Write a cover letter correctly. How to prepare a cover letter

Over the past few years, a cover letter has become a mandatory element when applying for a job. Some HRs won't even open an applicant if he hasn't written a cover letter. In this regard, employment specialists advise always submitting such a letter, even if this requirement is not specified in the vacancy. This is a good way to draw attention to your resume, complement your professional image and stand out from other candidates.

Why write to an employer, and what is a cover letter?

A cover letter is a small text (less than half an A4) that the applicant sends along with his resume by email. As a rule, the letter is not sent as a separate attached file, but is the body of the email. If you send your resume through a job portal, then, as a rule, you will be provided with a letter form.

The candidate must briefly describe himself, his experience and professional skills, and also explain why he wants to work in the company where he is sending his resume.

Who should write a letter to the employer? In general, everyone should write a cover letter for their resume.

But its presence especially important in three cases:

– if a resume is sent by a student or recent graduate of a university without work experience.
As a rule, such applicants have nothing special to boast about in their resume, so a letter is a great way to show your desire to work and gain experience, to tell more about yourself than your resume allows;

– if the applicant changes his field of activity and sends his resume to a position for which he clearly does not have enough experience.
In this case, the letter is an opportunity to show your motivation, tell why you want to change your field and what experience/knowledge you already have to work in a new profession.

– if a person is applying for a particular position in a large international company.
HR in such companies pay attention to how the candidate presents himself. It is possible that the letter will have to be written in English.

Cover letter structure

There is no standard cover letter template, but you can look for examples online. What to write in a cover letter? The main thing is that in the text you answer three main questions. First- who you are? Second– why does the company need you? And the third– why do you need this company?

Keep in mind that a good cover letter is not a simplified copy of a resume. It's more personal and gives you the opportunity to reveal nuances that you couldn't show on your resume. With its help, you can draw the employer's attention to your greatest strengths. In addition, this is an additional chance to convince the employer that you are the ideal candidate, even if you lack experience or qualifications. An ideal cover letter should show your interest, drive, and desire to work for the company.

What will an employer appreciate in your cover letter?

1. Conciseness

The cover letter should be clear and short. The length of the letter should not exceed half a page. The letter should clearly and concisely articulate your best qualities and what you can offer the company.

2. A little about personal things

In your cover letter, tell us not only about your best professional qualities, but also about your strong personal traits - activity, focus on results, ability to work. This will add a positive impression of you. Laconically write down those features that you could not include in your resume. After viewing both texts, the employer should have a complete picture of how your professional and personal qualities will help the company. However, avoid general language. Support your words with small, general examples from your work and life.

3. Enthusiasm

Be sure to highlight your interest in this particular company and position, and also explain why it interests you. So, if you show off your knowledge about a specific company project, your chances of getting an interview will immediately increase. For example, if you write that you consider a company to be a leader in its field, then an example of a project that impressed you will only confirm your words. Plus - it will immediately show your interest.

4. Lively style

Do not use bureaucracy or complex designs. Choose an easy style and lively expressions. Write from yourself. The best way to do this is to imagine that you are having a conversation with your future employer. At the same time, do not overdo it and stay within the bounds of business style.

If you are applying to a large company, most likely HR will ask you to provide contacts of people who can give you recommendations. If you get ahead of his request and include this information in your cover letter yourself, this will immediately add weight to your candidacy and increase your chances of getting an invitation to an interview.

6. Individual approach

Even more than a resume, a cover letter requires an original approach and tailoring for each individual position for which you are applying. This will require a little preparation. Before writing a cover letter, try to understand what exactly the company is looking for. Read the requirements carefully and write down the most basic ones for yourself. Match them with your skills and focus on them (don't forget about supporting examples!). Use so-called “key words” in your cover letter - the main terms that the company uses to describe the requirements for the candidate.

7. Only essential information

Do not include unnecessary information in your cover letter that is not directly related to the job. The text should contain only a concise description of your strongest qualities, and not personal information or household habits.

8. Uniqueness for the company

Always remember that the company first of all wants to know what exactly it will get by hiring you, and not what you want to get. It's worth keeping this in mind even when you're talking about why you want to work for the company. Turn your rationale for your choices into “unique selling points” for the company. For example, if you write that your job is a calling to which you have dedicated many years of your life, point out to the employer how you can use your many years of experience to improve the company's effectiveness.

9. Contact information

Even though your resume contains your contact information, still duplicate it in the letter itself. Let the employer have as many opportunities as possible to quickly contact you.

10. SMART principle

To better understand how to articulate your achievements, successes, or strengths in your cover letter, try using the so-called. SMART principle. This is a well-known method for setting “smart” goals, which can be an excellent assistant when composing your text. It is built on 5 basic principles.

