Some hiring mangers face a stack of cover letters and attached resumes (in an overflowing database or email inbox) and they sigh with despair. Their hearts sink as they settle down the discouraging task of sifting through all these urgent appeals and desperate arguments from candidates who will do and say anything in order to increase their odds of being called in for an interview…Or so it may seem.
In reality, most hiring mangers enjoy reading cover letters from enthusiastic candidates. Staffing may be a difficult challenge, and the perfect candidate may hidden away like a needle in a haystack—But finding that needle can often be a highly rewarding activity and a pleasure in its own right. Here are five reasons why hiring managers are genuinely looking forward to reading your cover letter (yes, yours).
1. You make them feel good about the company they work for.
If they’re happy and well-adjusted people (which most of us are), hiring managers like their jobs…at least on most days. Though they may not love everything about their employers, they continue to work here because they find real value in what they do and they feel a genuine sense of pride regarding the company they work for and the product or service it produces. If you have pleasant things to say about this company and you respect this place enough to apply here, share your feelings. Your readers will enjoy your feedback.
2. You’re an interesting person.
You have a background that breaks the mold in many ways, and your diverse skills and interests are not quite the same as those of any other applicant. You followed a somewhat winding path to end up where you are today, and your story is a good one. How did a one-time engineering major decided to launch a career in child development? How did a Seattle native end up hunting for work in Casper, Wyoming? How does anyone find themselves selling replacement hips to orthopedic surgical clinics in Alaska? Every career path is interesting… but yours is especially so.
3. Your letter is fluid, easy to read, well organized, and short.
Your letter is as interesting as any Russian novel…but it can be read from beginning to end in about five minutes. And it’s a good read! Every sentence is clear, relevant and meaningful. And every sentence offers a little bit of implicit and explicit information about your personality.
4. Your letter brings life to the dry facts listed in your resume.
Cover letters are always inherently interesting…Resumes, not so much. But if the two are working together properly, your letter will add life, color, dimension, and necessary support to the flat and straightforward details outlined in your resume. Why did you decide to leave one position and step into the next? Why this sudden career shift or that sudden apparent change in your professional goals? Your resume offers the basic highlights and your letter fills in the gaps.
Create a Cover Letter that Makes the Bestseller List
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