{"id":483,"date":"2018-12-15T13:43:25","date_gmt":"2018-12-15T18:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/?p=483"},"modified":"2020-05-18T10:28:40","modified_gmt":"2020-05-18T14:28:40","slug":"writing-an-effective-cover-letter-an-essential-step-by-step-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/writing-an-effective-cover-letter-an-essential-step-by-step-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing an Effective Cover Letter: An Essential Step-by-step Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Writing a great cover letter is an important first step on the road to landing a job, especially the job that you <em>really really<\/em> want. Fortunately, with our easy-to-follow guide, producing that impactful cover letter to make the right first impression is within easy reach. Here\u2019s how you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cover Letter Dos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we get into specifics, always have in mind these absolute necessities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Do send a cover letter with any application, or any resume.<\/li><li>Do make the cover letter specific to the job, position, and company you are sending it to.<\/li><li>Do take as much time over writing a great cover letter as you would when producing a great resume.<\/li><li>Do make it unique from your resume by really targeting one specific position in a specific company.<\/li><li>Do have your research done on the company, and make it obvious in the cover letter.<\/li><li>Do address your cover letter to a specific individual within the organization.<\/li><li>Do make sure you grab the reader\u2019s attention quickly with a great first paragraph.<\/li><li>Do use dynamic, individual language, full of your personality.<\/li><li>Do use examples of great templates to help you along the way, particularly with the layout.<\/li><li>Do always focus on the question \u2018Why you?\u2019<\/li><li>Do make every word necessary.<\/li><li>Do make sure you individually sign each cover letter, so it never appears mass-produced.<\/li><li>Do read over your cover letter more than once to spot any mistakes.<\/li><li>Do keep it brief, and impactful.<\/li><li>Do especially keep it brief if you are emailing it, and format it as well as possible.<\/li><li>Do include a call to action, such as a request to call you for an interview.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cover Letter Don\u2019ts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Any of course, be aware of these cover letter faux pas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Don\u2019t send out generic cover letters.<\/li><li>Don\u2019t fail to tailor each cover letter to the position and company you are applying to.<\/li><li>Don\u2019t use the usual, clich\u00e9d language, such as \u2018I was very interested to see your advertisement\u2019 or \u2018I am a good communicator.\u2019<\/li><li>Don\u2019t make your cover letter the same as your resume.<\/li><li>Don\u2019t write too much.<\/li><li>Don\u2019t sound negative.<\/li><li>Don\u2019t fail to include company-specific details which show a great level of research.<\/li><li>Don\u2019t just send a cover letter and wait. Chase up, call and show initiative and enthusiasm.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n    \n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What needs to be included in a\ncover letter?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So, we\u2019ve covered the dos and don\u2019ts, now it\u2019s time to think specifically about what your cover letter should include. No, <em>must<\/em> include.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First and foremost, your cover letter must be unique from your resume \u2013do not simply include all the information that would form a standard resume. This is your chance to be role and company-specific, show you have detailed knowledge of the company you are applying for, state why you would be the best person for your job, and generally make a striking and memorable first impression. That said, there are still expectations of a standard cover letter, so be sure to include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Company name and specific company contact,\nincluding job title.<\/li><li>Immediate information about the job you are\napplying for or interested in, and where you saw it advertised.<\/li><li>Company specific information which shows good\nresearch and knowledge.<\/li><li>Reasons why you would be a great fit for the\ncompany and that particular role.<\/li><li>Your personal information, including all the\nessentials such as name, address, email, telephone number, etc.<\/li><li>Your written (not printed) signature.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And when done, proofread! In fact, get someone else to\ncheck over it too as an alternative eye can often spot things you can\u2019t. If you\nare emailing the cover letter, format it beautifully. If you are posting it,\nthink how you can present it best, which usually means not folding it a hundred\ntimes! And finally, keep records of what you have sent, and who you have sent\nit to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Structuring\nyour cover letter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It may still seem like a daunting task, but by\nremembering the advice already given, and by following these recommendations,\nyou can produce a first-class cover letter. First of all, let\u2019s break it down\ninto six easy