How to write an irresistible cover letter

By Joy Akinlolu

Hassan Lawal, Minister of LabourHow do you write your cover letter? The old and lame way or the attractive way that makes everyone say yes? Most people are so afraid of even writing one. But whether we like it or not most of us will still need a cover letter at some point in our lives. The point is that you need a cover letter every time you send out a résumé; simply dropping off a résumé with an employer seems impersonal and lazy, and corporate entities avoid employees with those traits.

So what is a cover letter? It’s a letter which you send to a potential employer along with your résumé. A cover letter is important because, among other things: it will tell the recipient for whom the résumé is intended, it can elaborate on your knowledge of the company and your desire to work for it. So, if you are on the search for a new job, you will need to produce cover letters with brilliance, flair, and speed.

Ask most people: “what do you know about the industry you are applying for or their employer.” Their answer is always negative. So for you to get that job you dream about you need to do a little research. Each cover letter must be produced for a specific employer. You can recycle some of the text for cover letters within the same industry, but each letter should contain a reference to something about the employer/company and what he has done. If you’re thinking that you don’t know anything about a potential employer or what it has done, then get out of your shell. You have some research to carry out. Your research will cover both the industry and the company.

We all know that each company falls under an industry and whatever happens in that industry surely affects the company. By way of example: You love to apply to Oceanic International which falls under the banking industry. Therefore, your search must cover the industry and the company. You should first research your industry and learn: important business or technological trends (current need that affect all of them), significant recent transactions (alike during the era of merger), hiring trends, popular terms (the type of skills required), phrases and subject matter.

This background information about the industry will help you to write all cover letters for jobs in the industry. Then, for each individual employer, you should find out: the nature of the company’s business, its major clients or customers, its history, important recent transactions or developments, hiring trends and employment needs. But wait a minute does this research thing sounds like a big work? Yes It is, but it will help you land a job. But come to think of it this way: the more you know about an industry and a particular company, the more effective your cover letter will be in communicating that you are a good candidate. People who send in blank, non-specific cover letters communicate that they know little about the industry, and/or that they didn’t care enough to research the company they want to work for. To illustrate, consider the following examples:

• To whom it may concern: I have a great interest in your field, and I have been informed that your company is an industry leader. I am thus writing to you to apply for a job.

• Dear Ms. John: After receiving a degree in chemical waste management and working in a chemical waste plant for 10 years, I am well aware that your company, the Janto chemical Plant, is the most respected in the industry. Your colleague, Mr. Adelakun, has informed me that Janto is searching for an experienced manager to restructure the Waste division, and I would be grateful for the opportunity to join your team. Now, if you were Ms. John, which candidate’s résumé would you be more likely to read? The second letter? Why, because it directly addresses a need in the company and a preliminary reason to consider that candidate. Now there’s just one more little thing you definitely need (which we exemplified above): the name of the person to whom cover letters and résumés should be sent. This last piece of information is very important, and it is usually easy to find. Simply phone the company’s main line and ask to speak to someone in personnel, recruiting, or human resources. Whoever picks up the phone in one of those departments should be able to tell you to whom you can send your material. One last thing: if you know someone who already works at the company and can help you pull strings, send a copy of your résumé and cover letter to that person, and mention their name.

Avoid irrelevant information
You must not make errors. Errors in a cover letter convey that the applicant lacks professionalism and attention to detail. You don’t want to convey this, do you? Not making errors” includes wrong spellings... we mean “wrong spellings,” ending sentences with prepositions, and all the other things you should’ve learned from school. In a cover letter, it is standard to use the first person “I” in your writing (unlike a résumé, where it is uncommon to use “I”). It is wrong and unnecessary to refer to yourself as “Mr. Tola” or whatever when you are describing your experience.

Avoid jargon and clichés
Sometimes ago I met a guy who filled his cover letter with a lot of technical terms, later to find himself loosing out. You see the truth of the matter is that those who review cover letters and résumés are not always industry insiders; many of them are human resources specialists. If you turn them off with your super-technical jargon, you aren’t doing yourself any favors (what in the world does human resources specialist know about “jundical recapitulation techniques?”). Clichés, on the other hand, are never good style. Except when they are required.

Use action verbs whenever possible
You must give the impression that you are capable of doing things and that you are constantly in action. When we say action verbs, we mean verbs that describe the nature of the activity. For example, instead of writing “I was the Director of Sanitation” or “I served as the Director of Sanitation,” write “I directed the Department of Sanitation,” or “I sanitized toilets.” To get a good list of action verbs, so watch out for my article on how to write an impressive resume. You should read it anyway, since the reason of a cover letter is to get the reader to look at your résumé.

Be as brief as possible
Your letter should never be more than one page long. The longer the letter, the less likely the reader is to finish it. Don’t try to be funny (you are not a clown unless you are applying as a stand up comedian) ,as well your letter should not be completely dry. More importantly don’t try to justify or explain why you are leaving your present job. It is not needed now. Instead, explain why you want this job. You’ll have plenty of time to explain yourself in your interview.

Structuring your letter
Your letter should be composed of three or four short paragraphs. The first paragraph should always tell the reader who you are and why you are writing. In fact, if you are short of an opener, a popular one is “I am writing to. . .” You should inform the reader of what specific position you are seeking, why you think the company needs your services (e.g., you heard that they were recruiting, you were referred by someone, you saw an advertisement in XYZ, etc.), and anything else which you think briefly explains why you are writing. This is a good place to include a brief reference to something you know about the company, such as its being one of the top ten pet food manufacturers in Ibadan, its being voted one of the top 100 companies to work for in Nigeria, or its progressive employee relations policies as reported in Time. Don’t go into detail here in the first paragraph. Just drop a little fact that shows you’re familiar with the company’s exploits. The second paragraph should describe your professional skills and academic qualifications for the position you’re seeking. Don’t mention details about your skills and schooling that don’t apply to the specific company and position. Nobody cares what courses you took in school, or which one was your favorite, unless there is some clear tie-in to the job at hand. Some experience and training is very broadly relevant, and that’s fine to include for almost any job. For example, having run your own business is good experience in general, and it wouldn’t hurt to mention it briefly in most cover letters (it would show that you have business savvy, and that you’ve handled major responsibilities). But ensure that it’s relevant to the job you are applying for.


Akinlolu is an Ibadan based human resource expert