A cover letter can do a few things when applying for a new job but it is important to see why writing a good covering letter is still an important part of the process. Below is some of the main reasons why you should still write a covering letter to send with any application or CV.
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Allows you to sell yourself
By writing a good covering letter it allows you to be able to sell yourself to a potential new employer, showing them the skills and experiences that you have and what you can bring to their company. If you have a particular skill that they would be looking for or previous industry experience, now is the time to highlight this.
Gives the recruiter a snap shot of you
In a covering letter you can give a brief summary of you to a new employer, allowing them to read your letter and be interested further to read your CV and hopefully invite you for an interview.
Related: How to Write a Cover Letter With No Experience
Summarises your skills relevant to the job you are applying for
It allows you to summarise and focus on the key skills that they are looking for so in an A4 page you need to be able to demonstrate the most important skills that you know they are going to pick up on.
Shows how you detail written work
By writing a good covering letter means that must be how you write letters and deal with your work in a professional setting so you are allowing an employer or recruiter to see that you can lay out a letter, can write well, have good spelling and grammar etc.
Keeping it relevant
By focusing on the relevant skills and points in a covering letter shows that you pay attention to what the job at hand is and that you do not go off on tangents.
Shows the differences between other candidates
Don’t forget that you will not be the only one applying for jobs so by doing a good covering letter which will appeal to a company or a recruiter then you are setting yourself a different level and looking good to a potential new employer.
Shows that you are serious about your application
It shows that you have thought about the job in which you are applying for, it allows you to drop in bit that you know about the company and what research you have done and thought about how you could fit into their company and that role. You can use your cover letter as a mini interview.
A cover letter can make the difference between a CV being read or not
If you don’t write a well structured cover letter then this can make the difference between whether your CV is read or not. If you are able to grab the attention of an employer in a covering letter then they are more likely to give your CV the time it deserves to see if you are good for their role and company.
Related: Example Cover Letter Format that Gets you an Interview
What does a CV mean on its own?
In some studies it has been found that if you send a CV in without a covering letter then the employer does not want to know. What does it mean on its own? It’s your skills and experience but how does that sell it to an employer? A covering letter sells then the CV is the added bonus.
It shows your keen and enthusiastic
A good covering letter shows an employer that you are keen and enthusiastic about their company and joining their industry, job etc. With the job market as it is, this is a very important factor as you may have the right skills and experience they need but your personality is also very important to a company and you need to be able to fit in with what the other people there do.
photo by: orangeacid
Cover letters will never die 🙂