Most Cover Letters Stink. Here's 4 Ways to Make Yours Stand Out.

This is the third article in my #JobHunt series. You can find the previous articles at the bottom of this article.

People suck at writing cover letters.

The issue is so bad that many companies no longer require them. It's so bad that most recruiters disregard or trash the cover letters they do get because they are just a duplicate resume. I've seen hundreds of resumes, and I empathize with every recruiter out there that has to read boring cover letters.

But once in a while, I see a fantastic one.

I've worked with clients who did not have the experience necessary for the jobs they were applying for, but as their recruiters said to them, and they said to me: it was the cover letter that gave them the chance to interview, and eventually land their job.

Your cover letter should not be a regurgitation of your resume. A good cover letter will illuminate another aspect of who you are as a candidate, and how the company would benefit from you. This article will provide four ways of improving your cover letter:

1: Personalize your introduction.

The Opener.

First impressions are everything.

I cannot tell you how many times I've seen "To Whomever It Concerns" as the opening for a cover letter. Two inherent problems with that salutation's first impression: 1) it sets a tone that shows you didn't care enough to find out the person you're addressing, and 2) it's so formal that it can come off as alienating. In this day and age, that kind of salutation should be your very last resort.

Before committing to a salutation, make sure to look at a company website, LinkedIn, an email, a job posting, job description, etc. to be able to find the name of your potential reviewer. It is generally harder to find names for larger companies, and much easier for smaller companies (under ~600) that may have small recruiting/hiring team. After you've exhausted that, write the opening salutation.

If you do not know the recruiter/ hiring manager after searching a reasonable amount of time for a name, use an opening like "Dear Hiring Team" because it feels a little more specific, warm and friendly than the overly formal "Dear Sir or Madam" and "To Whomever It Concerns":

However, if you did manage to find the recruiter/ hiring manager's name, address them by their name. If it's your first point of contact, Mr./Ms. (e.g. Mr. Kerai for me) is the safest bet.

Mention the job you're applying to, and the company.

Show the hiring team that you know what company and position you're applying into. You would be surprised how many times I've seen someone copy/paste a letter without taking out the previous company's name, and submitting it. It may not seem like a lot, but to a recruiter, it shows that you're trying to tailor your cover letter to the company. That you're not simply resume dropping, then leaving it. That you care!

2. Be A Real Person.

Simply put, cut the overly formal tone, and write the letter with the same tone in which you speak with your co-workers. Granted, there should be some degree of formality and consistency between your tone and the tone of your profession (e.g. cover letters for law are much more formal than a cover letter in tech), but you should sound human when someone reads your letter.

Too often do I see people hide their authentic selves behind their fancy words, and jargon. Do not do that. If you can communicate the same idea in normal people words, then do it. That's how you can come off more human, accessible and approachable.

A trick I suggest people to use is to have a close friend read your letter and see if it sounds like you. If it doesn't, revise the letter until they can hear you.

3. Pitch Yourself, and Tie Yourself to the Company.

For this part of your cover letter, it's all about selling the skills and aspects of your self that are relevant for the job that you're applying for.

For more experienced candidates, I recommend summarizing 2-5 key accomplishments in the past year(s) that make you qualified for the role simply because you have more material to work with. Then, tie that to the role responsibilities in the job description.

For entry level/ new graduates, I recommend elaborating on one (max, two) position or key accomplishment that highlights a certain skill(set) necessary for the job you're applying for. Remember, don't just restate your resume here. Go into depth about one experience e.g. how you achieved your goal, challenges, what you learned, etc., then tie it to the role responsibilities in the the job description.

When tying accomplishments to role responsibilities, explicitly show/mention how you will contribute to the company, should you be hired.

For example, when I applied to Tesla, the accomplishment I highlighted was my ability to multitask during my 70-80 hour workweeks. I talked about how I was able to hold down 3 part time jobs, while maintaining a 3.8 major GPA as a full time double major student. I tied this to their requirement of "multitasking efficiently" which was directly mentioned in the role responsibilities in the job description. The recruiter told me that this is what caught his eye when deciding to interview me or not, because it demonstrated my fit as a candidate to what Tesla was looking for.

4. Research the Company, and Tie It to You.

It takes a lot of work to research a company, but this is what will distinguish you from other candidates if you execute it well. This is the part that 99% of my clients miss and considering how instrumental it can be in landing an interview, this is astounding to me.

If you lack the experience necessary for a certain job, it is often here where you prove yourself as a viable candidate. How do you do that? Research the company, to show your passion for their line of work. Then mention it in your cover letter.

For research, read blog posts, white papers, social media sites, financial statements to get: 1) a sense of what the company is doing and its future direction, and 2) how you can connect to their cause. Ideally your cover letter will do both.

For example, financial inclusion is something that's very important to me because I grew up in a low income household. When I applied for a position at Visa, I found out through my research that one aspect of their company and corporate social responsibility model was financial inclusion. In my cover letter, I commented on how Visa is setting up financial infrastructure in Mexico and Rwanda. What I wrote in my cover letter came up in some form in all seven rounds of my interviews.

Key Takeaways

• Make a warm first impression with an appropriately tailored opening.
• Stay formal, but drop the fancy words and jargon, if possible, to make your personality shine.
• Provide key accomplishments and tie it to role responsibilities.
• Research the company, and tie it to who you are.

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Other articles in my Job Hunt series:

Kunal is an HR professional, and a career consultant. He has helped over 200 people land their dream jobs. You can follow him on Twitter (@KunalKerai) or send him any wonderful insights you may have to kunal@berkeley.edu.

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