How To Make 2021 Yours!

You finished your resume and are about to submit your application, and all of the sudden you see the job requires a cover letter!

Before you panic and start to google ways to write a cover letter, follow the tips below on how to write a cover letter in 2021:

#1 Formatting: You want to keep the font no less than 12 points and the margins between 1” to 1.5”. Remember to keep the cover letter to one page or between 300-500 words.

#2 Formality: When writing your cover letter try to avoid the typical salutations such as “Dear Hiring Manager” or “To Whom It May Concern.” Take some time to do some research on the company’s website or LinkedIn and see who is the head of the relevant department. For example if you are applying for an Assistant Project Manager Role mostly likely the Hiring Manager is the Head of Project Management. This shows the Hiring Manager you made the effort to look into the company and the department.

#3 Captivate your audience: Write a captivating introduction. Like the saying goes, “first impression leave a lasting impression.” Instead of saying "Hello, my name is Jane Smith and I am applying to the Account Manager role at XYZ company". Start with saying, "Hello my name is Jane Smith and I would like to help XYZ company exceed sales goals as an Account Manager"; the latter leaves more of an impact and shows how you plan to add value to the company.

#4 Highlight your skillsets: In a cover letter, you’re going to want to show how you’re the perfect candidate for the role. In order to do this you will want to open up the job description and pick the most vital skills they require for the role. Consequently, what happens if there are many skills that are required for the role? In some roles you will see some skill sets that are repeated in the description and those are the skill sets you will want to focus on in the cover letter. If a company is looking for an Account Manager with experience in increasing sales you might want to mention how you increased sales in your previous role.

#5 Fitting the mold: After you shown how you would be a good fit for the role you will next want to show how you will be a good fit for the company. This can be done in may ways such as researching the companies core values or business model. If the companies core values are “collaboration” and/or “Innovation” you will want to show how you display these values.

#6 Conclusion: Finally, you will want to write your conclusion paragraph. In this paragraph you will want to restate your interest in the role and the company and you look forward to next steps.

In Summary, go through the below checklist to see if you are meeting all the criteria to create a strong cover letter for 2021!

- My resume meets the correct font and margins.

- Am I addressing the correct person in the cover letter?

- Does my introductory sentence captivate the hiring manager’s attention?

- Am I showing why I would be a good fit for the role AND the company?

- In the conclusion paragraph are you restating your interstate in the role and company?