Three Ways to Update Your Cover Letter
Posted on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017
You probably already have a cover letter (hopefully written following our guidelines). You’ve probably had it, or some version or template of it, for awhile. And it has probably worked and gotten you a job.
But with the end of summer—and the end of summer jobs—coming up, now is the time to take a few minutes and update your cover letter so you have a new, fresh tool in your job hunting kit. Here’s how.
1. Rewrite Your First Sentence
Here is something scary: recruiters look at a resume for only 6 to 15 seconds. Add in the fact that your resume probably looks like the other dozens—or even hundreds, or thousands—of resumes they’re receiving, and those are tough odds.
This means that your cover letter is where you really want to grab their attention—and fast.
You want to start off by introducing yourself, so something generic like, “My name is __ and I’m in the __ program at Algonquin College. I’m interested in the position of __ that you are currently advertising at __,” is fine.
Employers will probably skim over that. Your next sentence should be great, though. Something about your skills, experience, and/or ability that immediately sets you apart. Something like, “I’m a highly organized and energetic programmer and excited by this opportunity with your organization.”
It’s still professional, but this introduction sets up the rest of your cover letter for you.
2. Rethink Your Skills
Remember, a cover letter isn’t actually about you. It’s actually about the company, and what you can do for them. You’ve already given them a couple things in your introduction—organization and energy—but now you need to get specific.
Read their job description. Look at the specific skills they’re listing. Then look at your experience. Which jobs gave you the exact skills the company wants?
Now, tell them. Prove to the company that you’re the perfect fit for this position.
If you don’t have a lot of relevant skills, you can brand your non-relevant work. See our post on how here.
3. Customize Everything
The example above—of rethinking your skills and branding them—is a good example of the importance of customization on your cover letter. You cannot have a generic, one-size-fits all cover letter that you use for every job application. It just doesn’t work.
The point of a cover letter is to tell a specific company why you are perfect for that specific role. A well-written cover letter connects obviously with the job description, and answers the questions a job description asks. And that means that you must have a unique letter for every job posting.
It’s not a bad thing to have a shell of a cover letter, into which you put your skills and branding appropriate to the job you’re applying to. But always remember to customize each one, and your chances of catching the recruiter’s eye goes way up.
If you would like to learn more about the Algonquin College co-op program, please visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623. You can also follow us on Twitter @AlgonquinCoop.