Most of you are familiar with writing resumes for a job application. While a resume is considered an integral part to showcase your qualification, cover letters are also equally important. But unfortunately, many people don’t have a clear idea about writing a cover. So how should you write a cover letter? And why is it so important for your job application? Let's find out. What is a cover letter? A cover letter is a one-page document highlighting all your relevant achievements. While a resume will focus on the objective achievements of your career, a cover letter helps you to elaborate on those achievements and how they can be best utilized to serve your potential employer. It acts as an insight into your personal life and gives the employee a brief overview of you as a person. Read Things to Consider When Choosing an Internship Why cover letter is important to get a job? There are several reasons why a cover letter is important. It tells the story Every person has a core value, everyone has a story to tell. Your personal life story and struggles can’t be defined by some degrees, qualifications, and numbers you put in the resume. A cover letter gives you the perfect opportunity to talk about yourself. It allows you to demonstrate your skills and choices. Through a cover letter, you can evaluate that why you would be a good fit for the company. Getting hired isn’t always about the qualification. It's also about showcasing whether your strengths, weaknesses, and mentality aligns with the organizational values or not, whether you can be a team player or not. Read Perfect Resume: 12 Effective Tips for writing a professional CV Building relationships Your employer is the first and last hurdle when it comes to getting hired. As a result, it's important to start on a good note with them. The cover letter opens the door of communication in this regard. An employer would be interested in your ideas alongside your qualifications. If you can show a similar mindset and interest, it will definitely give you an edge over the rest. Explains your references Whether it’s a multinational company or any corporate house, personal references go a long way to get vetted before being considered for a position. What's more important is the depth of relationship you share with your references. The deeper your relationship is, the better is the validity of the reference because they can give an accurate insight into your strengths and weaknesses. A cover letter gives you the option to showcase this relationship to the employer. Read Considering a Career Change? 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Factors to consider while writing a cover letter Define the purpose of the cover letter While we are exclusively talking about writing a cover letter for a job, it's not the only purpose of writing one. There are other reasons to write a cover letter like networking, job inquiry, and seeking direct mail opportunities. Whatever it be, every cover letter should be purpose-defined. If you are writing a cover letter applying for a job, you can always refer to the advertisement for the job opening or any means through which you came to know about it. Read How to ace a Job Interview? Make sure you are addressing a real person Too many people start their cover letter with “To whom it may concern”. While there is nothing wrong with it, it just shows your lack of research on the organization itself. Plus, your cover letter also becomes generic like every other applicant. In today’s world, virtually every organization has a digital footprint. It’s quite easy to locate the HR official through the company website or LinkedIn. If you directly address the recruitment manager by name and position, it builds a better impact on your part. Read Traits of the Smartest and Most Efficient Employees Length of the cover letter The job market and the process of getting hired are constantly evolving. There was a time when an organization used to have multiple physical interviews. But the pandemic has forced organizations to take a different route and move every procedure online. The point being, you will hear many people saying there is no pre-defined limitation to writing a cover letter. However, the tradition always has been to write a one-page cover letter. This is a perfect size to showcase everything relevant to your merit and job requirements. Read Effective tips for hunting jobs during pandemic Be inquisitive Don’t limit your knowledge of the job description alone. Applying for a full-time position comes with its own set of commitments. Before you write your cover letter, try and find out whether the organizational core values align with you or not. Google about the company, check for their reviews and ratings. You can also network with current and past employees to get a detailed idea about how the company is whether it’s the right suit for you or not. Read How to Restart Your Career after a Break? Clearly define your role Let's be honest, the HR manager won't have the time to go through your entire resume to pinpoint which position you applied for. Be concise and clear when you outline the position you are applying for. The perfect structure would be to follow up the position you’re applying for with relevant qualifications and skillset. Pinpoint the qualifications Your resume will outline all your qualifications and achievements. It's not possible to elaborate on every single qualification. You should pinpoint the qualifications that are relevant to the position you’re applying for and elaborate on them. This will help the employer to better visualize your strengths. Read Post Retirement Career Planning: How to pick your dream job? Proofread your cover letter This is probably a very basic factor that often gets overlooked. A cover letter is supposed to be a showcase of all your achievements and qualifications. The last thing you want is for your employer to find a mistake in it. This not only shows carelessness on your part but also sends a negative signal to the employer. Many employers discard any application outright if there’s a mistake or inconsistency in it. So, before you press that send button, make sure you’ve checked the whole cover letter properly. Bottom Line While many people would argue that whether you need a cover letter in this day and age, the truth is, you do. And most employer uses the cover letter as a primary vetting process. As a result, sending a crisp and impeccable cover letter will already see you undercutting the competition. We hope this article will help you to understand the basic etiquettes and factors of writing a perfect cover letter. 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