Perfecting Your Cover Letter

One of the things that always amazes me is that people use exactly the same cover letter and exactly the same CV to apply for every single job.

That's not the way to go. With recruiters receiving so many applications per advertised position the secret is to customise.

Today we'll look at cover letter customisation.

Before we take a look at what a cover letter should look like, let's go back to basics.

Firstly, we have to stop thinking about our needs and think about what our audience is trying to achieve. In this case it's a recruiter looking to fill a position. He or she is essentially looking for a match between the requirements of a position and your background. So, when applying for a specific position, instead of using your background as a starting point, take a look at the requirements of the position.

So, say you see an ad for a software sales person and just for this example let's say that that's the area you have experience in and want to work in. You see a position that you really would like and the requirements for the position might be as follows:

▪ At least 5 years experience selling software to major accounts
▪ Record of exceeding quota for at least 4 of the last 5 years
▪ Experience selling into major accounts essential
▪ Must have sold complex CRM enterprise software
▪ Must have experience of the full sales cycle

Now you have the requirements it's now up to you to match your background with the job requirements in the cover letter itself. When doing so, keep in mind that you'll need to make things easy for the time-pressured recruiter. Your "cover letter" will be clear, engaging and succinct.