Many novelists will state that writing a book synopsis is harder than writing the book itself; many jobseekers feel the same way when it comes time to write a cover letter to accompany their resume. A cover letter should highlight and elaborate on — NOT merely regurgitate — critical information contained in your resume.
So, the goal of jobseekers in 2019 should be to learn how to write a cover letter that serves as a complement and not simply a rehash of their experience and skill set. Here, we'll explore a sample resume and show you which sections you should focus on and what you'll need to do to put the most effective cover letter before those you wish to impress to land your next job.
The Resume
Meet Bobbie Elliott. Bobbie is an experienced customer service representative with a few years of experience in the banking industry. She's now ready to pursue other career opportunities and sits down to write a cover letter that will be the perfect complement to her strong resume. However, she's unsure how to write a cover letter that will put her ahead of the pack. Where does she begin?
Below, we show jobseekers how to pull critical information out of your resume and provide details in your cover letter to catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers.
Of course, Bobbie has outlined her responsibilities and experiences for each job position on her resume. However, in her cover letter, it's important that she highlight the experiences and accomplishments that best fit the job at hand. The trick is to learn how to write a cover letter that does not simply rehash what's been written for the resume.
I. Professional Summary
Let's start with the professional summary. In the resume, Bobbie states she has more than 10 years of experience in her field. For her cover letter, Bobbie can expand on this statement by identifying the exact position she is applying for and describing how her experience will benefit her new company.
For instance, she can write something like this:
"During my four years at JPMorgan Chase, I opened more new accounts than any other customer service representative during that time period and increased loan applications by nearly 10 percent over the past 12 months."
She might also take this opportunity to mention the company she is applying to by name. For example, she might begin with the following:
"I am excited about the customer service opportunity [name of company] is offering, and I feel that my 10+ years as a banking customer service representative will prove beneficial to this position."
II. Skills
Bobbie should focus on three skills in the cover letter that will best demonstrate her ability to meet the demands of the position she is seeking. It is important that she study the job ad carefully to collect critical keywords that best reflect the skills the employer is looking for in a candidate.
Let's say she chooses attention to detail, multitasking, and communication skills, as she finds that these are listed in the job description. This will help introduce her abilities to a potential employer and will help her write a cover letter that will get past the applicant tracking systems (ATS) many large and small companies use to weed out unqualified applicants.
Bobbie can create bullet points that explain how she's used these skills in the past and show how they will help her succeed in a new position.
For example, she might elaborate using one or more of the points below:
- Effective attention to detail helped minimize or eliminate errors in the loan process and increase the number of loans closed each month. During my employment, loan closings increased by 15 percent
- Employed multitasking ability to assist customers at all stages of the loan process to ensure full customer satisfaction. Customer surveys reflected high scores for my bank's loan application and closing processes
- Clear and detailed communication with customers, managers, and underwriters throughout the loan application and closing processes avoided delays and secured all necessary information in a timely manner. More than 20 percent of loans closed on or before established closing dates
III. Work Experience
Of course, Bobbie has outlined her responsibilities and experiences for each job position on her resume. However, in her cover letter, it's important that she highlight the experiences and accomplishments that best fit the job at hand. The trick is to learn how to write a cover letter that does not simply rehash what's been written for the resume.
This is a great opportunity for Bobbie to detail two or three instances in her career where she displayed the skills mentioned earlier. She might recall a time when a customer sent a letter to her employer lauding her professionalism and assistance, note any employer awards she won or recognition she received as a result of her efforts, or state the number of new customer accounts she opened while working in her current position.
She could outline these details in a short, bulleted list. In this way, Bobbie is able to demonstrate how she helped the company she worked for and how she can use her skills to benefit her potential new employer.
Many novelists will state that writing a book synopsis is harder than writing the book itself; many jobseekers feel the same way when it comes time to write a cover letter to accompany their resume. A cover letter should highlight and elaborate on — NOT merely regurgitate — critical information contained in your resume.
Still confused about how to best write a cover letter that complements your resume? Do what Bobbie did and review cover letter examples to learn how to craft a cover letter that will stand out to a hiring manager. Or, for more help, use LiveCareer's Cover Letter Builder for step-by-step assistance.
