Here's How You Decide What to Talk About in Your Cover Letter
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Often, employers will pack job descriptions with a seemingly endless list of skills that they’re looking for. While it’s easy to list these skills on your resume or within your previous work experience descriptions, it can be more challenging to narrow down which skills to highlight the most in a one-page cover letter.
How do you select the most important skills to explain further in your cover letter? Use the following tips to pick the most vital accomplishments to create a stellar cover letter that helps you stand out from other applicants.
Review your experience
Which skills have you strengthened the most in your career? Take a look at your work experience to discover your most vital skills relevant to the job opening. Then, pick 2-4 skills you can tell a story about in more detail, highlighting your previous responsibilities and any praise you received from successfully using these skills.
Rank skills based on proficiency
A great way to pick the best skills to highlight in your cover letter is to rank them based on your expertise level. For example, what skills would you consider yourself an expert in? And are these same skills listed in the job description? By choosing your most vital skills, you can tell stories to describe how you’ve demonstrated them in the past.
Pick skills that you can back up with facts and figures
While anyone can say that they have expertise in different areas, it can be difficult for employers to determine that without evidence. So, as you draft your cover letter, think about the skills you can back up with numbers. Supporting your claims with evidence will stand out to employers and shows that you’re able to drive outcomes for business. For example, a professional applying for a social media manager position might write about how they increased their previous employer’s followers by 65% within three months.