Your resume shows your skills and accomplishments, while your cover letter gives the hiring manager a glimpse of your personality! But how do you get creative and stay professional? Here is an easy temple to follow.

While preparing for your job hunt, the dreaded cover letter may seem like the least important thing on the list; however, this is far from the truth. Your resume shows your skills and accomplishments, but your cover letter gives the hiring manager a glimpse of your personality! This one page allows you to show what soft skills and personality traits you bring to the table. But how do you get creative and stay professional? 

1) Going the Extra Step

The first thing you will want to do is research the core values and hiring staff at the company for which you are applying. This will give you an idea of what points to discuss and find your common passions.
The other information you want to find is the name of the hiring manager who will be receiving your application. You can usually find these names through LinkedIn. The more personalized you can make your cover letter, the better. But, if you can’t find them, you can use “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Sir/Madam.”

2) Setting Up For Success

We have heard since elementary school that you need a hook to grab your reader; well, they were right! Hiring managers read dozens of cover letters a day. What is going to make your letter stand out? Avoid the standard opening instead, discuss the company’s direction. This will create an opportunity to talk about why your skills would advance their company. Another way to start your {{cta(‘4e00620b-784e-424f-a804-f5bc21d0596f’)}} is to mention an accomplishment that tells your story. 

3) Filling in the Blanks

Explain why you are the right candidate in a couple of paragraphs. A great tip is to pull a few top requirements from the job description and share your relevant experience in the form of a story. Your story fills in the blanks and shows the Hiring Manager how you will fit in with the team.
During these paragraphs, you will elaborate on your skills and share specific examples of how your employer benefitted from your abilities. Add data where you can; this gives the hiring manager a better visual of the impact you had in your previous positions.

3) Paying Attention to Details 

We already talked about the greeting, but how do we sign off? The most common sign-off is ” I look forward to hearing back from you. Sincerely, (your name).” You want to get creative with this {{cta(‘a79298f1-7197-47b1-9c99-5b7955e09dec’)}} while matching the job description’s tone and the rest of your cover letter. This is the perfect time to transition from your cover letter to your resume. 

Writing a cover letter that shows your personality can significantly impact the hiring manager that goes through your application. So, what do you want them to know about you?

Need help sprucing up your resume? 

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