When I earned my college degree, it was 2009—“The Great Recession”—and it was extremely difficult to get a job. Everyone was telling me, “There are no jobs! Stay in school!” With that encouragement, I obeyed and enrolled in graduate school—but I still needed a job. Having lots of education and no experience created a marketability problem; I had to find someone who was willing to take a chance on me so that I could get the much-coveted “experience”. I shed my pride and applied everywhere. Considering how bad the job market was, it was surprisingly easy for me to get interviews, but many times over I was told “no”. However, a prospective employer reached out to me once just to tell me that although I’m under qualified, he wanted me to know I wrote the best cover letter he’s ever read, and to reapply when I’m qualified. That’s a bittersweet compliment, but I believe I can get an interview because I can write a compelling cover letter.

In a twist of irony, I ended up taking an interim position as a human resource’s assistant, where part of my job was to sort through résumés and cover letters to find the best candidates. I wasn’t trained on how to do this (most people making this kind of decision aren’t), but the first question I tried to discern was how serious is this person about getting this job? In my mind, including a cover letter answered showed great intentionality. When comparing a résumé with a cover letter to one without, I always favored the one with a cover letter. Then, I would spend about three seconds reading the letter before deciding if I should review the résumé or if the résumé went in the discard pile. Letters take time to craft, and it’s courageous to be willing to show your writing ability and even a little bit of your personality. It is tempting to avoid writing a cover letter because they are intimidating and hard work; however, cover letters, if done well, can get you an interview.

These are the considerations I believe contribute to a great cover letter:

  1. Assume a human—a future coworker—will read your letter in its entirety. Someone has to decide, based on your letter, that your résumé is worth a look. This human-to-human awareness and sincerity will come through in your writing and make you human to your reader (as opposed to just another résumé on the stack).
  2. Begin with a direct opening line: “I am applying for the position of ____”, or “I am writing in regard to your need for ____”. Then, avoid boiler-plate language like the plague! Your reader has likely read a mountain of cover letters that all say the same thing, so create some interest by continuing with the letter in an unexpectedly natural way. Try to engage your reader by the end of the second sentence.
  3. Address all elements of the position advertised in the order of the job posting. Make it easy for the person reading your letter to see that you check all the boxes. Highlight any successes you’ve had that demonstrate you can do the job you are applying for and do it well.
  4. Write concisely; be direct. There is no need to go into detail about what can be easily discerned by reading your resume, such as your G.P.A. or work history. Keep your letter to about half a page; otherwise, it might seem to daunting to read.
  5. Include a brief explanation about questions your résumé might raise, such as any gaps in employment, notable lack of experience, or what you are doing to obtain necessary any certification.
  6. Proof read! No matter what position you are applying for, typos and grammar or spelling errors will reflect poorly on you. Have three or four people read through your cover letter before sending, and reread it yourself several times, over several days, to make sure it is free of any glaring errors.
  7. Remember the purpose: the purpose of the cover letter is to get someone to read your résumé; the purpose of the résumé is to get an interview. The cover letter is just one part of the process. Job-hunting can seem daunting, but if you take it piece by piece, you can be successful.