We’re holding a free live Resume Clinic on July 17 (click here to register), and there are opportunities for individual counseling (click here for details).
Writing a Resume is the first article in this two-part series, and once you have a resume you’ll need a cover letter. This article is about writing one.
What is a Cover Letter?
A cover letter provides essentials on why the reader should care about your resume. It should be short, interesting, easy to understand, direct. No beating around the bush. A cover letter isn’t your life story. It isn’t a philosophical treatise. It is not a somewhat shorter version of your resume. A cover letter is about essentials and it’s an exhortation of sorts. It says: “Read my resume because I am your solution.” It conveys you have knowledge and experience they need, can deliver results desired, and what motivates you.
That’s all.
If you were a movie, the cover letter is the teaser trailer. If you were a musical, the cover letter is the overture. If you were a meal, the cover letter is a single-bite appetizer (an amuse-bouche for you foodies out there).
The emphasis is on “single-bite”. Keep it short.
Important Features
The cover letter has at least six key features. A good cover letter:
- conveys that you are paying attention to the reader and the job on offer;
- shows that you can focus on what’s important to them,
- demonstrates your overall communication style,
- lets the reader know what motivates you,
- provides the most important evidence that YOU are their solution, and
- demonstrates your business writing skills.
Authenticity is important in a cover letter, so use your own voice.
People increasingly use AI to shape cover letters. A sector-knowledgeable interviewer can spot gaps between AI written material submitted, and information unpacked during in-person or video interactions with candidates. Some things will just seem off. When such candidates are hired anyway, they are likely to have short tenures. Let’s use a specific example. Were my articles on resumes & cover letters, assessing candidates and running searches written by AI, and you later asked me to analyze materials or manage searches, I wouldn’t be able to. Faking it using AI only goes so far. Use tools of course, but NEVER replace your own irreplaceable voice when you are a candidate. Nothing good comes of that.
Other Points
- A cover letter is one page – one, eins, गिनती , uno, один, un, aon, 1, 1, 1. One page.
- KEEP IT SIMPLE. 3-4 paragraphs with lots of air. They have your resume for detail.
- Use standard boring fonts (Ariel, Times Roman or equivalent) sized 11pt; use boring bullet icons (•); no colors, no boxes, no lines, no pictures, no columns, no logos. Text only. Use only one font.
- Use borders of 1 inch, or .75 inch minimum.
- Leave air between paragraphs and bullet points.
- No URL links in a cover letter that is in PDF format – such links divert attention away from the teaser content of a cover letter. URL links can be inserted carefully and sparingly into short emails, and URL links in resumes are okay, just don’t insert too many. You want readers to focus on why they should hire you, not on a lot of online content.
- Pay attention to grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. This is also a writing sample. There is just no excuse for poor grammar or misspelled words.
- Be consistent & correct. Check twice… then check again… and again. Cover letters reflect your sense of quality and attention to detail.
- Include your city, state and contact information in a format that is appropriate to a letter or an email. Be easy to reach.
- Cover letters can show style and humor, but at risk of a misfire. If creative writing and humor is your thing, know the risk.
- A good cover letter can be repurposed into an introductory note or email sent without your resume as a way to invite interest.
Conclusion
There is only ever one opportunity to make a first impression – a cliché but also true. The cover letter and resume are your first impression. Make it a good first impression.
There is one important caveat to all of this. Large organizations will sometimes use AI-powered Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to scan and filter resumes en masse. First used for entry level employees, ATS is now also being marketed to evaluate mid-level and senior professionals. Such systems are replacing HR personnel. ATS systems score resumes based on occurrences of certain keywords. Like social media platforms, the scanning logic is often a black box to candidates… and sometimes to the organization using ATS systems. And like social media platforms, ATS systems don’t verify for accuracy or authenticity. There is an AI-to-AI arms race of sort going on, with candidates using AI to shape material to get around ATS filters, and ATS systems responding by continually tweaking AI filtering. We all use social media and so we’re familiar with the drill. If you think that social media is full of false and misleading information, try looking at material posted, shaped, filtered and supplied on and by platforms.
The bottom line is this: candidates get and hold on to jobs because they can do those jobs well and they add value. Convey this in your resume and cover letter, get the interview, get hired… and then perform!
Sooner or later, quality, competence and value delivered wins the race. Make that your mantra and clearly highlight your value in your resume and cover letter.
We’re holding a free live Resume Clinic on July 17 (click here to register), and there are opportunities for individual counseling (click here for details).
To recruit nonprofit c-suite leaders & staff or for strategy support services, email info[@]moppenheim.com or call (415) 762-2650.