S (Specific)- specifics. Eliminate common expressions from your letter. Be specific about your experience and accomplishments. Forget about phrases like: “I am a motivated professional.” Write more precisely: “I have been working in sales for more than 15 years. At my last job, I was able to increase sales by 40% due to the successful implementation of a new CRM system, which allowed me to obtain more data on customer behavior.

M (Measurable)– measurability. Try to use as many measurable categories as possible in your letter. For example, numbers, percentages, terms, etc. Simply put, if you managed to increase website traffic at your previous place of work by 30%, be sure to indicate this. Accurate numbers are much more convincing to an employer than just words.

A (Attainable)– reachability. Do not write in the letter anything that you most likely cannot achieve in this position. Describe specific goals, not fantasies.

R (Relevant)- relevance. Include in your letter only information that is important to the employer and that will show you at your best. Your experience as a traveler or achievements in yoga are of little concern to the employer.

T (Time-bound)- limited time. This is another element that will help fill your letter with specifics. Indicate the time frame within which you were able to achieve certain results. This will demonstrate how impactful your work can be.

Today, the Internet is the most popular tool for finding a job. The most basic way is to leave a response to a vacancy on a personnel website with just one click. But when it comes to sending resumes by email, job seekers often make mistakes. We will tell you how to correctly send your resume to an employer so that it does not go unnoticed.

Subject line when sending your resume

Job seekers often neglect the most important rule - to format the subject line correctly when sending a resume by email. Do not leave this field empty under any circumstances: without a subject, your letter may end up in spam, or the employer simply will not notice it.

The topic should be brief but contain the necessary information. Examples of successful topics: “Response to the vacancy of an assistant designer”, “Resume of the chief accountant”, “Resume of A. N. Ivanova for the position of translator”.

Sometimes the employer asks you to indicate something specific in the subject line of the letter (for example, a vacancy code). Be sure to pay attention to this so that you are not considered absent-minded.

Do you want to send an employer a truly high-quality resume?

Our specialists know how to prepare an effective resume, taking into account all your professional and personal characteristics.

We are pleased to invite you to our agency. With the help of qualified specialists, you can show the employer your serious attitude and make your candidacy stand out from others.

What to write to an employer when sending a resume

You should not send the employer a blank letter with an attached resume file. Having a cover letter is not only considered a sign of good manners, but also shows your sincere interest in the proposed position.

Tons of literature, very useful, have been written about the science of employment. After all, in a competitive environment, it is not so easy to convince a potential employer that you are the most worthy to fill the vacancy. Not only professionalism and experience are important as arguments. An equally important role is played by knowledge of business etiquette, charm, the ability to communicate and to win over your interlocutor. Therefore, when applying for a job, you should not neglect the letter accompanying the traditional resume.

By attaching such a document, you:

  • immediately show yourself to be a polite person;
  • demonstrate the ability to conduct business competently;
  • making your first personal contact with your future boss;
  • you have a chance from the first steps, or rather the first lines, to interest you;
  • you get the opportunity to concentrate here the main thing from what is stated in the resume.

Imagine the flow of requests that will land on the HR manager’s desk. And you really need to achieve preference! Yes, this is a more difficult task than making an impression in a personal conversation. Elegance, a pleasant voice, a sweet smile and beautiful eyes will not help here. All weapons are convincing, well-presented facts and the right tone. Therefore, it makes sense to think about how to write a cover letter for your resume so that you are chosen.

There are no cover letter templates. There are subtleties

There are no required templates. You will not be bound by immutable protocol requirements. When planning your first contact with the company, try to make it:

  • impeccably literate;
  • polite;
  • short but succinct;
  • businesslike, but warm;
  • carrying maximum useful information;
  • leaving a pleasant impression of you.

A cover letter is a substantiation of the applicant’s desire to work in a specific company.

Most employers do not pay attention to this document.

And all because few applicants format their letters correctly.

How correctly and how to write it depends on whether it can motivate a potential employer to open and carefully read the resume.

How to write a cover letter

The text of the letter should be of interest. This is especially true when resumes are sent by students without work experience, retirees, or people with a large gap in their work experience. There may be a situation where a person has official experience in one field of activity, and unofficial experience in another.

For example, a person worked as an accountant for several years and studied to be a photographer in his free time.

If you want to change your field of activity and start a career as a photographer, you simply need to supplement your resume with a cover letter.

In this document he will be able to justify his competence, because he does not have official confirmation in his work book.

Letter structure and mandatory points

What should you write in your cover letter? What to indicate? The cover letter is drawn up in any form. However, it is imperative to cover several issues:

If you want to make a lasting impression, it is important not to forget about the format of the text.

First of all, it should be short and not exceed more than 2000 characters with spaces.

Employers spend literally a few seconds reading this document. During this time, they should have time to familiarize themselves with all the information you provide.

