TECHNOLOGY CAREERS

Ten Ways to Make Your Cover Letter Count

Sending a resume without a cover letter is like arriving to an employment interview in torn jeans and flip-flops: Chances are you won’t make it to the next stage in the hiring process.

Indeed, not including a cover letter with your resume — even when you’ve applied for a job online — is passing up a key opportunity to market your skills. A survey by our company found that 60 percent of executives believe the cover letter is just as critical as the resume, if not more so. In addition to reinforcing your unique skills and experience, a cover letter demonstrates your desire to work for an employer and the specific ways in which your IT expertise can benefit the firm.  More importantly, it helps differentiate you from other candidates and provides an incentive to contact you for an interview.

Even if composition isn’t your strong suit, you can still create a cover letter that gets attention. Following are 10 tips for doing so:

1) Know your stuff.  Before you begin writing, learn as much as you can about the potential employer. Visit the firm’s website and scan industry publications to familiarize yourself with recent news about the company, such as quarterly earnings or plans for expansion into new markets. The more you know about an organization, the better you can tailor your cover letter to the firm’s needs. 
           
2) Personalize It.  Never begin a cover letter with “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern.” Cover letters with generic salutations often signal to potential employers that you lack the initiative to locate the appropriate contact. If a job listing does not include the name of the hiring manager, call the company and explain the position you are applying for to see if someone can help you fill in the blank. 

3) Start strong.  A good cover letter begins with a powerful opening paragraph. Your goal is to briefly describe how you heard about the position and why you’re interested in it. Skip the cute introductions such as “Teamwork is my middle name” or “I am smart as a whip.” These can appear insincere and offer little value to your letter.
           
4) Demonstrate your knowledge of the company.  If possible, work a fact or observation about the company into your opening paragraph. Such a statement tells the reader you’ve done your homework.  Here’s an example: “I have been following with great interest the success of your company in expanding operations to Asia. In light of this, I feel my experience helping a previous employer set up data networks in China and Japan would be beneficial to your organization.”

5) Explain your current situation.  Make sure to answer any questions that might give a potential employer pause. For example, if you’ve been out of work for a while, what have you done during that time to keep your skills current? If the position is in another city or state, are you willing to relocate? 

6) Offer an enticement.  The body of your letter should expand upon — not simply repeat — the key points in your resume. Highlight the skills and experiences most relevant to the job opening and provide concrete examples of how you can benefit the company. For example, if you are applying for a help desk management position with a major financial institution, describe how you supervised a team of five in your previous role, leading to reduced turnover and higher employee morale.
           
7) Don’t get ahead of yourself.  Stating that you expect a six-figure salary in your cover letter won’t land you an interview. In fact, focusing on matters such as expected salary and title could come across as presumptuous. Wait until you have secured a meeting and the hiring manager has expressed serious interest in hiring you before bringing up these topics.

8) Be bold.  In addition to expressing gratitude for the hiring manager’s time and interest, close your letter by outlining your next steps. Be proactive by stating when you will contact him or her to follow up.  Don’t forget to include a current phone number and e-mail address where you can be reached in case the firm wants to get in touch with you first.

9) Proofread.  Our company’s research consistently shows that one or two typographical errors are enough to discourage a hiring manager from calling a candidate for an interview. Use your computer’s spell-check function and ask friends and family to double-check your work to ensure your materials are error free. You don’t want a minor mistake to call your professionalism or attention to detail into question.

10) Remember to format.  If you submit your resume via e-mail, make sure to send the file as a plain text document, which is universally compatible. Remove all formatting enhancements, such as underline or boldface, and replace bullets with asterisks or dashes. Also paste the cover letter into the body of the e-mail to save hiring managers the worry of corrupt or unreadable attachments.

When it comes to your cover letter, what matters most is that it generates enough interest to encourage the hiring manager to read your resume. If so, you have a good chance of being called for an interview and eventually landing the position you seek.

Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of IT professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and technical support. The company has more than 100 locations worldwide. Search for jobs now or learn more at www.rht.com.