Addressing elephants and other cover letter tips
There are plenty of job openings that no longer require cover letters, but when they do (or when they are optional), it's important to create a fresh cover letter for each job application. The components may be similar, and in some cases use identical language for portions of it, but each letter is a unique way to supplement your application.
A few tips:
Explain any elephants in the room. If you're applying for an in-person job in rural Iowa, for example, and your resume shows all your experience is in New England, you'll want to explain that you recently relocated to rural Iowa with your family. If you've taken time out of the workforce to care for your elderly relations in the pandemic, address that you are back in the job hunt now. Don't ask the employer to connect the dots; do that for them. Happily, the world seems a bit more open to career pauses, but it's still important to clarify anything that might not speak for itself on your resume.
Clarify why this job/why now. If you don't know the answer to that, consider if you should even be applying. This is the chance to say that you admire Company XYZ and have been following their job postings. Now that you see this job that matches your skills, you are excited to apply. And, show some enthusiasm (without going overboard). Sometimes we get so caught up in formal business writing that we forget humans hire other humans. We all want to work with people who are engaging and interested, of course. Write in your own voice and from your own heart and head.
Detail how your skills match their job description. If it's a lengthy job description, pick the top three things they are looking for and address those. If they want a person skilled in managing staff, for example, share specific steps you took in your most recent role to involve staff. Quantitative indications of success are always important to include if you have them.
Keep it simple. One page. And anything you refer to in the letter (a job, a degree, etc.) needs to be backed up on the resume. If you've been in the workforce for a while, you are probably leaving some work experiences off your resume. But if you refer to an experience in your cover letter, make sure that it is listed on your resume. The letter provides color commentary but doesn’t duplicate the resume, and the letter and the resume need to correlate.
I like cover letters because they allow candidates to speak directly to the employer, and to explain how they would contribute to the company. It's a chance to say what you can do for them (and not the other way around). Happy writing!
