One of the biggest mistakes professionals make during their job search is not submitting a cover letter with their resume. *Cover letters increase a resume’s chance of receiving a Five Star rating by 29%.
One of the biggest mistakes professionals make during their job search is not submitting a cover letter with their resume. This is because most people don’t understand what a cover letter is designed to do, so they don’t value them. *Cover letters increase a resume’s chance of receiving a Five Star rating by 29%.
A cover letter is another marketing tool that’s part of your professional brand. It helps to make your initial impression on the reviewer/hiring manager and lets them know briefly why you’re a great fit for the position. During the process where an organization is deciding who to interview, a strong cover letter can compel others to have a desire to meet you in person. It should generate interest in you based on a five to ten second visual scan. Here are a few tips for writing a memorable and effective cover letter!
Keep it succinct
Many professionals think that they need to spend hours tweaking their cover letter and developing a lot of content for each job submission. While customizing your cover letter is necessary, I recommend that you only change the position title, company name, and addressee per position. Your goal is to have one, succinct, master document that you make minor edits to. The cover letter should be a brief overview with no more than four to five paragraphs or sections. Too much text on the page is off-putting and will probably not be read.
Highlight your accomplishments
It is essential to set yourself apart from other candidates by highlighting your accomplishments and key contributions. Only mentioning your standard job duties and capacities is another mistake. The majority of candidates will all have similar education levels, experience, and capabilities. Including three accomplishments separated as bullet points will draw the reviewer’s interest and show the value you can bring to their organization.
Briefly explain your career progression or transition
Are you applying for a position that is a level up from the one you currently hold? Are you transitioning into a role that is in a different sector of the life science industry? If so, it’s helpful to briefly mention your career progression or change. You could write about how you have been exceeding goals as an individual contributor on a team, and are now ready for a management role. Another aspect to mention is how you’re confident that your past experience (outside or in another part of the life science industry) will transfer over well to the position you’re applying for.
Show your personality
In your cover letter, you can show some personality in your word choice and tone of writing. You don’t want to run the risk of sounding too casual, but using highly descriptive language and words that you would naturally use in conversation can give the reader a feel for how you are in person. Hiring managers are looking for people they like and are a good “cultural fit” within a company. Revealing some of your personality can help them see that you would be a good addition to their team.
There are times when you won’t be the typical candidate that hiring managers are looking for, especially if you don’t meet every preference or requirement listed in a job description. An effective cover letter can be the difference between getting an interview or never hearing from a company. Use your cover letter as your opportunity to mention your transferrable skills through your career progression, special accomplishments, and show your personality.
Source: https://www.ziprecruiter.com/blog/how-to-write-the-perfect-resume/
Porschia Parker is a Certified Coach, Professional Resume Writer, and Founder of Fly High Coaching. She empowers ambitious professionals to add $10K on average to their salaries.
