It doesn’t matter if you’re new to the job market or a seasoned job seeking veteran with tons of relevant experience, for most, the daunting task of writing a cover letter ends up leveling the playing field.
But rather than put you in the pack with the rest of the mediocre, wouldn’t it be better stand out? Wouldn’t it be better to crush the application process and almost guarantee yourself an interview?
That is the power of a strong cover letter.
It’s almost unfortunate that resumés get so much attention from job seekers looking for help. There’s too much emphasis on the importance of a resumé and not nearly enough focus and support on writing amazing cover letters.
Here’s the truth
A good resumé with relevant experience and skills + a poor cover letter (or no cover letter at all) = low likelihood of an interview.
A so-so resumé with low-moderate experience and skills + a killer cover letter = high likelihood of an interview.
Why is this the truth?
Your cover letter is a sales letter that highlights the benefits to the employer if they hire you. Your resumé is really just a list of your features (your experience). Benefits are tied to emotion, whereas features are more analytical.
And humans make decisions based on their emotions.
It’s sales and copywriting 101 to know that in order to win a customer (or in this case, an employer), you need to lure them in by showing them how hiring you will benefit them. You need to generate an emotional response from the employer, and your cover letter is your opportunity to do this (not your resumé).
There are several ways you can generate an emotional response in your cover letter that will almost guarantee you a call back, if not an invitation to meet:
- You identify what specific business pain they are experiencing (i.e. why they are hiring) and address how you can fix their pain.
– This generates an emotion of needing you. Also, by offering up solutions and strategies, this makes the employer curious to learn what other ideas you’d bring to the table.
- You share anecdotal stories of past work experiences and/or of successes.
– If you are personable in your story telling, you will generate empathy or even make the employer like you. If you add a touch of humor, you may also make an employer laugh, which is an emotional response that results in interviews.
Employers Want to Be Sold on You
So often I meet job seekers who feel defeated in their job search because they don’t have the right experience for the job(s) they want. It could be that they are new to the job market or that they are trying to change industries, but many people needlessly give up before even trying because they’re too focused on their lack of experience — and too focused on their resumé.
It is true that some career paths require technical or specialized experience, but here’s a secret:
Most employers are willing to hire an underdog if they feel that they deserve a chance and if they believe they have the capacity to work hard and learn the necessary skill set.
See, it’s emotion again!
Writing a strong cover letter is your opportunity to connect with an employer and start a conversation with them. After you’ve communicated the benefits of you as an employee, a strong cover letter is a formal invitation you make to the employer to review your qualifications and to consider you as a candidate — even if you don’t have all of the experience they outlined in their job description.
How to Write a Cover Letter that Gets You an Interview
So now that I’ve sold you on the power of cover letters and how they are the key to your job search success, it would be rude of me to not share with you tips on how to actually write a compelling cover letter!
In fact, I want to show you how to write an Irresistible Cover Letter.
I have compiled a FREE guide on How to Write an Irresistible Cover Letter, which you can download here. What’s included in this free guide:
Cover Letter Basics
This is the kind of stuff you’d find if you Google “cover letter tips”. This is good info, but generic advice that is universal and widely shared.
Cover Letter Structure
This section of the guide sets out a framework for you to work from. Every cover letter you write should be unique, but having a framework to start from will make the process a lot easier. This section of the guide also breaks down what to include within the structure of your cover letter and offers valuable and unique tips that help make you stand out.
Cover Letter Extras
If you want to add a little pizzaz to your cover letter, or ensure that you’ve covered all the bases, this is the section that goes into detail on that. Again, this guide is FREE, and you can download it below.
view post: How to Write an Irresistible Cover Letter.
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