For many people, it is quite difficult to express thoughts concisely. In such a case, we can recommend that you first write everything that you would like to tell about yourself. Then re-read the text and retell the longest paragraphs in one single sentence. Leave only the most important.

How to write a cover letter?

In the most understandable language. Avoid long sentences with a lot of clauses. It is written in business language, so try to use direct word order, avoid emotionally charged expressions, and always address your interlocutor as you are.

Basic principles of writing a letter

The main purpose of a cover letter is to interest the employer.

To successfully cope with this task, it is important to prepare additionally.

Collect as much information as possible about the company where you are sending your resume.

This will help you competently justify why you want to work in this place.

The main provisions for writing this document can be identified:

  1. Write the text correctly. Please re-read and remove any typos before submitting. Use punctuation marks correctly. Sometimes the reason for refusal can be a single grammatical error.
  2. Refrain from mentioning your salary at your previous job.
  3. Clearly and concisely explain why you are suitable for this position. Perhaps your work experience and professional skills are ideal for the vacant position.

    If you rely on personal qualities, then back up your statements with evidence.

    This can be any evidence of your words: diplomas, diplomas, certificates. For example: “I am a winner of the regional competition “Seller of the Year.”

  4. Try to contact the recipient personally. Usually, when posting a vacancy on various Internet portals, the person responsible for hiring employees for this position is indicated.
  5. If your resume contains dubious points, for example, a long break in work experience, you should not focus on this. If necessary, better explain the situation in person.

How to compose and format a cover letter - competently, correctly, effectively

Your text should not only be understandable, but also as convincing as possible.

What should you include in your cover letter so that after reading the letter the employer will want to meet with you?

Use the following techniques:

  1. Avoid cliches.

    Before writing the text, you can open any online recruitment portal and read several resumes of candidates for a similar position.

    This way it’s easy to weed out all the clichés that are repeated among most applicants.

  2. If you are submitting a resume for a creative position, it would be appropriate to deviate from the strict rules of business writing. For example, if you express a desire to work as a copywriter, you can safely demonstrate your abilities.

    However, you should not assume that a creatively written text will help you get the desired position.

  3. In order to convey your thoughts as convincingly as possible, use the active voice of the verb. Compare two phrases: “I organized the conference” and “I organized the conference.” In the first case, you will be perceived as the organizer of the action, and in the second, as a passive participant.
  4. Avoid judgmental words. This will allow you to avoid bragging. Instead of: “I am the best employee of the month,” write: “My sales volume for the month amounted to 3,000,000 rubles.”
  5. Don't use abstract characteristics. Adjectives such as tall, big, loud, small do not convey an accurate picture. Instead of: “Under my leadership, the store’s revenue has increased significantly,” write: “After I took up the management position, sales volume increased from 1,200,000 rubles to 3,000,000 rubles per month.”
  6. Use only the present or past tense. Eliminate the future tense in your text.
  7. Attach your photo. It is advisable that the photo only shows your face in profile. A slight smile is acceptable.

Possible errors when composing the text

Many people, wanting to make the best impression, provide unnecessary information., neglect the business style of writing or do not present themselves in the best light.

The following mistakes will help you avoid repeating them:

  • listing your biography;
  • arrogance, excessive self-confidence, boasting;
  • informal vocabulary;
  • text is too long;
  • confusedly formulated thoughts;
  • different formatting styles for cover letters and resumes;
  • discrepancies between the data in the letter and resume.

How to write a cover letter to the head of the HR department - sample

Jewelry company LLC "Yakutsk-Zoloto"

Yarusheva Anna Mikhailovna

Dear Anna Mikhailovna!

My name is Inna Yurievna. On the Salary portal I found your vacancy for the position of head of the jewelry department. In this regard, I am sending you my resume.

I have ten years of experience in the jewelry industry. The beginning of my work experience was the position of a salesperson in the jewelry department. For the last 5 years I have been successfully running a jewelry salon. Under my leadership, our salon took second place in the international competition “Best Store 2015”.

I also worked at Jewelry Wholesale Center LLC, conducting sales training for retail stores. The program includes meeting customers in the store, all stages of sales, resolving conflict situations, signals of readiness to purchase, completing transactions, customer focus.

I will be glad to provide more information about myself during a personal meeting. Thank you for your attention to my letter.

Sincerely, Inna Yurievna

Here is an example of a cover letter.

It contains principles, rules and procedures for drawing up such documents, and the text is well written.

Writing a cover letter is an important step; take as much time as you need to do this.

You have one chance to make the right impression.

Therefore, you should not neglect this opportunity. After writing the text, you can give it to your friends to read.

If they don’t show interest, then it’s worth rewriting. Provide only truthful information. When sending documents by email, insert the accompanying document into the body of the email and your resume into the attachment.