Why do you need a Cover Letter?

The basic purpose of sending out a cover letter is to introduce the candidate or applicant and give the prospective employer a briefing regarding the professional outlook of the candidate. The cover letter is therefore also known as the motivational letter for meeting the needs of both the hirer and the applicant.

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In case of various fields of employment, the aim of the cover letter is to acquaint the hirer with the suitability of the candidate as well as allow them to know that the candidate is suited to the position. The cover letter helps in employers screen those who are not suited to the vacancy from those who are genuinely interested in getting a job with them. There are 3 kinds of cover letters:

• Responding to a job vacancy: Application letter
• Possible position inquiry: Prospecting or uninvited cover letter
• Information and assistance request for job search: Networking letter

The need of a cover letter lies in introducing the candidate to the employers, as it introduces the candidate by mentioning the desired position in a catchy an attention arresting manner. The body of the cover letter should amplify the materials that are highlighted specifically in the resume. Some of the aspects that you need to touch upon briefly are skill sets, qualifications, as well as past experience. The special aspects that are worth mention are availability dates, etc. The letter should conclude with the next step that the candidate expects to carry out, giving intimation to the company. The other utilities of the cover letter should be to act in the capacity of a marketing device for the potential job seekers. When used along with loan applications and business docs, the cover letters attract the attention of the readers and inform them of the step the incumbent wishes to take.




Uses of a Cover Letter

You must use a cover letter to act as a targeted and limited campaign for accessing potential employers. You must find time to carry out research as well as understand the projected aims and objectives of a company before you can commit yourself to the organization. In case you are not aware of the functional or operational areas of the company, it is best not to use the cover letter. The essentials of a successful cover letter are that it must be personally written with a specific approach in mind. The letter must be addressed to a particular recipient and provide the company or hirer with the idea of a strategic next step that they should take next. You can expect to allow the Squeaky Wheel Theory work: that the weakest and loudest wheel gets the maximum grease. This is because it is very true of the job market out there, and this is why you need to come up with a fundamental cover letter.

Making cold calls are not always recommended, although they can at times work well. However, for that, you must know how to make things work for you; like for example, having a contact in the company you are applying to might actually work. Don’t be among those candidates who wish the resume to magically produce scores, as in that case, you might end up at the bottom of the discarded list of CVs. In this context, it can also be said that you must not expect the employers to make calls to you. This is precisely why you need to have a well written cover letter as it has the potential to make you stand out of the crowd. The aim of the cover letter is to identify what your offer can do for the potential customer, and assess their needs for buying your product. This means that instead of flooding your hirers with all your past achievements, tell them something about how your services can benefit them. This might be something that they would be more interested in.

Once you are prepared with a well formatted cover letter, you need to spend time and effort in practicing in depth marketing tactics by assessing your competitive advantage. Make a thorough research into your background and identify your USP, and once that has been done, spend no time in preparing your cover letter to impress the employers. It is important to note that a resume must not go without a cover letter, which must be unique for each employer. Avoiding clichés is the rule as otherwise you tend to get herded. Remember to be specific, especially when responding to an ad.



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