The Complete Guide to Cover Letters

Cover letters are one of the most challenging tasks in your job search.

You may have read that 55% of hiring managers simply don't read cover letters when looking for high-potential candidates for a job, according to a survey by Jobvite.

Just 18% of employers consider a cover letter important in the hiring process, says the Addison Group, a Boston-based employment agency.

But then again, according to some of those same recruiters, a cover letter can sometimes grab the attention of a recruiter and get you a screening interview.

It can even put you on top when the final hiring decision is just down to a few candidates.

And that's what makes writing a cover letter so hard.

You need to somehow balance the need to put so much thought and effort into a few paragraphs while knowing that they may not even get read.

And yet again, if they get read and aren't received well, you may blow that one shot at a potentially wonderful job and perhaps extend your search a bit longer than you'd like.

That's why, very often, when you're in front of the keyboard, it hits you: the dreaded writer's block.

It may be that you feel that you don't know how to write a killer lead sentence.

Or you may have crossed that hurdle, but now you don't know how to move past saying a few nice things about the company you're trying to join.

Or that you feel embarrassed to fill paragraph after paragraph praising yourself, and feel that whoever gets to read those lines may laugh at you.

The first thing you need to know is that we've all been there.

Secondly, no matter what the numbers say you definitely need to write a killer letter to make sure your application is taken seriously by recruiters and hiring managers.

Third, writing a cover letter is not rocket science.

It shouldn't take you hours and hours—at least not after the first time.

With a little bit of practice and some serious self-editing, you'll soon get it.

You'll be producing cover letter after cover letter that will maximize your chances of an interview and a job offer.

If you are searching for ways to raise more money in order to keep your boat afloat, getting a job can be an important part of that.

Tens of thousands visit our website looking for ways to change their financial lives, and we want to make sure you get the best job by using the most qualified information available (hint: this article).

Let us show you how and kick your job search into high gear this complete guide to cover letters.

Step 1: Figure Out the Purpose of Your Cover Letter

Each cover letter has a mission—and you should accept it before moving forward

One of the main reasons for writer's block when writing a cover letter is that you haven't figured out exactly what you're trying to achieve with it.

Yes, of course, you're trying to land an interview that will eventually lead your job search to the position of your dreams, but there's a more specific strategy under the hood of every single cover letter.

Before you begin structuring your cover letter, you need to figure out if it fits into one or more of the following goals:

• Creating a bridge between your résumé and the job posting
• Explaining why you may have been out of work for some periods of time
• Making the case for why you're the best candidate for this job (even if it's not apparent at first)
• Showing why your experience is already perfect for that position
• Highlighting that you have already established connections with people in this company or in the industry

Step 2: Match Your Skills with the Job Requirements

A cover letter is an exercise in highlighting your strengths for the job while smoothly ignoring or downplaying your weak spots

The job description is already a roadmap for your cover letter.

After reading it a couple of times, write down the five essential skills listed for the job.

There are often more requirements in a job listing, but keep in mind that a job description is always a wish list of sorts for what employers call a "unicorn hire."

If you're that unicorn, then you're in luck.

But more often than not, you're competing to be the candidate who checks more boxes on that list.

After you've identified the five essential skills, try to match them with the ones you can convincingly offer to this company.

Use a spreadsheet or a table to make it easier.

Don't undersell yourself here: This is a stretching game, in which you can match sufficient experience with the requirements listed in the job description.

For instance, you may not have been the one responsible for creating a budget, but have enough experience dealing with budgets made by someone else to perfectly understand how a budget works and claim you're qualified to do so.

Or perhaps the job requires editing video and you haven't done it at a professional level but enough on your own that you can confidently say you can do it.

This step connects with the previous one: If you can match your training and experience with the five essential skills, then the goal of your letter is to prove why you're already qualified (or even overqualified) to fill that role.

But if you had a hard time doing so, then the main goal of your cover letter is to make the case for how you still are perfectly capable of naturally stepping into that position.

In the last case, you can always slip a hint of how you're such a quick learner somewhere in your letter.