chunks:<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Addressing<\/li><li>Salutations<\/li><li>Introduction<\/li><li>Main\nbody<\/li><li>Final\nparagraph<\/li><li>Closing<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Addressing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The art of\ngood letter writing has somewhat declined for obvious reasons, but most people\nfrom the older generation will clearly remember the skill of correct addressing\nfrom school. First, on the upper right-hand side of the page, detail your own\nname and full address, phone number and email address. Then, further down the\npage on the left-hand side, include the full name and full company address of\nwho you are sending it to. Obviously, these points are invalid if you are\nsending your cover letter by email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Salutations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply, this\nis how you greet the person you are writing to. We have mentioned previously\nthat you must write to a specific person \u2013 good research can assist with this.\nOnce you have this information, the salutation becomes simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>DearvMr. Johnson,<\/li><li>Dear Dr. Johnson,<\/li><li>Dear Ms. Johnson,<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t forget the comma, and leave a line before beginning the letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you simply cannot discover the name of the person you are writing to, then the salutation becomes generic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Dear Sir or Madam<\/li><li>&nbsp;To\nWhom It May Concern<\/li><li>Dear Hiring Manager<\/li><li>Dear Human Resources\/HR Manager<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Make the\nfirst sentence as impactful as possible, but within this opening salvo you also\nneed to be clear about what position you are applying for or are interested in.\nSimply, why are you writing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Main body<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the most important paragraph in the entire cover letter. The others are <g class=\"gr_ gr_26 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep\" id=\"26\" data-gr-id=\"26\">necessary,<\/g>&nbsp;and must receive careful attention, but it is here, in the main body of the cover letter, that you state your case, and this can make or break your application. Essential points to include are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Why you for this position?<\/li><li>Why you for this company?<\/li><li>What specific skills and experience can you bring?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Include knowledge of the position and company that only thorough research could provide. And remember, this is not a repeat of what is in your resume.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Finishing paragraph<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here you state any call to action, and what you will do yourself. This basically entails asking for the opportunity to be interviewed (or demanding, but in the politest way possible), and stating your intention to follow up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Closing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once again there are generic closing remarks that can be added, and these do not differ greatly from any formal piece of writing. They can be listed as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sincerely \/ Yours sincerely<\/li><li>Regards \/ Kind regards \/ Best regards<\/li><li>Thank you for your consideration \/ Thank you<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow with a comma, leave a line, then add your complete\nname. After, sign individually, and do this with every cover letter you send.\nIf possible, use a blue pen to distinguish the signature as authentic and\ndifferent from the written text preceding it. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Yours sincerely<\/p><p><em>Full name<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s it! That completes our step-by-step guide to writing an effective, impactful cover letter that will set you off on the right foot to obtaining your desired job. Remember to be unique, individual, and let your personality shine through. Give it the time and attention it deserves, make sure it is <a href=\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/\">proofread with Linguix.ai<\/a>, and you have a winning cover letter ready to be sent. Good luck!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Writing a great cover letter is an important first step on the road to landing a job, especially the job that you really really want. Fortunately, with our easy-to-follow guide, producing that impactful cover letter to make the right first impression is within easy reach. Here\u2019s how you can: Cover Letter Dos Before we get [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[24,462,463,12],"class_list":["post-483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-advice","tag-cover-letter","tag-cover-letters","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.8 (Yoast SEO v24.8.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Writing an Effective Cover Letter: An Essential Step-by-step Guide - Linguix Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/writing-an-effective-cover-letter-an-essential-step-by-step-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Writing an Effective Cover Letter: An Essential Step-by-step Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Writing a great cover letter is an important first step on the road to landing a job, especially the job that you really really want. 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