Use This 3-Pronged Approach to Writing a Cover Letter
While your resume may be about sharing the nitty gritty details of work history and what you’re capable of, a cover letter adds your voice to the application and gives you a chance to bring attention to your values, passions and accomplishments.
When you’re writing a cover letter, it’s very important to tailor it to each position for which you are applying. Each letter should offer a clear thesis statement that tells the hiring manager you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to be an excellent candidate for the position. Once you write a solid cover letter for one type of job function, highlight important areas so that you can tailor it to similar roles in a few minutes.
Your thesis statement should be attached to a key story that illustrates your connection to the position.
In order to decide on what to focus on in your cover letter, use these three categories to think through which knowledge, skills or abilities (KSAs) to highlight in support of your thesis statement.
Knowledge: Include specialized knowledge that will contribute to your success in the position. Courses you have taken, certificates you have earned or projects you have been involved with all speak to your knowledge base. Consider one example that you can compose a brief paragraph about. Concretely connect your knowledge base to the current job description. (This category is especially useful for new graduates, entry level positions or career changers who might lack work experience in the field.)
Skills: Identify the top three skills listed in the job description. Which of these hard and/or soft skills relate to your strengths? Highlight a few of them through an anecdote or an explanation. For example, you could discuss how you collaborated with teams successfully to create and deliver presentations on time or under budget. Discuss how you supported the collaborative process by listening to everyone's voice, bridging gaps, or mediating.
Abilities: Think about abilities as your opportunity to showcase your results and accomplishments. This should give the reader a strong sense of what you will be able to do for them. In other words, translate your skills into concrete successes. For example, "As a former X, I was responsible for Y, which resulted in a 40% increase in Z (traffic and sales)." Even if you don’t have the exact qualitative or quantitative data to help illustrate your ability, speak to how you positively impacted the business you worked at. Research the company and offer ways you can help address challenges, rethink their processes or increase their performance in a specific area.
You want to be specific and thorough, but you do not want to overwrite your cover letter. Be sure to edit, revise and keep your shine to a single page.
For further support in writing an excellent cover letter, review "7 Ways to Make Sure They Read Your Cover Letter," by Dr. Marcia F. Robinson.
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