Cover letter writing strategies
Do cover letters matter? Yes, for some hiring managers, they’re a critical part of selecting top candidates. If a cover letter is requested in a posting, include the body of the letter as the body of your email as well as attaching the letter in PDF form.
Cover letters provide a chance to show personality and demonstrate communication skills. A good cover letter addresses the two key questions on the mind of the hiring manager – why you’d be great at the job, and why you want to work for this employer.
| Jesse Matthews Manager of Human Resources |
jessematthews@email.com (415) 444-4444 www.linked.com/in/jessematthews |
| March 30, 2020 | |
| Comet Corporation 900 Sycamore Way Goodtown, CA 99999 |
Dear Comet Corporation Team,To open the cover letter, it’s great to address an individual if you have a name, otherwise you can use “Greetings” or any other friendly but professional salutation.
As an experienced Human Resources professional, dedicated to creating dynamic and fulfilling work environments for employees, I am excited to submit my application for the Human Resources Manager position. Comet Corporation’s mission to see employees learn and grow at the company is perfectly in line with my belief that if people are happy at work, they’ll work better and remain motivated on the job. I would be excited to offer my experience in supervising HR solutions and ability to lead innovative employee programs to improve your employee experience.The opening paragraph is like a thesis statement and speaks directly to the problem for which the position is designed to solve. It previews information that will be shared below.
In my current position, my responsibilities include all those you listed in the job description. I would also like to highlight two of my recent accomplishments that demonstrate the type of impact I believe I could have at Comet Corporation.
- Last year we committed to providing both in person and digital learning opportunities to all of our employees. We executed five different training initiatives. 100% of staff participated and 94% reported the learning to be helpful in their current positions. Furthermore, 89% reported that they feel their training improved their long term professional credentials.
- Managing a healthy workforce is key to my job, requiring that I support recruitment efforts, as well as voluntary and involuntary job changes. I personally manage the hiring process for all open positions and we currently have a 95% one-year retention rate. I have also revised our performance improvement plan so that it’s more clear when to put one into action and how to track progress through the plan.
In the body paragraph(s) you should provide a compelling example or set of examples of achievements that demonstrate what kind of impact you can be expected to deliver if you were hired.
I would love to have the opportunity to further discuss my fit for the position. In particular, I am currently working on a talent strategy that may overlap with your needs and I would be excited to share my progress on that with you. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.In the closing paragraph(s) you may want to offer a call to action. This job seekers is inviting the employer to ask about a specific project chosen by the job seeker to showcase skills they want the employer to know about.
Best regards,
Jesse Matthews