Writing a great cover letter for a job application
Applying for a job is rarely easy, and writing an appealing cover letter doesn't always come naturally. Here I reveal the key overarching concepts that you should follow to look the part.
When I was 20, I was doing a bachelor of biochemistry at the Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, a small Uni in Southwest France. Towards the end of our degree, the coordinator organised a workshop on how to write a CV and cover letter, and we were told about the pillars of effective job application.
Twenty years later, “human resources” is called “talent acquisition” and a lot has changed in terms of formatting for these documents. But the principles remain the same. And what I learnt during that workshop allowed me to land interviews as an editor for a global geopolitics’ analytical organization with offices worldwide, with the following professional experience: 12 years in marine microbiology research, and volunteering for a non-profit marine conservation organization that hadn’t even officially launched at the time.
The fact that I didn’t get the job doesn’t really matter here, because landing the interview is as far as the CV and cover letter will take you. What this means is that there are ways to write every CV/cover letter combination to maximise your chances of getting to the interview stage, and these haven’t changed for decades.
It boils down to two main concepts of equal importance:
first, and perhaps counterintuitively, your personality can transpire much more via a CV than a cover letter (head here to understand why). That’s the reason why I can do a full rewrite of a cover letter, but will only advise on how to improve a CV.
second, the CV and cover letter go hand in hand. You really need the one to successfully write the other. Indeed, one cannot write an outstanding cover letter unless they know the applicant’s professional experiences and skills, and one cannot write an effective CV if they don’t understand the applicant’s motivations, strengths and personality.
These two key components lead to the heart of what makes a successful CV/cover letter combination: storytelling.
Ah! The buzz word! (Yes, I can hear you think). Yet there truly is no better way of describing what makes a great job application. The cover letter is not about putting into paragraphs what the CV is saying in bullet points, and the CV shouldn’t be a series of lengthy paragraphs (or bullet points, or pie charts, or colourful graphs) detailing every single minute task you’re skilled at.
The idea is to convey as much of your competences and drive as possible, all the while keeping in mind “the audience” i.e. the recruiter. It’s also about ensuring that the two documents appear complementary. This is really important, because you want the recruiter to want to read both documents. That means no overlap, yet “a unifying theme”, or better yet…“a story”.
It may sound overwhelming, but that’s where I come in! To boost your chances of getting an interview for your dream job, email me at e.botte@manuscribes.com.