Thursday, July 14, 2011

7 Cover Letter Tips That Will Get You Hired! (plus a valuable bonus)

Hi! Hope you're enjoying the summer weather! - and yes, I am well aware that you'd be able to enjoy it more if you could just get hired, right?Well,  help is on the way.... just keep reading...

I originally published a slightly different version of the article below for syndication in ezines, online newsletters, and other websites but it has gotten such a good response I thought I'd post it here as well. I'm also going to give you guys a bonus tip at the end that was not in the original article. So, here's actually 8 cover letter tips, not 7, that will get you hired (remember, these are tips that I have found to be very helpful to my clients in a job center):

You Need To Focus On Getting the Interview, NOT On Getting Hired

When most people write their cover letter, they have in their mind the goal of getting the job. They forget that applying for a job is 2 step process. You first have to get an interview in order to get a job. When the hiring manager reads your cover letter, they are focused on who to bring in for an interview, not who to hire, so that should be your focus too. I can't emphasize the importance of this enough.

You Should Specifically Ask For the Interview

It is well known in business that one of the most effective ways to increase sales is to actually ask for sales. You can apply this strategy to your cover letter as well. If you specifically ask for the interview in your letter, this will drastically increase your odds of actually getting the interview. Notice I didn't say ask for the job. Of course, this has to be done with finesse to be effective (read the bonus tip to learn how to do this).

You Should Definitely Keep It Short and Sweet

Don't be long-winded and don't try to cram in too many details. You want the hiring manager to notice you and invite you in for the interview - that's all - end of letter. You can give them more details in the interview. Yes, I know it can be difficult to be succinct and almost painful to edit out certain things... BUT if you really want to get hired, your cover letter needs to be short and sweet.

How Does Your Cover Letter Look When You Squint Your Eyes?

Beyond what it actually says, you want your letter to be as visually pleasing as possible. Think of your letter as a piece of abstract artwork and blur out the words as you look at it. How does it look? Remember, white space can be really important in how your cover letter appears visually. How are the blocks of text laid out? Is there any way to move them around and make them more visually appealing? You may need to play around with the formatting and borders.

Will They Want To Ask You Out For a Beer After Reading Your Cover Letter?

People hire people they like. Yes, it REALLY IS this simple! This is true even when they try to be "objective." In reality, no one really is completely objective, no matter how hard they try to be. They may be doing it subconsciously but the hiring manager will hire the person they like the most 99% of the time. If you come across as a likable person, someone they might like to have a beer with (or maybe a cup of joe), your odds of being hired improve drastically. Again though, conveying this in your succinct cover letter will take some finesse and you may need some help in the writing of your cover letter to get this point across without actually saying it.

You Should NEVER EVER Use a Cover Letter Template!

Again, I work in a job center and the vast majority of job seekers that come through my door that have been struggling to find a job pulled a cover letter template off the net or from a book and then modified it. This is a big mistake I assure you!! While this may get you a "professional" sounding cover letter, "professional" (at least what's in those templates) is NOT what you need to get the interview. In our testing, unique letters beat templates virtually every time. In fact, when I work with someone who is has been looking for work unsuccessfully for months, it often only takes this one change to their application to start getting interviews. In fact, this is the most important thing I've learned working with my clients - and it's the thing that has made the most difference to the most people.

Do You Understand the Magic of Marketing?

You can have the best product in the world but if it isn't marketed well, it will never sell well. When you are applying for a job, you need to think of yourself as the product. One of the most effective ways to sell yourself is by using time-tested marketing phrases in your letter that will push all the right psychological buttons. You also need some marketing mojo throughout and some finesse.

It's Probably Better If You Don't Write the Cover Letter Yourself

The vast majority of job candidates can not write the kind of cover letter I describe above. This doesn't mean you aren't the best person for the job. It just means you you don't have the ability to write the best possible cover letter that is going to market you in a way that they can see that. Getting help with your cover letter is probably the most important thing you can do to give yourself very best chance possible to get the job you want.

For a REALLY Easy and Effective Solution, You Should Use This Software

In working with my clients I have discovered this software - it is by far the easiest method I have found for creating the perfect cover letter that will market you well. It was developed by a true marketing genius. This guy gets paid a fortune just to write one page of sales copy - he's known throughout the marketing world as a wizard with words and is in very high demand. With this software, you can get his help without having to spend a fortune.  You can go here and get more details. It is the best cover letter help I have seen on the market anywhere and I've reviewed and tested MANY products. In addition to creating a really great cover letter, this software is super simple to use. You simply answer a few questions and then click a button... and yes, it is set up to be tailored for each job industry and will create a cover letter that is UNIQUE to you and you alone (these are the questions I get asked most often). Many of my clients have created a cover letter using this software and we have seen tremendous success with it.