Just like with your CV, there’s a right and a wrong way to put together your cover letter, so it’s just as important as knowing how to write a resume. Many candidates don’t even bother with one, but when you do, it can add an extra dimension to your application and get you that all-important interview.
In this article, we give you some tips on how to put your cover letter together in such a way that it gets read all the way through - and believe us when we say that they get read by recruiters. Forego this important element, and you miss an opportunity to extol your virtues and demonstrate your suitability for the job.
Cover Letter Tip: Find Out & Mention the Recruiter’s Name
If you want to make a winning connection with the recruiter, you need to get off to a good start, and you can do that by finding out the name of the hirer and addressing them directly in your cover letter. Make sure it has a formal tone, but you can dispense with a Mr or Mrs, as it’s easy to get it wrong.
This will vary from industry to industry, as some are more casual than others, so use your common sense and try to gear it to the person that matters.
Cover Letter Tip: Tailor Your Cover Letter to the Job
As you’ll discover when learning how to write a resume, both your CV and cover letter need to be adjusted to suit the job that you’re applying for. Sure, it’s simpler and easier to use the same one repeatedly, but then you risk wasting valuable space on irrelevant info.
If that comes across in any way to the reader, then it will show that you haven’t made the full effort and might just convince the recruiter that you’re not passionate about the job in question.
Cover Letter Tip: Start With a Template to Assist You
Ok, so you’ve got to be yourself and make your cover letter personal to you and the recruiter, but there’s nothing to say that you can't use a template to get you started. Even a basic one can provide you with the structure you need to write a compelling letter.
They’re not hard to find either, as you can see when visiting recruiter sites like Seek.com that provide a selection of free cover letter templates.
Mention What You’ll Bring to the Company
Again covered when learning how to write a resume is the need to mention what you will bring to the job you’re applying for in your cover letter. It’s basically what hirers are looking for, so why not display this information front and centre in black and white?
By researching what the company is trying to address by hiring you, you’ll get a steer on the attributes they’ll be looking for. Then you can describe your abilities and achievements accordingly to make yourself stand out.
Read more: 8 Best Free & Paid Typing Courses for Adults (2024)
Let Online Learning Boost Your Employment Chances
When you learn how to write a resume and cover letter properly, your employment chances tend to go up exponentially. The great news is that this is the kind of thing that can be worked on, and when taking courses like our aptly named How to Write a Resume course, you can get the knowledge you need affordably and at your own pace.
This is just one example of the wide range of video-based, CPD-approved online training we offer OCA. You can browse our entire selection covering 20+ industries by visiting us today at www.onlinecoursesaustralia.edu.au. While there, why not take a look at the flexible payment options we offer that make our courses accessible to everyone?
Alternatively, if you’d like some questions answered before committing to enrolment, or would like to look at any of our other Online HR, management courses just give us a call at 1300 611 404 today, and we’ll do our best to give you what you need.
