If you think writing the perfect cover letter can be done in one night, you are wrong. Writing the perfect cover letter will take time and commitment. You cannot expect to reach your goal and get the job that you want without perseverance and hard-work. Nowadays, employees must prove inherent strong traits and amazing writing skills within in order to be considered for an interview.

“Good employees draw a perfect picture of themselves within their application letter, exposing their main qualities and amazing characteristics. Great employees demonstrate why the company should choose them over anybody else,” says Ken Rockwood, Director at Running Matador.

Here are some tips on how to write the perfect cover letter and get that job that you desire!

1. Keep it Brief and Simple

Nobody likes reading interminable cover letters. Keep your content short and to the subject. Too many details will bore the reader, while too much bragging will look bad on you. Keep your letter balanced! Remember that your reader is reading at least 20 other applications per day beside yours, so briefness will be highly appreciated.

How to structure your cover letter:

• Introduction paragraph – write a brief introduction about yourself. Who are you? Why are you interested in the job? Why did you pick that specific company?
• Body – develop on your reasons behind applying, and emphasize how much of an impact this job will have on your career. Explain how and why. Include no more than 3 sub points.
• Conclusion – I personally like concluding with a funny statement, but that can be risky. Not every recruiter will like it. Summarize all your points again; keep your conclusion really brief.

2. Use Hooks

“My name is John Smith and I am very interested in this job position because…” will lose any reader’s interest. You need to find an authentic introduction and work your way up from there. Hooking your recruiter is essential every time, especially when writing a cover letter. If he or she loses interest from the beginning, how do you expect to get selected from an interview?

Say you are applying for a sales manager position. In this context, a good example of an interesting hook is “If you are looking for a perfect employee, that’s definitely not me. But if you are looking for a funny, talkative, authentic seller, you can definitely count on me.”

3. Don’t Enumerate Qualities

One of the biggest mistakes you could make is enumerating qualities within your letter. Strong applications are smooth, clever, and most of them, humble. You don’t need to describe your distinctive characteristics in order to get credit. Instead, try telling a story that demonstrates that you possess those traits. Insert some words like leadership or determination in the letter, but never say “I am a leader,” or “I am very determinate.” They should figure that out by reading your story. If you are not satisfied with your writing skills and need some help, try contacting experienced coursework writers online. They’ve helped me a lot whenever I applied for an important position.

Side note: keep in mind that every company has certain required characteristics in their job offer. Make sure you look over them and write a story that proves those exact traits. It is crucial to fit your prospective company’s needs in order to be offered an interview.

4. Use Data to Back Up Your Affirmations

Being a productive worker is great, but do you have stats which can support that? Including something like “Brought $1.7 million per trimester into my previous company” in your cover letter will make a big difference. It shows efficiency and productivity. There are a lot of competitors whose applications will miss this important detail, so you’ll have a strong advantage over them.

The final goal is to present yourself in a complex fashion. That includes “you” seen through the eyes of your previous employers too. That way, your recruiter will know you as a whole – both from a subjective and objective perspective.

5. Address the Letter to Your Recruiter

Using “To Whom It May Concern” as your opening is not a good choice. It shows ignorance and carelessness. Make sure you address your letter directly to your recruiter or hiring manager. Back in the days, using the aforementioned opening might have been accepted (not all of us had Internet access after all). Now though, with so many opportunities to research data online, you have no excuse. You must find the name of your recruiter/hiring manager if you want to write a perfect cover letter.

6. Don’t Use One-Size-Fits-All Formats

When we switch jobs, we have multiple alternatives. We don’t usually apply to only one company. We apply to as many as we can. That does not mean that you should use a “one-size-fits-all” approach for all of your letters. You must customize and personalize each one of your letters accordingly. As I was mentioning before, every company has its own requirements. You must look them up beforehand and write a suitable letter for each one of the firms that you are applying to.

(Obvious) Side note: Failing to do so might compromise your opportunity to get the desired position.

7. Proofread and Ask for Feedback

Last but not least, do not forget to proofread your cover letter. Sending a carelessly written paper will guarantee unsuccessful outcomes. Even if you do get hired in the end, you don’t want to be remembered as the “person who submitted a lackadaisical cover letter.” It will ruin your reputation and make you feel bad. Typos and grammar mistakes are not permitted. Neither are spelling errors. Make sure you correct all mistakes and ask for a second opinion from a friend or relative after you finished.

Wrapping Up

A perfect cover letter requires a lot of hard-work and commitment. You can’t write yours in the last minute and expect to get invited to an interview. If you really want a certain job, make sure you put in the effort and the time to include everything within your content.