?  Then send it.