Cover letter is a letter of intent expressing a candidate’s desire to be recruited for a particular job and explaining why he/she is a good fit for the position. It gives the recruiter an opportunity to get a gist of your relevant professional history and understand why you are a good fit for the job.

Structure

Checklist for Cover Letters

Spellings and Grammar

• Use spell check to ensure there are no spelling mistakes
• Have you also proofread it thoroughly? A spell checker won’t pick up the difference between form and from! Also check the grammar and punctuation carefully. You can download Grammarly and use it to check this.
• Has it got a lively writing style? Use positive, active language, and easy to pick out facts. Authentic and truthful. Information is presented in a well-thought-out manner, avoiding clichés.

Layout

• Ensure your Cover letter is not more than 300-400 words unless specified.
• Cover Letters are mostly sent an email so always send it to you to check the formatting is consistent.
• A good practice is to write a cover letter on a word document and attach it as a PDF. This ensures there are no formatting issues in the email.

Never edit and forward a cover letter directly to Gmail because Gmail tends to Archive forwarded emails. Instead, copy the email into a word document, make relevant changes and paste it into a new mail before sending it.

Tone and Appeal

• A cover letter should be engaging and conversational.
• A cover letter should sound confident and highlight achievements and exposure but not sound arrogant.
• A cover letter is a teaser to who you are. So it should make the employer want to know you more. Don’t sound needy in your cover letter.
• Always read the cover letter from the perspective of the employer before sending.
• Always sign-off as “Your Sincerely” if it’s going to a named person otherwise use “Yours Faithfully.”

Personal Details

• Always include your name, email address, and phone number in the signature so that the recruiter can quickly identify you and contact you. If you want to learn how to create a name in GMAIL click here.
• Ensure your email IDs are professional with your first and last name. Avoid Email IDs such as cool_ankit62@gmail.com, or veda.ilovedogs@gmail.com.
• Bonus – Always make a LinkedIn profile and add a link to it in your Cover Letter. LinkedIn Profiles are a great way to look professional and differentiate your candidature vis-à-vis peers. Check out mine.