- Tailored – The cover letter is your chance to share with the employer why you are the best fit for their position, company, mission, product, service, etc., so build in key words from the job posting and focus on the skills and qualifications that they ask for.
- Do Your Research – Find out as much as you can about the company and the position. Look at the company’s website, employees’ LinkedIn profiles, and company Twitter feed. Find out current challenges and how your role would help address those.
- Tone – Don’t be afraid to show your enthusiasm! Use a tone that is reflective of the company and industry. For example, advertising companies might be attracted to a creative cover letter. For more conservative industries like banking, you may be safer by sticking to more professional prose.
- 6-Second Rule – Research shows that you have less than six seconds to get an employer’s attention from the moment they start reading your cover letter. If they skim it and see it’s a repetition of your resume, they won’t read it.
- Format
- Do not exceed one page
- Left-adjust the content
- Set your margins to a consistent number around the page
- Clean-lined, 11 to 12-point font
- Stay clear of fancy, scripted fonts; tiny type; or anything that makes it hard to read