6 ways to improve your cover letter in 6 minutes

Your resume is the most important professional document of your job hunt. But, your cover letter comes to a close second place. Although many job seekers don’t give much thought to writing their cover letters, a majority of employers say that they are swayed more by a compelling cover letter than an attractive resume.

Did you know that most hiring managers read the cover letter before they open the resume of a candidate? This is because anyone can write a crazy good resume for a job application. But only someone really passionate about working for a given employer can write an excellent cover letter. Your cover letter is your best chance of landing an interview. Pique the interest of the hiring manager with your cover letter and you will have them hooked.

Here are six easy ways for you to spruce up your cover letter for your 2023 job hunt:

1. Before you do anything else, research the company

A good analysis of the job description and the company website will have you knowing exactly what qualities they admire in a candidate. Your cover letter must always be keyword-optimized with language and phrases from the job description.

2. Get the address right

Imagine spending 2 hours perfecting your cover letter and addressing it to the wrong person! Although the hiring manager will eventually get your cover letter, they won’t be pleased when they see that you’ve addressed it to a Mr. Brown, who quit the role two years ago. Do a bit of digging around on LinkedIn to find the hiring manager's name. Addressing them by their name is better than going with a generic greeting.

3. Hook the reader from the very beginning

A lukewarm cover letter won’t get you called for an interview. Start your cover letter off with a bang. The first part of your cover letter should be an introduction to who you are. If you already have a great one-line elevator pitch, this is just the place to add it. Then, talk about the qualities that make you the best fit for the role. Mention a few of your best wins to show the employer that you can do the same for them. After that, you can mention how you are passionate about the company’s mission and share their vision. While doing all this, you need to ensure that you are tailoring the cover letter to the job using the right keywords from the job description.

4. Add a unique factor to your cover letter

Imagine that you are a hiring manager who just read 35 cover letters in a day. Which cover letter is more likely to stick in your mind, the one that listed all the qualifications of the candidate, or the one which spoke about the candidate’s experience in a voluntary vaccination campaign in Uganda? Find a fact that is unique to you and share it in your cover letter.

5. Select a matching cover letter template

Don’t send a minimalist design resume and a maximalist design cover letter to the same employer. That’s like showing the hiring manager that you have no consistency. Select, or create a matching cover letter template to go with your resume. If you are in a rush and need to apply for a job in a few hours, talk to a resume writer at Resume Mansion. Our resume writing service creates keyword-optimized resumes and matching cover letters for you within your timeframe.

6. Avoid repeating your resume

Repeat after me, “My cover letter is not a resume in paragraph form.” Now, go on and delete all that excessive data from your cover letter. Your cover letter will be attached with your resume, so there’s no need for you to repeat it all over again. Instead, use your cover letter to give a glimpse of who you are as a person to the employer. Talk about your values, wins, and experiences that make you a formidable candidate for the position. Want to go a step further? Add a referral to your cover letter.