Step 3: Understand the Structure of a Cover Letter

Even though cover letters serve different functions, they are all the same at their bare bones level

A cover letter has six fundamental sections:

• Your contact information and the employer's
• Salutation
• Lead paragraph
• Core paragraphs
• Closing paragraph
• Signature

Let's see the important aspects of each one:

Yes, you should add the employer's contact information. It may seem redundant, but it's not: it shows dedication and attention to detail, even if the letter is being submitted digitally.

In the salutation, avoid tired formulas. If you got anywhere with your research for contact information regarding this position, then address your cover letter to a specific person.

Generic salutations suggest that you didn't put enough effort into the prep work for your application.

Even if you're not completely sure about the person you're addressing but have a good guess about it, go with it.

You may be wrong, but it shows both effort and that you're a proactive worker.

Grab the reader's attention while introducing yourself. The lead paragraph should do two things.

We'll get to this in more detail below (see Step 7), but for now, you need to know that the initial paragraph in your letter is the key for any recruiter or hiring manager to keep reading your letter.

It should avoid any cookie-cutter formulas ("My name is X and I'm submitting my application for…").

Instead, take the chance of saying something unique about you and your interest in this particular job in a few short, affirmative sentences.

The core paragraphs are where you make a case to land an interview. Remember Step 2 above, when you matched your skills to the job description?

Here's where that exercise becomes useful:

You'll use 2–3 paragraphs to expose in more detail how your experience and qualifications match the job requirements.

If you're missing a key qualification, you should bring that particular skill or requirement only if you can't avoid it and/or if you have a way of covering for it.

Otherwise, figure out a way of skipping it.

If you are aware of a specific problem this company has or is trying to solve with this particular hire, you should mention how you will work towards that solution.

Pro tip for your core paragraphs: use bullet points if you're offering specific tips or mentioning data.

Bullets points are also good in forcing you to write short sentences that will make your reader want to know more about you and your qualifications in a future interview.

You should use the closing paragraph to offer next steps. So don't just say salute.

Besides reinstating your interest in the position, use the final line to create an action item: say you'll call or write, or ask about when can you meet to discuss the position.

The closing paragraph is also a great place to show your business and social skills.

One thing to keep in mind here: you should never sound desperate for a job, something that is always a big turnoff for hiring managers.

Likewise, the salutation and signature should not be heavy-handed. Use a simple "Sincerely," or "Best regards," and write your name.

If this is an electronic submission, only add your actual signature if you have a way of making it look professional. Use the right Word tool or an app like DocHub for this.

Step 4: Make Sure to Include These Things

Load your letter with attention-grabbing words and make it a map to your career

Don't waste the chance to include the following in your text:

• Links to your LinkedIn profile, your portfolio, or any relevant social media profile that you can seamlessly integrate into the text
• Keywords from the job description
• Buzzwords that show your expertise in this area
• Subtle references (again, in the form of keywords) to the company's culture
• Concrete examples of your work experience to back up your claims
• Any solution you can offer for this particular position, that department or the company at large
• The name of anybody in the company or the industry who can provide a reference for you

Step 5: Don't Commit Any of These Formatting Mistakes

These are some of the things that make recruiters go "Next!"

Both formatting and attention to detail are essential in a successful cover letter.

• Your cover letter shouldn't be longer than one Letter page
• Don't go under 12 points in the font
• Make sure your text covers at least 70% of the page
• Don't get too creative with the font: use a sober font (no Comic Sans!), but also avoid the overused Times New Roman!
• Make sure your margins are not smaller than 1″–1.5″. Anything else makes it look too crammed
• Typos (see below)

Step 6: Write It (Until You Have a First Draft!)

The sooner you produce a draft, the sooner you'll be done

This applies to journalists and novelists the same as it does to you when you're crafting a cover letter: there's only one way out of here, and it involves producing a draft.

If you've followed our steps, by now you have all the information you need to write your cover letter. So just hit that keyboard.

Still suffering from writer's block? Then try one of these two foolproof methods to get your creative juices flowing:

Set a timer for 15 minutes and write without stopping. You should simply write your reasons for wanting to do this job, without overthinking it.

You should do this exercise as if you were taking a test in school and the time was running out.

Then let take a five-minute break and start editing it.

