I’ve been reading a lot of cover letters lately.
Now, I’ve never liked writing cover letters and I can promise you I’ve written some pretty rough ones for internships in the past. Yes, I’ve forgotten to change the company name to the correct one. I’ve missed typos only to realize after I hit “submit.” I’ve put in a bunch of puns and sometimes a few jokes.
But now that I’m on the receiving end and I’ve helped a few friends give their cover letters a facelift, I’ve noticed there are a few surefire ways to make your cover letter stand out in a good way.
Here’s how to get your cover letter read and leave a lasting impression.
Make the header a simple, but eye-catching design
Make your initials into a cool logo, put your name in a classy font, and/or add a pop of color. A simple, not-too-flashy tweak can seriously grab someone’s attention.
Even just adding a colorful dotted line that separates the cover letter’s header from the body will make any hiring manager look twice.
There are free design programs, like Canva or Gimp, that can help you do this. There are also free templates available online or you can seriously just use a punchy, colored font on Google Docs. Just remember to keep things legible and avoid turning the font of the entire cover letter into something overly designed or vibrant.
Start off with a story or unconventional first line — and get specific
Any first line that’s “I found this job listing on Indeed” or “I would love to work at [COMPANY], let me tell you why” is pretty standard. It’s far more exciting and unique to start off your cover letter with a bang.
And by “bang” I don’t mean “I hate writing cover letters” or “See my resume if you want examples of my work” — those will make your cover letter stand out in a not-so-great way.
Instead, try something tied to the role or company you’re applying to. Mention a tidbit (related to their audience, mission statement, or vibe) or mention a story. Show you understand and know the brand without kissing up or being super vague.
For example, if you’re applying to a job doing social media for a daily podcast for Gen Zers called Brew, try something like —
“I live alone but it never feels that way when I go through my morning routine with Brew playing in the background. The podcast feels like a conversation between friends about life, everything major happening in the world, and what’s going to be trending next. My passion for the brand combined with my background in marketing to Gen Z, Brew’s primary audience, makes me a great fit for this social-media marketing role.”
Give concrete examples of your skills and know-how
Ever heard the phrase “Show, don’t tell”? It applies here! Writing “I’m organized, I’m a great leader, and I am a great team player” means nothing! I could tell you I’ve been to the moon and that I love cilantro. Both of those are lies.
On the other hand, if you tell a story or share a specific example, you’re painting yourself to be a human being and exemplifying the qualities you claim to have instead of expecting me to believe you have them. After all, the person reading your cover letter will often be a stranger.
Bad: “I’m organized so I’d be great at this party planning job”
Good: Telling a quick story about the time you were a board member for a massive charity event and you were responsible for 30 vendors, everyone’s contracts, social media profiles, etc.
Pull keywords from the job listing and naturally work them into your cover letter
Don’t just paste the requirements or list them out with “I am” in front of them. Instead, focus on a few that you really relate to and exemplify and do what I said above: Show me!
If the job listing is emphasizing certain things, take notes. If it’s in the listing, there’s a reason. I always notice if someone took the time to tie some core values of my company into their cover letter, since it shows they really did their research.
Try to figure out who to address the cover letter to
Depending on the size of a company, the hiring manager will often either be a specific recruiter or the person who will be your future boss. Taking an informed guess at who might be reading the letter oftentimes won’t hurt (ie: pretty good bet if you’re applying to a travel internship and you address the cover letter to the travel editor, but you’ll be OK if you address it to the lifestyle associate editor, too).
To me, “Dear hiring manager” or “Dear [person at my company who is not me]” will never hurt a cover letter or discredit it in any way, but if I were to see one addressed to my name? Bonus points. It shows you did your research about who your future boss might be.
Make sure the file’s name isn’t gibberish or too general
This is such a small detail, but if someone’s scanning through a list of documents labeled “JESSICA_COVER_LETTER” and “Coverletter4” and “JobApplication4,” having one with your last name and the company name seems to say your cover letter isn’t just a general one you threw together.
The format “SURNAME_COMPANY_COVERLETTER” is simple and effective.
Write how you talk (for the most part)
Don’t go rogue with slang and abbreviations, but remind the person behind the screen that you, too, are a person behind the screen. The person reading your application will likely have to work with you and they definitely want to work with someone who seems personable and authentic.
Don’t lose your voice! One of the best ways to do this, in my experience, is to talk to yourself and transcribe what you say. Then, read what you typed out loud.
If your cover letter is stuffy and boring and you barely want to read it, someone else won’t want to either. Professional isn’t a synonym for boring, so remember to keep part of your personality in your writing even as you’re detailing your experience and qualifications.
When in doubt, ask an honest friend to give your cover letter a second look and they’ll be sure to tell you if it “sounds like you” or not. And they’ll probably tell you whether or not it’s boring, too.
There you have it, some ways to make your cover letter stand out.
What are some of the worst mistakes you’ve made applying to jobs?
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