When looking for a job, it can be tempting to treat each application as a chore. You often have to send your professional resume to hundreds of places a week, and it can seem like you just don’t have time to do anything but speed up the process. Many people mistakenly think that quantity is more important than quality when trying to find a job. This mindset often prevents people from writing a proper cover letter.
intangible information
While your resume showcases your skills, talents, experience, and education in an easy-to-read way, there is much more subtle information that can be conveyed through a concise, well-written cover letter. Is this applicant a team player? Will he/she contribute to the company atmosphere in a positive way? How passionate is this applicant about the job? Can the applicant express themselves in a positive, effective and professional manner?
Consider how, in a job interview, your potential interviewer is assessing many things about your personality while asking you questions about your work habits. A good cover letter can effectively start that process early by putting your work personality front and center, even before an employer gets to the resume. Of course, it has to be brief (no interviewer wants a novel explaining who you are), but a brief introduction can help you seem more human and stand out from the rest.
stand out
Most people looking for new jobs don’t include any kind of cover letter, either hoping that the qualifications on a resume will suffice or because they don’t have any plans. With a good cover letter, you can stand out from the rest of the group by addressing the company directly. This shows that you are a) proactive, b) willing to go the extra mile, and c) polite. The courtesy factor, while it may not sound like much, can be the difference between an HR employee throwing your resume in the trash and giving it a second look. Remember that companies have staff too, and when you write a cover letter, you provide context for your resume. You treat the person reading your resume as a human being, rather than an impersonal robot.
Show that you know his game
Each company has its own strategy and communication style. You can see it in the kind of language they use on their website to describe the services they offer or on the packaging of their products. Just as the best executive resume writer tailors a resume specifically to suit each company they send you to, with certain qualities and qualifications standing out over others, a cover letter can show that you’ve researched the company you want to work for. for. These days, people won’t hire just anyone. You have to go above and beyond to show that you, unlike the hundreds of other applicants, value the same things as the company you want to work for. These values are best conveyed through a well-written cover letter.
Showcasing your communication skills, shared values, proactivity, and allowing you to stand out as a candidate, it’s clear that a cover letter is vital in today’s world of job hunting. Don’t send your resume without one!