WRITING COVER LETTERS THAT GET RESULTS
Many job seekers struggle
when it comes to writing an effective cover letter. This article
takes you step-by-step through the process.
My cover letter
writing technique follows the same steps
as the A.I.D.A. formula, which is used for writing sale letters.
A.I.D.A. stands for Attention, Interest, Desire
and Action.
Getting Their Attention
Start your cover letter with a powerful opening that demands
attention.
Too many cover letters begin with “I
am submitting my resume for consideration… blah, blah,…” There
are two problems with this opening:
1) Since everyone begins their
cover letter this way, the reader has no way of differentiating
you from your competition.
2) It does
not give the reader a reason to keep reading by showing her that
you can solve her business problems (which
is – after
all – the
only thing she cares about!)
By starting your cover letter with a
lively sentence that directly addresses the reader’s concerns,
you will give her a reason to keep reading.
Let’s say you want to apply for a sales position.
The job posting says the company needs someone to “develop
and manage relationships with strategic partners, channels, end users,
agencies, industry influencers, and large customers.” You can
see that developing business is the company’s core concern,
so you should start your letter by immediately addressing that core
need.
Examples:
- “Do you need someone to develop lucrative,
long-term business relationships?
- “Is your company looking to develop alliances
and partnerships?
The answer, of course, is YES! And you already
have a head start over the candidate who begins his letter: “I am enclosing my
resume in response to your advertisement for a senior sales executive.” (Yawn!)
Generate
Interest
You’ve hooked them with your opening sentence and now it’s
time to deepen their interest. How?
By writing a second paragraph
introducing you as the solution to their needs/challenge/concerns.
Examples:
My
former CEO said: 'Jerry built more business
relationships for my company in 12 months, than I had created
in the previous ten
years'.
or:
When my last boss needed an assistant to organize his chaotic
office and help him gain control of his life, he hired me.
Within 3 months, he was leaving the office earlier and spending
weekends with his family for the first time in years.
or:
In my last position, I drove revenue gains
of over 50%, and significantly increased market share without increasing
spending. How? By building
strategic alliances and informal partnerships across the United
States.
Follow this opening statement with key facts about your
experience which
directly relate the company’s needs.
For example, a marketing manager may want to outline areas of
expertise (such as advertising,
PR, media relations, brand management), budgets managed, whether
he or she held P&L responsibility and the size of the teams she
has led.
Keep this section brief (2 to 3 sentences) and make sure
you keep the focus on the needs of the company.
Create Desire
Now
you have them hooked, so it’s time
to add further proof that you can help their business.
Write 3 or 4 bullet points that best describe your
ability to make a difference by showing how you have
done it in the past. Here are some
examples:
- Reduced fixed costs by 34% while improving efficiency
and customer service, by restructuring the sales organization.
- Organized chaotic office environment, eliminating
40+ cardboard boxes of files and paperwork within only 3 weeks.
- Increased website traffic 200% by rewriting content
for search engines and acquiring hundreds of new incoming links.
Action
Close your letter with an expression of interest,
a reiteration of your value and an invitation to action. Let the
reader know what
he or she needs to do to meet with you and – even better – offer
to take the next step:
As you can see, I have developed an
extremely successful approach to business development and I see a
great deal
of opportunity
for XYZ corporation. I would be delighted to discuss my ideas in
detail and will call your office within the next few days to see
if we can find a convenient time to meet.
Or:
I am excited
about this opportunity as there is such a close fit between
your need to improve your website
and my track record of success in this area. I will call
your office on
Tuesday
afternoon to follow-up and answer any questions. Alternatively,
please feel free to contact me at your convenience
at (212) 555-5555.”Note:
If you end your letter with a promise to contact the
company, make a note of your commitment and be sure to follow
through.
In Summary - A.I.D.A. works!
By following this structure for each letter,
you will create letters that directly address the
employers’ needs,
clearly showcase your value and effectively differentiate
you from the competition.
Good luck!
To get more tips like these, and learn how to completely
transform your resume, sign up for my free
resume writing course. We promise never to send sales
spam.
Louise Fletcher is the President of Blue
Sky Resumes, and author of the eBook, The
Complete Guide to Resume Writing. Louise is also Managing Editor
and Co-founder of the preeminent careers blog, Career Hub. She
is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and many of her resumes
have been published in the JIST "Expert Resumes" series.
She has contributed to many online publications including About.com,
Monster.com, The Ladders, and Net Temps.
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