"Interview yourself" by saying to a recorder why you should get this job. (Tip: use the voice memo app on your phone.)

Then transcribe what you said and start editing.

Step 7: Work Extra Hard on a Killer Opening Paragraph

Think of the reader of your letter as someone flipping through TV channels: if you don't grab their attention right away, they're gone

By several accounts, hiring managers may not spend more than seven seconds scanning your résumé before deciding if moving it to the pile of the people to interview or that of the rejects.

The same thing is true for a cover letter: if you bore your reader in the first lines, you have missed one of the best chances you had to impress them.

Or as the old adage goes: you'll never have a second chance of making a good first impression.

In order to do that, you should avoid generic and bland first lines.

Don't start by saying "My name is X and I'm submitting my application for the position of …"

They already know that.

What you need is to find a few initial sentences that allow you to do the following things:

• Tell something unique about yourself
• Show your passion for this job
• Leave the reader wanting more about you—like a cliffhanger in a TV show

Yes, that sounds like a difficult task to achieve with just three sentences. But it's not that hard once you've tried it a few times.

A good writing tip is using affirmative, short sentences.

If you can create a string of three sentences that can do all of the above without leaving room for doubts, you're on solid ground.

Need some examples of what we're talking about?

• If not being able to lose an argument is wrong, then I don't want to be right. That's what took me to law school via several years of hard work and fun on my high school and college debate teams. It's also what makes me the perfect candidate for being the next associate at your prestigious law firm.

• In my two years at [prior company], I increased our number of unique visitors to the website by [percentage].

• My passion for teaching started as my family moved from town to town, following my father's career in the Army. That meant not only being exposed to different schools and teachers every other year; I also had to help my young brother and sister adapt to it all and finish their homework every night.

The important thing in the lead is that you need to be original. Even if it's just for that one initial sentence, give your reader something he or she has never read before.

Crafting the perfect cover letter is not rocket science: it just takes practice

Something that becomes memorable or brings a smile to their faces. That will make them keep reading and take a look at your résumé.

Step 8: Edit, Edit, Edit

Once you've produced a draft, make sure you've let it sit and edited it at least three times

Your cover letter should be perfect.

And perfect means perfect. Not only should they not contain any typos or grammatical errors, but you should make sure there are no loose ends and that you've told the best possible version of your story.

This can only be achieved by reviewing it over and over again. There are no shortcuts here.

Editing means going over it and making all the changes you deem necessary. Then you put it away at least for a few minutes, and you do it all over again.

And then again.

We swear: it becomes easier after you've done your first cover letter.

Step 9: Find Someone Else to Proofread It for You

Run Your Cover Letter Through Spellcheck if you have no one to ask for copy editing help

Are you tired of us mentioning how typos are unacceptable? So are we, but that won't stop us.

Here's the thing about typos: They're often invisible to the person who just finished writing a text or who's tired of editing.

But they're almost never invisible to a trained eye—like that of someone who reads résumés and cover letters for a living.

So make sure you run your cover letter through spellcheck. And if you have someone who can give it a read, please do so.

Step 10: The Email Dilemma

If you're submitting your resumé via email, should it be an attachment or just go in the body of your message?

You've worked so hard on your cover letter (and your CV before), but when it comes to sending it by email, should you attach it in a separate document, or just copy and paste it?

This is not really a dilemma. Nothing would be sillier than writing a cover email for your cover letter. Copy and paste it (without your contact info at the top), and then attach your cover letter to the email.

Just make sure to format your email right:

• Write the subject line in the following format (unless there are specific instructions to do it differently): Job Title – Your Name
• Make sure that no formatting (including hyperlinks) has been lost while copying and pasting from your master document to the email

Crafting the perfect cover letter is not rocket science: it just takes practice

There you have them: the 10 steps to crafting a perfect cover letter and avoiding writer's block.

It does take some work, especially the first time around.

But with a bit of practice, you will become a master of it, and you'll have created your own library of templates to draw from and build upon.

And in the meantime, take a look at the templates we offer below in our annexes.

Oh, and did we mention that you should avoid typos at any cost? Just sayin'…

Do you have any other tips that will make the writing process easier?

Have we missed anything?

Let us know in the comments below!