WRITING COVER LETTERS THAT SIZZLE

You have been looking for a job but no lack, or a chance of being listed for an interview and you have been wondering why you have not been listed for one interview out of the ten job applications you have sent the past two weeks. 
Sometimes you have you to take your time to view and analyse you cover letters.Don’t always relay on that old fashioned boring cover letters that we share each other the  always. For you to shine and sizzle and be sure to give that employer goose bumps when reading your cover letter you need to change the format for your cover letter. Do not have that same cover letter for all the jobs that you apply because positions differ and what the employer looks for differs as well.

So you need to send a cover letter to a decision maker which sells you, and not just the one that just state facts about you. Remember, after you send your cover letter and resume, they are in a pile for the decision-maker to review, one by one, along with a vast number of other documents submitted by other hopeful individuals. The chance that YOUR document is the very first one on the pile is about is slim! This means the decision-maker has probably read X number of cover letters (and resumes) before reaching yours.

So how do you stand out to the decision maker, if you find yourself using  that traditional line that everyone uses when a applying for a job like the one bellow:

“Dear sir/ madam

I am looking for a job recently advertised in the Malawian news paper/ Sunday Times for the position of an Accountant; with this I have enclosed my resume for your review.”

 What would you do you were the decision maker this would be B-O-R-I-N-G for you after reading similar sentences all week right?!!

Your mission here should be to GRAB the decision-makers attention and SELL yourself to them. How do you do this?

Since the cover letter is designed to market you to potential employers you have to treat it as an advertising that you spent a million kwacha and you want to sell.

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The first thing to do is don’t state the obvious; if the cover letter does not create a sense of excitement and entice the reader, it is a waste of your time for writing it and a waste of time for the reader reading it.

 Remember the PURPOSE of the cover letter is to highlight your background for the win, sell your skills, and show the potential employer you are worthy of an interview and potentially a job. Explaining what you WANT throughout the letter doesn’t tell the reader the BENEFIT of what you can offer, which is imperative for you to be successful.

Be sure to Keep track of how many times you use the words “I” and/or “my”. After you write the letter, take a pen and circle all the I’s and my’s in the letter: if it is more than five times? Then you have to re-write some of the sentences.

Here’s an illustration of how to do that: instead of writing “I am looking for an opportunity for advancement with a new employer. My background is in retail management and I feel well-qualified for the Store Manager position with your company”

 You can write, “A background in retail management and proven record of obtaining results as a Store Manager are key elements in qualifying me for consideration as part of your team.”

One of the techniques to use in cover letters is to pull out the top 4 or 5 achievements and mention them in bullet form with the letter instead of writing them in a sentence form. It serves as a wonderful focus point for readers’ eyes and draws their attention immediately to your strengths. An example for your achievement in a bullet form

Set up entire department from scratch
Worked closely with department heads
Helped produce MK 30 million in sales
Helped new employees
In-depth knowledge of capital markets and corporate finance
Assisted marketing department in strategies and bids
Reduced expenses by 10%

There are many ways to say things but, as you can see, some words have a stronger impact on readers than others. In cover letters, e-resumes, and traditional resumes, you can change the reader’s perception in a heartbeat by substituting various words or phrases to sound aggressive.

See the outline below and compare it with that one above:

AGGRESSIVE

Established department from inception through successful operation
Fostered relationships with department heads
Instrumental in generating MK 30 million in sales
Aided new employees
Expertise in capital markets and corporate finance
Actively participated in formulating marketing strategies
Slashed (or cut) expenses by 10%

In short, aggressive writing makes you SIZZLE, and stand out, while passive writing tells your “story.” Remember your goal is to effectively market yourself, not to author your employment biography.

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