A cover letter can advantageously complement and clarify your main document for employment, particularly, CV. It is also a good way to show your interest in the position, convince the employer to invite you for an interview and generally increase the likelihood of a positive decision.
A cover letter can be sent to the employer before the CV itself in order to scout mail and offer its services; you can, after sending your resume, to clarify some points, to convince to invite for an interview and show why it is worth it to hire you; or after the interview, you can express your gratitude and thereby increase your chances. First of all, the cover letter is a document. And like any document, it has its own rules of drafting.
Which size might be perfect for cover letter?
Try to keep within ten sentences, dividing them into several paragraphs. Your goal is to attract the attention of the employer, to interest him. And he can read a long text only in passing, and in the worst case, not at all.
Think about the content: get rid of dull and boring lines
The cover letter should not duplicate the CV, but contain useful additions. Show your awareness of the company’s work, tell us why you want to work in it, what you can bring to its work. You can explain a long break in the experience, if any. If you formally lack experience, say, the vacancy shows 3 years of experience, and you have worked only 2 on this specialty, then the cover letter is a great way to prove that you have enough experience to cope with your responsibilities. If there is some negative factor in the resume, it is better to build on it.
Language and style are crucially important to follow
Use business style in writing. No jargon, smiles and other things. But you should not use difficult professional terms, because the personnel manager hardly knows the subtleties of your profession. You can show your professionalism during the interview. Do not forget to thank the addressee at the end.
Of course, the cover letter is not the key to success. But in combination with a CV, good self-presentation, interviewing and other factors, your chances will increase significantly. Therefore, there is no need to ignore the chance to write an outstanding cover letter.
