When applying for a job, a cover letter is a way of showing off a little bit about your experience, qualification, and personality. These are what indicate that you’re fit for a specific position. A cover letter is a document you send with your resume that provides additional information about your skills and experiences related to the job you are applying for. This letter is imperative as it illuminates details on your resume in depth. It strictly follows a standard professional letter format with a header and a sign-off, but anything that is believed to be appropriate can be included. An appealing cover letter stands a chance for the applicant to be called for an interview. Edwin Kalisa, an employer in a catering company points out that cover letters must be edited or rewritten whenever someone is applying for a different job. This is because not every job description and company is the same or calls for the same requirements. Failure to edit it out would be a sign of unseriousness to the recruiting team. To capture the attention of the hiring manager, the introduction ought to be interesting, he says. “You can start with briefly explaining your passions and how they connect with the company and how best your services will be required at the company. Tell your story in a unique way. Short and precise is good enough. You can go on and list your accomplishments,” he adds. Kalisa carries on that you should be positive as it shows that you are interested in your work, give examples of some of the unforgettable tasks in your career that you enjoyed doing and why. He also highlights that you need to avoid repeating the same information written in the resume. Keep it as short as possible as hiring managers have quite a number of applications to pass through, anything that is long and hard to read, stands a possibility of being put aside. Highlight only relevant experiences, and make sure you limit each paragraph to three or four well-written sentences, and assist the reader see at a glance what you wish to say by using numbers or bullet points, he notes. Moses Mugabo, an IT employee enlightens that your goal is to reflect your excellent interpersonal skills in the cover letter. Therefore, use this chance to highlight relevant experiences, volunteering activities, university participations, part-time jobs, internships, or placements; that’s if they are relevant to the specific job field. He says; let the company know that your expertise and skills will benefit them, than just accentuating that you are a great fit for the company without saying why. Mugabo adds that figures and statistics are another way to impress hiring managers. These bring out the evidence of what you’re talking about. According to Indeed Career Guide, your cover letter can represent a writing sample, an example of your ability to communicate efficiently with words. While your content describes your credentials, the way you structure your words in the letter can also help you market your skills. “The employer may gauge how you deliver your message in a concise format and how well the content maintains their attention. Consider the action verbs and adjectives you use to express your enthusiasm for the role. The competence of your writing in your cover letter can contribute to the employer’s decision to invite you to an interview.”
