How To Write The Perfect Cover Letter

The first time I ever learned about the concept of a cover letter, I distinctly remember how it was explained to me: “It’s like your resume, but longer.” The reason that moment sticks out to me so much? It’s completely wrong!

Yes, your cover letter should include some of the key skills, traits, and experience highlighted in your résumé. But copying and pasting from there into your cover letter will most definitely turn recruiters off. Odds are they’ve already read your résumé; why would you make them waste their time reading the same thing over again?

Cover letters are your opportunity to not only show that you have the background and knowledge needed to do the job well, but that you’re also passionate, charismatic, and well-informed. For many people, though, it’s a daunting task. With so much information to convey, where do you get started?

We’ve rounded up some of our top tips on cover letters to lay it out for you in one easy-to-follow guide. Take a look and start drafting the cover letter that will score you your dream job.

1. Contact info: Don’t make recruiters dig through your cover letter to find your name and contact info — include it up top so they can easily reach out.

2. Greeting: Forget “To Whom It May Concern.” If you can find it, address the recruiter/hiring manager by name.

3. Intro paragraph: a. Relevant anecdotes, quotes, fun facts, etc. are all good ways to make your opening line stand out. b. Make it clear that you know who the company is, what they do, and what they care about. c. Mention a few roles, projects, experiences, traits, or passions that make you the ideal candidate. d. If someone at the company has referred you, this is the place to name drop them.

4. Body paragraph(s): a. Incorporate keywords directly from the job description. b. Whenever possible, include concrete metrics that illustrate the results you’ve achieved.

5. Closing paragraph: Summarize, don’t plagiarize. Reaffirm your interest, passion, and qualifications from earlier in the letter, but don’t make it sound redundant.

6. Overall: a. Cover letters should be clean and easy to read. Skip the intricate designs and crazy fonts for party invitations. b. Like a résumé, keep the cover letter to one page. If necessary, hyperlink your portfolio, website, or samples of your work. c. Saving your cover letter as a PDF file will ensure the formatting won’t change.

This post is by Emily Moore and originally appeared on Glassdoor. It is reposted with permission.