What Cover Letter Can Boost Your Chance to Interview?

There are many pre-built templates and contents claiming to be the best-written cover letter ever and proven to work for your case, but they are not. Because they are too standard and over used, they lose the purpose of cover letter. Then what cover letter can really work, — meaning boost your chance to interview? They are quite different for different jobs and different people.

For example, senior managers and executives should write cover letters to deliver introductory messages. Their cover letters work as lead-ins to their resumes and offer brief introductions and perhaps a testimonial about their character and leadership qualities. On the other hand, a highly experienced technical professional can write a shorter, simpler and more direct your cover letter.

Further more, you can write a very creative and relevant cover letter which gives you instant respect and credibility with potential employers. Creativity t helps to have a hook captures hiring managers’ attention.

We all see how competitive the job market is. To stand out from the crowd, you must differentiate yourself from the competition. In many cases, your cover letter is your first contact with employers. If you don’t impress an employer right away, you may not have another chance to get the attention. Don’t fool hiring manages by the standard cover letter templates or bore them with lengthy descriptions and paragraphs. Make your letter creative and concise.

No matter how you write it, your cover letter should include 3 points:

1. Why you are writing.
2. Why they should be consider you.
3. What’s the next you and they will do.

Obviously, you are writing to ask for a job, a job interview should come first. They should consider you because of your skills, experience, and fit to the orgznization. The next action they should do is to call you for interview. You might say that you will follow up and call within 10 days, instead of waiting for the employer to contact you. That’s it.

Sounds easy. Then how to creative yet powerful cover letters that get the first attention and impression? Here are some tips to share from Arlene S. Hirsch, career counselor in Chicago and the author of How to Be Happy at Work:

Make it personal

Your letter should be interesting and relevant to the employer while including pertinent facts about your candidacy. It also should reflect your personality, says William Frank, president and CEO of CareerLab, a Denver-based career strategy firm. “Don’t send a really hot, aggressive letter if you’re introverted and laid-back,” he says. “You’ll have trouble following up on the letter, and you may not come across well. Send a letter that mirrors your style.”

Let others praise your abilities

One way to be memorable is by offering a quote about you that demonstrates your uniqueness, says Michele Ferraro, a professor of business writing at Columbia College in Chicago. Julie Roth, an international marketing executive in Chicago, likes to quote one of her former employees who, 10 years after the fact, still states with unequivocal devotion: “Julie Roth is the best manager I ever had.” From there, Roth goes on to describe her management abilities and accomplishments.

Lorelli uses a quote from John Rutledge, chairman of Rutledge Capital, a private equity investment firm in New Canaan, Conn.: “Mike is smart, experienced, works like hell and is incredibly loyal. I would invade China with him alone in a rubber boat.”

Use research to differentiate yourself

Invest time and effort in preparing a really outstanding document. Start by researching your potential employer, says Steve Jeffries, a human resources executive and founder of the International Executives Group in Chicago. A letter that shows you’ve done your homework can be a powerful differentiator. “A company is looking for someone who can solve its problems,” says Jeffries. “If it didn’t have a problem, it wouldn’t need you.”

Tailor your comments to the employer’s needs

Don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach. Mid- to senior-level executives should include outstanding accomplishments that apply to the employer’s situation, says Jeffries.

“Candidates must tailor their cover letters to make it clear that they have solved similar problems in the past,” says Richard Rotberg, director of career services for the Jewish Vocational Service in Chicago. But don’t explain how you solved those problems, he says. Make the hiring manager invite you to interview before you share that information.

Don’t mention money

While you may believe that stating your financial needs will help your candidacy, it’s almost never wise to mention pay at this point. “There’s no reason to mention salary in a cover letter,” says Dave Theobald, president and CEO of Netshare, a Novato, Calif.-based executive networking organization, and a former executive recruiter. “If they want to know your salary requirements, they can call and ask you.”

Even if you’re responding to an ad that requests salary requirements, don’t cite numbers. Acknowledge the request and add that you’ll be glad to discuss salary information during an interview.

Take calculated risks

Confident executives may want to go against the grain and introduce a perceived negative, thereby turning it into a positive. For example, Lorelli usually mentions that he’s 52 years old in a postscript to his letter. While common sense might dictate against this, he presents himself as a fearless leader who isn’t afraid to take chances and speak his mind. He also adds in the postscript that he has a master’s degree in business administration and has been a company director.
“Everybody reads the P.S.,” says Lorelli. “If you have something really important to say, write it in the P.S., where it’s most likely to be noticed.

Test your letter’s effectiveness

To be sure your letter makes the right impression, send it first to a handful of trusted friends and colleagues and ask them for their candid opinion, Frank advises. Have them tell you whether it reads well and reflects your goals and personality. If the feedback is positive, begin sending it to employers.