By now you know the basics of writing a solid cover letter; crafting something onto one page, with three or four paragraphs, that can be customized to fit the position you’re after. While paying attention to your format is good, creating quality content is even more important. The best way to do that? Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes.
Go grab the job description and ask yourself these questions from the perspective of the hiring manager:
1-What are the top three to five things a candidate would need to have in order for you to consider them? This could be a combination of formal qualifications, such as a degree or certification, hard skills, soft skills, technical skills, or specific experience. Once you’ve pinpointed these skills, behaviors, and experiences, use your cover letter to highlight how you possess them and where you’ve used them.
2-If you are changing careers, your cover letter should show transferable skills. You’ll want to emphasize how these skills, behaviors, and experiences relate directly to the new role. Again, imagine you are the hiring manager and ask yourself if experiences in another career could relate to the position you’re filling. What examples would you need to read about to know that the candidate can handle a new role? Once you identify the transferable skills and experiences, use them in your cover letter, with examples.
Putting yourself in the driver’s seat as the hiring manager helps you understand what it would take to be successful in a new position, whether it’s on your current career path or when trying something new. A great cover letter makes it easy for the hiring manager to see that your skills and experiences meet the job qualifications or are directly related to them through the examples you’ve given. A great cover letter helps get you to the next step.
