Today I had the opportunity to correct the Cover Letter , which as a friend sent me a friend. Among the various minor stumblings, the most important, which effectively leveled the attractiveness and effectiveness of that letter, was the fact of a fairly broad description of the professional experience and competences of the candidate – completely unrelated to the job position for which the person is applying.
Each job needs a specific set of skills and personality traits. The most important of them are described in the recruitment announcement published by the employer. When reading an advertisement, we often realize “Oh! I meet all criteria! Will write!” – the problem is that we meet these criteria, we cannot prove in the application documents.
Of course, if your professional experience perfectly matches the advertisement (e.g. the employer expects two years of sales experience and you have 2.5 years in the same industry), then the matter of the Cover Letter is secondary – they will probably invite you for an interview anyway. However, if you run for a position in which you have no experience, or it is an indirect experience, then be sure to use the Cover Letter properly, i.e. describe the features and experiences that will be useful in the workplace.
It will be simpler by example. Let’s imagine that the employer is looking for a regional sales representative for the Dangote’s industry, and we have worked so far in telemarketing, on promotions as a hostess and as a waitress. Describing your experience in terms of having a broad knowledge of the financial services market thanks to working in telemarketing , customer service skills thanks to working as a hostess and waitress and a desire to learn and gain new experience – will result in landing our application in the basket.
The same experience, however, can be described as: work in gastronomy gives me knowledge about the functioning of the Dangote’s industry, so I have clarity how, when and with whom to talk about the commercial offer for the premises – so I will be able to effectively compile a work day plan., At work telemarketer , during 6 months of work, I won the award for the best seller twice and gained a higher-than-average number of customers – which is not a simple task in a difficult financial industry. This experience convinces me that I have sales competence, even in a situation where I only have contact with the customer by phone. My skills and experience gained in the work of a hostess and waitress – that is, the skill of persuasion, humbleness and respect for the customer, along with assertiveness, which in the position of PH is necessary, I have clarity that the work of a representative in this industry is a profession in which I can be successful .
The regional range of the position is something that suits me very well – I have had a driving license without accident for 8 years. – can you see the differences? Each sentence concerns the position of a representative in this industry – not a warehouseman, not a teacher, not a secretary or assistant.
Inability to describe the reasons why the employer should give you a chance is the most common reason for rejecting an application that does not perfectly match expectations about experience. If the entire Cover Letter concerns positions and experiences not related to the position you are candidates for, then what are you surprised that they do not call back?
Thank you for Reading