When it comes to the first round of interviews, your resume may be more important than any cover letter. A good cover letter can arouse readers' emotions. Even the best resume can't do it. So in this video, I will show you the three things my friend Amanda did in her cover letter . In the end, she won multiple positions in management consulting firms and large investment banks. Make sure to stay with us till the end and learn about our cover letter formatting function.
I guarantee you have never heard of it before. let's start. Hi friends. Welcome back to the channel. Before you start writing a cover letter for a full-time job or internship application, you may be wondering, is it necessary? The answer is always the same. A good one will not guarantee that you will get the job, but a bad one will ensure that you will not even pass the first round of interviews.
So let's break down the three correct things in this cover letter. First, this is the most important reminder to attract readers by mentioning the connection with the company. If you do it right, it will let the other person read the first paragraph and understand why you should be more suitable for this position than other applicants. Let's see what Amanda did in her example. "Everyone tells me that the entry-level consultant position in any of the Big Four companies is the same. However, after attending five job fairs and talking with more than 20 professionals, I clearly see that Ernst & Young is in Stand out here." Let's pause here. In this sentence, Amanda did three things. She first attracted readers by mentioning a common perception in the consulting industry that all entry-level positions are the same.
Then immediately refuted that sentence. Then she showed that she was very proactive because she had been participating in job fairs. Finally, she made it clear that some aspects of Ernst & Young stand out for her. Are you a little curious what it is? There is no way to do some actual research in order for you to replicate what Amanda uses for the cover letter hook . First, talk to at least three industry professionals and ask them targeted questions to provide you with specific insights into the position and industry. I have made a complete video about the best information interview questions for asking questions in the coffee chat. I will put the link here and below. But in short, you don’t want to ask general questions, such as "Tell me your daily life", but rewrite it into something similar, "What do you think is the most valuable thing about your current role? " With such sales adjustments, you will prompt professionals to tell you specific examples, which you can use in your cover letter, which in turn shows recruiters that you have undoubtedly completed your homework. Second, if the position you are applying for involves software products, such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Office 365, Amazon AWS, Salesforce CRM, you need to visit websites such as G2 and Capterra to view customer recommendations and reviews first-hand, because it will Help you to understand the product in a short period of time .
The final tip is to remember that the connection you mentioned must resonate with the readers of the recruiter or hiring manager. If you are applying for a position at Apple, you may not talk about how you will come up with the next big iPhone idea, but about their emphasis on privacy and how this affects the advertising industry. For all recent graduates, the lower your qualifications for the position, the more important the first paragraph. You need to convince the hiring manager that your motivation, energy, and willingness to learn will make you a stronger complement to the team, not someone who may have more experience but is not interested in the cover letter. Okay, I spent a lot of time on the first tip, because if you don't do it right, nothing else matters because they won't continue reading. Let me know the position you are applying for in the comments section below, maybe I can reply to some hook ideas. Cover letter tip two, be purposeful to the information you include.
In other words, every paragraph in the cover letter, or more precisely, every sentence should have a reason for existence. In Amanda's cover letter, there are no words to waste. The first paragraph attracts the reader, and the second paragraph unfolds on this hook. Many times, job applicants say at the beginning of the cover letter: "Hi, my name is John. I am currently working here and I am applying for this position." Amanda skipped all this because she realized that her resume and online application had already been Tell the recruiter all this information.
The focus of the cover letter should be why she should be considered for the first round of interviews. In our third and fourth paragraphs, Amanda highlighted related achievements related to the responsibilities of the position she is applying for . She did two summer internships at a management consulting company and participated in a $2 million project. She was trained in problem solving and project management skills. She always gets recognition before deadlines. She can have leadership skills, great PowerPoint skills, or a strong background in data analysis. But she knows to pay attention to the most important factors that recruiters are looking for.
Transaction scale, project management skills and reliability. The last paragraph may be more general, because usually you end the cover letter by thanking your readers for their time and emphasizing your strong desire to join their company. Amanda adds a little more personality here. She has relevant work experience that distinguishes her from other applicants and emphasizes her project management ability, which is the core skill of any competent consultant. In addition, professional tips. I just like the way she uses the word "asset" here. Not too arrogant, not too humble, just right. Cover letter tip three. Use simple templates and pay attention to white space. Just look at these two cover letters. Regardless of format, which one do you instinctively prefer to read? It might be this, especially if this person can include all important information in a concise and structured way .
I particularly like the way the name and address parts are in separate columns, which means you don't have too much awkward whitespace. If you have watched my resume video, you will know that I really like colored accents to make your cover letter more individual, while maintaining an overall professional look and feel. Many of you may not know this, but it is useful to add a related job title below your name, because your cover letter will usually be scanned by a robot when you upload it and then look for these keywords. Finally, this is my most important reminder regarding the format of the cover letter . You may notice that the first letter at the top of the title here is two sizes larger than the other letters. This is by design. So let's restore it to the same size. It's 26. Highlight the letter after the first letter and press command + shift + comma twice to reduce it by two sizes. Now, your cover letter is left with a rather unique but professional-looking headline. To reward those who have persisted until now, here is a link to download this exact template so that you can refer to it when you are writing your own wonderful cover letter .
So back to the emotional aspect, I mentioned it at the beginning of the video. After reading this cover letter, the recruiter may conclude that Amanda is witty, she has relevant skills, and she is very motivated. All of this means that at least the first round of interviews is required. Next, be sure to check out my video to learn how to write a great resume. If you are currently in an interview , be sure to check this playlist for common interview questions and answers. See you in the next video. In the meantime, I wish everyone well..