If you are job-hunting, then you might have found that lots of jobs ask you to send a cover letter along with your CV. Writing a cover letter is worth taking the time to do, since it can help your application stand out from the crowd and give you a better chance of being invited in for an interview when you spark the interest of recruiters and hiring managers.

What to Write in a Cover Letter

A cover letter gives you the chance to expand on your CV and show off your personality more in your application. Since most of the time, CVs tend to be concise and to the point, there is not much of an option to show who you are to recruiting managers when writing one. Your cover letter is the chance to talk further about your qualifications, achievements, and experience, demonstrating who you are as a professional and what you can bring to the company.

Why Should You Write a Cover Letter for Job?

You should write a cover letter in order to be in with the best chance of getting the attention of recruiters and getting invited for an interview. Since hiring managers and recruiters can read through hundreds of CVs per day, it’s often a good cover letter that can be the difference between a CV that gets more attention and one that simply gets tossed away.

Is a Cover Letter for Job Application Important?

While some jobs do not require a cover letter when applying, it is a good idea to write one anyway, since a good cover letter can seriously boost your chance of being invited for an interview and landing the job that you want. A cover letter is important since it allows you to go into further detail about the most important things on your CV.

What Should a Cover Letter Include?

To make the biggest impact on recruiters and hiring managers when it comes to your cover letter, you should make sure that it includes the following:

  1. Proof You’ve Researched the Position and Company: Hiring managers and recruiters will want to see that you have done your homework when it comes to the company and the position you are applying for. During the early section of your cover letter, it is important to refer to the job, the company, and anything else that demonstrates you know what you are applying for and have researched the company.
  2. Relation of Your Skills: Your cover letter is a written explanation of your CV and how what’s listed in it relates to the position. So, use your cover letter to clearly explain when you can do for the company based on your skills and previous experience. A good way to do this is to relate back to the job description when writing your cover letter, since this allows you to be specific when it comes to what the company is looking for and relate these back to your resume.
  3. Your Enthusiasm for the Position: Consider yourself in the job that you are applying for and think about how you are going to feel when working in it. If this is a job that you really want, then chances are you’re going to be very excited. One of the main things to make sure that you include in your cover letter is your passion and enthusiasm for the job. Recruiters and hiring managers are always looking for signs of passion for the role in the applications that they read and showing how enthusiastic you are about this role gives you the chance to create a cover letter that will be noticed and remembered for the right reasons.

What to Include in a Cover Letter to Stand Out

Along with reading thousands of resumes, recruiters and hiring managers also spend their time reading through thousands of cover letters, so it is important to know what to include in yours if you want it to stand out from the crowd and make an impact. One of the easiest ways to do this is to close your cover letter with a call to action. As long as you have included the above three points in your cover letter, and it is written in a way that grabs attention, a call to action can make all the difference when it comes to whether or not your cover letter gets you the interview.

What to Put in a Cover Letter to Get the Job

Most of the time, hiring managers are reading cover letters looking for signs of enthusiasm for the position and relevant experience that demonstrates somebody is a good fit for the role. If you want to get the job, always refer to the job description when writing your cover letter. When doing this, you can then take the points from the job description one by one and include them in your cover letter as they relate to your skills and previous work experience, including examples of work that you have done in the past.

Where to Find Cover Letter Examples for Job Roles

If you are feeling stuck when it comes to getting your cover letter started, the good news is that you can find lots of cover letter examples online for some inspiration. You can easily search for cover letter examples to get a good idea of what to write and what not to write. You may want to consider searching for cover letters for your specific industry or role to learn more about what is likely to be expected or valued the most when it comes to the actual position that you are applying for.

Sample Cover Letter for Job Application Ideas

After looking for some sample cover letters, it is a good idea to write a rough draft of your cover letter before submitting it with your job application. Unless the job that you are applying for is on a short deadline and you need to get your application in as quickly as possible, it’s a good idea to take a day or two to get your cover letter just right. Take the time to go over your cover letter and go through everything that you have included to ensure that it is all relevant to the role that you are applying for, and to take out anything that’s too generic, cliché or overdone.

A Simple Job Application Cover Letter Template

When writing a cover letter, it is a good idea to keep to the format and layout of a typical business letter. Follow this simple template:

  • Heading: A business letter should begin by listing your contact information and the employer’s contact information if this is available.
  • Letter Spacing: Make sure that you are properly spacing the layout of your cover letter. You should include space between the heading, greeting, each paragraph, and the conclusion, before adding some space and then your signature. Your letter should be single-spaced and left-justified.
  • Fonts: A simple font like Arial or Calibri is an ideal choice for your cover letter. When it comes to font size, around 11-12pt is a good option since the font size should be no smaller than 10pt but no larger than 12pt.

Your cover letter should be laid out as follows:

  • Heading: This first section should include your contact information. You should also include the contact information for the employer if you have it. Add a space between your contact information and the employer’s contact information.
  • Salutation: If you know the name of the hiring manager, use that. Otherwise, a professional, generic greeting will work fine.
  • First Paragraph: The first paragraph should include information on the position you’re applying for. Include the job title in this section and state how you found out about the position. Briefly explain why you think you would be an ideal fit for this position.
  • Middle Paragraph: This section will include information on what you can offer the company. Mention your qualifications and experience that make you and ideal fit for this job along with any experience and skills that will help you in this position. In this section, it’s a good idea to use specific examples that demonstrate your experience and skills; you can use bullet points to make sure that they stand out on the page.
  • Final Paragraph: Conclude the letter by thanking the hiring manager for their consideration of you for this position. Provide information on how you’re going to follow up with them regarding your application status.
  • Closing and Signature: Add a simple closing and type or sign your name.

Bear in mind that it’s good to be flexible when using this template; add or remove paragraphs if needed to make sure that it fits the job description. The most important thing when writing a cover letter is to make sure that it is customised and tailored to the job that you are applying for.

A cover letter can help you stand out in the applicant pool and get the attention of hiring managers, so be sure to include these important points.