50 Tips For The Perfect Cover Letter

by Stephanie Blye

No matter the type of job you apply your CV for, a cover letter is always an advantage. These 50 cover letter tips have the potential to help you raise your chances to land the job you are dreaming of:

1. Always include a cover letter whenever you're sending a CV for a certain job.

2. Keep in mind that the cover letter functions as a snapshot for potential employers, a snapshot that offers them the first impression about you.

3. The cover letter is the only tool that actually differentiates you from other job seekers.

4. Never use a cover letter template without personalizing it.

5. Any cover letter should be current, with all information up to date, so make sure you update it every time something changes.

6. Do not write down your life history in your cover letter and not repeat any information you have previously mentioned in your resume.

7. Use the right tone to describe your work experience.

8. Do not use humor in your cover letter. It's really not the place!

9. When it comes to the cover letter, creativity must be within the limits of general drafting rules, at least if the job is not in a creative field.

10. You should avoid innovations such as pictures or special fonts as they are not suitable for a cover letter.

11. Do not demand anything more than being contacted.

12. Do not include personal information such as age, weight, marital status, race, religion etc.

13. Write about you in the first-person narrative. The cover letter is like your ID card.

14. Use words that make sense for the job, and avoid unfamiliar terms.

15. Avoid cliches and too much technical jargon.

16. Be realistic in terms of the value you can bring to the company.

17. Be honest about your qualifications.

18. Do not emphasize your weaknesses. You'll have time for that during the interview, if the case.

19. Use action words, and avoid phrases poor in terms of offered information. It creates the impression you are hiding something.

20. Write about what you can do for the employer, not what he can do for you.

21. Document yourself with as much information in the field you're applying for.

22. Find as many useful information about the organization you intend to work in.

23. Be honest, do not exaggerate when writing about the company. They're not interested in you praising them, they're interesting in finding out what you can do for them.

24. Edit the document you have written your cover letter in.

25. Adapt your cover letter to the company you're applying for and specify a certain position. It will show the employer you have a certain aim.

26. Ideally, the cover letter should be addressed to the person that will hire you.

27. Be formal in the manner of addressing and avoid sexist headlines.

28. Begin your cover letter with a persuasive paragraph destined to grab the attention of the recruiter.

29. The first paragraph should contain data about who you are and the reason for which you have written this document.

30. Provide concise and offer information that worthy of being read.

31. Make sure you write from the start what job you are referring at and what the purpose of your cover letter is.

32. Write about how you found out about that job, especially if the person who told you is someone in the organization.

33. The second paragraph should include your relevant qualifications for the job.

34. In the third paragraph bring arguments referring to what makes you the most appropriate candidate for that job the company.

35. Dedicate the third paragraph to the specific of the job.

36. Use the fourth paragraph to ask for the next step. The opportunity of a first interview.

37. Make sure you phone them if you say so in your cover letter.

38. End the cover letter with a thank you and in with a positive attitude.

39. Do not forget to sign the cover letter.

40. Be very careful of any errors in spelling or semantics.

41. Double-check grammar and punctuation.

42. Check out all the information about the company and about the job again and make sure they are correct.

43. Re-read the cover letter out loud.

44. Do not send the cover letter immediately. Wait for a day or two to make sure it doesn't need any changes.

45. Ask a friend to read your cover letter and highlight your mistakes.

46. Do not make visible corrections, rewrite your cover letter if necessary.

47. Check all the details once more before sending it.

48. Sometimes it is acceptable to send a cover letter via email.

49. The same rules above apply to e-mail cover letters.

50. You can attach your CV in .pdf format if the cover letter represents the body of the e-mail.