5 Ways To Improve Your Cover Letter In Under 10 Minutes

5 Ways To Improve Your Cover Letter In Under 10 Minutes Did you know theres anaverage of 250 applicants applying for each open job? With those kinds of numbers it can be really tough to stand out. You are literally one of hundreds of people clamouring for attention. If you think about it, your resume (which can be inserted into the body of an email to which your resume is attached), is making your first impression. Dont waste that opportunity by sending something that doesnt represent you in the best way possible. In just 10 minutes, its possible to give your titelbild letter a make-over that can make a big difference.Here are 5 things you can do to improve your titelblatt letter without a big investment of time1. Make It About Them.If you dont know enough about a job or an employer to write a partiealized titel letter, then you need to do that first. For example, if youre looking for an engineering or absatzwirtschaft role, is there something about company that excites you that make s you want to work there rather than the hundreds of other companies out there? Another trick to remember is ask yourself whether youve used the word you. For example, Im sure youre looking for a great team-player for your marketing role because your culture seems very collaborative and flat. Thats why Im interested in your XXX position. Everyone likes to feel like they are wanted, and this is true in the job context as well.2. Cut. It. Down.Whenyou skim your cover letter in 5 seconds, can you understandthe gist of the message youre trying to convey? Being brieffor its own sake is not the point. Most hiring managers and recruiters have to sift through thousands of applicants and many cover letters and resumes all start to blend into each other. If your resume only gets a 6 second glance, you can imagine that your cover letter will only receive a similar amount of attention. Too often, Ive seen 3 or 4 paragraph cover letters that would take someone 5 minutes to realistically read.Try this experiment. After youve cut down your cover letter, take a break from it and put it on your desk. When you return, glance at it and see what jumps out at you. If its so dense that nothing in particular stands out, then its either too long, not very interesting or both. Your goal is to make sure something important stands out in 5-6 seconds. Another way of testing this is to skim your cover letter on your computer or phone. What can you see in two scrolls down the screen? What content is above the fold? That will give you a sense of the optics of your cover letter where it will most likely be reviewed.3.Personalize As Much As Possible.Its very easy to use the same cover letter over and over. The only thing easier is to to spot a generic cover letter. Theres nothing wrong with cutting and pasting certain parts (or even the majority) of a cover letter but try to add a sentence or two of personalization at the beginning can make something feel much more authentic (even if the pers on reading is skimming).4. Explain Why Youre Interested.One of the great challenges (and opportunities) of a cover letter is that you get to say whyyou are interested in a job. A resume doesnt give you a chance to do that because its supposed to be a biographical bullet-point summary of your work and education experience. A cover letter, on the other hand, is a open slate in terms of allowing you to communicate your enthusiasm. Dont waste that opportunity by rehashing your resume content.If you believe in the companys mission, say so If you think the role is your dream job, dont be shy in sharing that. Genuine enthusiasm is rarer than you may think and everyone likes to see excited applicant. That said, dont make things up. If you do get past the resume and cover letter stage, it will be pretty obvious you were exaggerating your interest and that may be a turn-off to your interviewer.5. Double Check Its Up to DateResumes arent the only thing that need a periodic refresh. If youve be en using the same cover letter template since your college internship, its time to think about whether that template still matches the type of work youre seeking and reflects your professional experience. Its not always what you say but how you say it. For example, Id like to gain experience in the XXXX field is something in a typical college-level cover letter. In contrast, My experience in XXX makes me a great candidate shows that youve matured.There are other ways resumes get out of date that may be less obvious. For example, certain skills or not as relevant or important as they used to be due to changes in industry or technology. Chances are that you wouldnt highlight your incredible faxing abilities even if you are looking for an executive administrative role given that so much more happens over email these days.In sum, you should consider your cover letter is an opportunity. A good cover lettermakes animportant first impression and increases the odds your resume attachment wi ll actually get opened, so make it countFairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer