The job market, like everything in this economy, has changed dramatically. And so have basic job search tools, including cover letters to accompany your resume. Today’s market is ultra-competitive. Your cover letter can make you stand out.
Please don’t ever be tempted to copy a free resume cover letter off the internet. It will be impersonal and will make your application read just like every other job applicant who has been lazy.
You need a way to make your resume cover letter unforgettable. Here are a few quick tactics that will help.
Relate an interesting story about yourself.
To make your cover letter memorable add a story about yourself. People recount stories again and again. Make it a brief anecdotes that shows an interesting aspect of you or your life. Is it a story that engages people when you share it. What story would you like an interviewer to recount about you when they have read your letter?
For example, imagine Saj, the hiring manager, standing making a morning coffee. He breaks the ice with his colleague by saying, “So, today I’m interviewing this guy who worked in Nepal for a year on a really interesting project”.
Instantly, the guy telling the story is more interesting himself. His status is raised because he’s talking to someone that others find fascinating. Not only that, he’s looking forward to talking to you. And you can bet that story is going to come up and you’ll have an opportunity to connect on some level other than business.
The envelope matters.
It seems like a small point. But it’s important for two reasons. Letters that look like junk mail are easily discarded, and if it looks like junk mail that’s how it could be treated.
Also you don’t want the interviewer to receive a letter from you that looks like one of eighty-seven you’ve just mass-produced, even if it is.
Get a blue felt pen or a red ink stamp and print something relevant and eye catching on the front of the envelope. Even “FIRST CLASS” will catch the recruiter’s eye. But you can do better. Try “For (recruiter’s name)”.
Be scrupulously honest. Don’t get personal (Your Eyes Only). And if you promise something special or custom, be sure to deliver inside.
Send your resume cover letter
Don’t just think about it do it. Your competition doesn’t. So, it’s a great way to set yourself apart and make yourself the obvious candidate.
Create your own system so you can quickly modify a basic resume cover letter so that it is absolutely optimized to get you calls. Make it easy to do by creating a check list to be sure you change all the relevant details. This way you might actually do it every time.
