Career Advice

We’ve had several requests for advice on how to write a cover letter for a specific position. Today I’d like to share with you my take on how to do this effectively every time.

Before we take a look at what a cover letter should look like, let’s go back to basics.

Firstly, we have to think about what the reader is looking to achieve. In this case it’s a recruiter wanting to fill a position.

He or she is essentially looking for a match between the requirements of a position and your background.

So, when applying for a specific position, instead of using your background as a starting point, take a look at the requirements for the position and fit your background into the requirements.

So, let’s say that you’re a software sales person and you see a position that you want to apply for. The requirements for the position might be as follows:

· 5+ years of experience selling software to major accounts
· Record of exceeding quota for at least 4 of the last 5 years
· Experience selling into major accounts essential
· Must have sold complex CRM enterprise software
· Must have experience of the full sales cycle

Now you have the requirements it’s now up to you to match your background to them in the cover letter. The main content for your cover letter is actually written for you in the job requirements. 

Cover Letter Structure

Your opening paragraph tells the recruiter the name of the position that you are interested in and where you found it.

The next paragraph will focus on how your background meets the requirements of the position. Your focus will be on how you match the requirements listed in the job ad. So the first sentence could be: “You’re looking for an experienced CRM software sales person with a very strong track record. With my seven years of experience in CRM software sales and 100% track record of exceeding my quota every year, I am confident that I could perform very well in this role…”

Finally, you’ll need what is known as a call to action. With this, you make it easier for the recruiter to contact you by telling the recruiter exactly what to do next. Your closing paragraph would look something like this: “To find out more about how I meet the requirements for the sales management position, or to arrange an interview, please contact me on (12345) 6789101 or email me on a@b.com.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 10:17 am and is filed under Cover Letters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.