Having experienced what it's like to be an applicant and a recruiter in the past have allowed me to realize why having a cover letter is important for any applicant and that's exactly what I'd like to share to you.
Your resume does not tell your company who you are
Your resume is only a snapshot of your work experience, education and skills but they will not tell your employer who you are - which is precisely why an interview is set up. But before you can wow them with your soft skills on the interview, you need to first make sure that you are going to be invited for an interview.
If your resume is not very detailed and the employer does not really see how your work experience matches up with the qualifications that you need, then, your cover letter is the only thing that will stand between you and that interview you are vying for. This is precisely why your cover letter should be personalized!
GET YOUR COVER LETTER PERSONALIZED IN 3 MINUTES!
GET YOUR COVER LETTER PERSONALIZED IN 3 MINUTES!
Your cover letter allows you to tell your company the following things which is highly important when it comes to landing an interview:
- the skills you have which qualifies you for the post
- your strengths and why YOU think you are qualified
- why you want to work for their company or have that position you are applying for
What qualifies you for the post
If you have a really long resume or if it is not detailed enough, then, it would be difficult for your employer to see or connect your work experience to the skills that they need for the position you are applying for. You also have to consider that there are a lot of candidates who have also applied for the position.
Your cover letter will help your employer a lot because it will save them a lot of time by having to go through your resume just to see what qualifies you for the post. This will give you the opportunity to tell your employer what your skills are and most importantly, what your achievements were in your previous companies. This will direct them to the parts of your resume which you believe would benefit you the most and makes you most qualified for the post.
Why you want to work for their company
During my time as a recruiter, I definitely gave plus points to candidates who had researched about the company before the actual interview. If you're wondering why it's important to know about the company you are working for, it's primarily because it tells your employer that you are not someone who just rushes into things and that you have given a lot of thought to your application.
If you are going to tell your future employer why you want to work for the company, it is important to look at the mission and vision of the company and align your personal goals to the company goals. This would allow your future employer to see that you have plans of growing with the company.
It is also important for you to look at the values which the company holds in high regard, not only for you to align it with your own values, but for you to have a feel of whether or not this company is indeed for you.
It provides you with leverage
When I tried out job openings and positions which I had no experience about, it was very difficult to land an interview because I didn't have the qualifications they were looking for. During this time, my cover letter was the only weapon that I had. I created cover letters which spoke straight to my future employers and told them why I thought I was qualified and why I should be given an opportunity despite my lack of experience. Your cover letter provides you with leverage to get the job you want.
To sum it all up, your cover letter is an extremely important tool for a successful application. It's not just some requirement. This is why using just standard templates or canned letters will not do at all! If you want to land a job, you need to personalize your cover letter and use it as leverage to land the job you want.
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