How To Write A Cover Letter That Gets You The Job

Recently, I wrote a post on how to write a good tech resume, but a top-notch resume is only half the battle. Here’s the cold, hard truth: a good resume won’t get you the job if nobody reads it. The key to getting a hiring manager to pull your resume out of the pile instead of somebody else’s is, you guessed it, an effective cover letter.

Research, Research, Research

First things first: you can’t write a decent cover letter if you know nothing about the company to which you’re applying. Your first move should be to visit the company’s website. What do they do? Are they a large company? Small? What impression does either the website or job description give you about company culture? If it’s obviously a small company, you can play up your interpersonal skills and broad, flexible job experience since at small companies, most employees wear more than one hat. Did you do system administration as well as development at your own job to make things more efficient and save valuable man-hours? This is your chance to say so. Larger companies might not be so impressed, but effective multi-tasking is critical in a small-business environment and that’s something they’ll be looking out for.

One more tip: if possible, find out the hiring manager’s name. If it’s a smaller company you may be able to find that information on the website but if not, you’ll probably have to call the front desk and ask. You are looking for the name of the actual hiring manager, not the person in HR who posted the job. If you can’t find this information, “Dear Hiring Manager” is sufficient.

A good cover letter should contain three paragraphs.

Step One: Introduce Yourself

The first paragraph of your cover letter should be all about you. Give a broad overview of who you are and what your relevant experience might be as well as a hint of what you might be able to accomplish with the company you’re applying for. An example of a good opening paragraph would be:

“As a successful Lead Java Developer with 4 years experience, I am confident I would be an excellent fit as a Senior Java Developer for XYZ Corp. My broad technical background and strong Java development skills will allow me to make important contributions to XYZ Corp’s success.”

Remember, keep this first paragraph short and sweet. It’s only an introduction and is not the place to list detailed past accomplishments.

Step Two: Sell Yourself

So far, your potential employer knows you’re a Lead Java Developer with 4 years experience. That’s great, but why should they hire you over everybody else? Here is the place to sell yourself and remember, don’t sell yourself short. While technical skills are important for IT-type jobs, soft skills such as interpersonal skills still matter. Be sure to reveal both sides in your second paragraph.

“As Lead Java Developer with ABC company, I led a small team of developers to design, implement, and maintain award-winning software programs that were consistently ahead of schedule and under budget, saving ABC company valuable man hours and improving the company’s image with its customers. By communicating closely with product management and ABC’s IT group, I streamlined the development process from incubation to release, making it more efficient and less prone to human error which led to tangible improvements in product quality. I am now interested in making a similar contribution to XYZ Corp.”

Look at the words in bold in the paragraph above. Notice anything about them? They are all verbs with a degree of finality. I led a team. I streamlined a process. This wording subtly reinforces the idea you are not only a doer, you’re a finisher. Strive to make as much of your cover letter as possible have this air of finality. Saying you “worked on” a project is fine, but what does that mean? Did you finish the project? Did you work on it for a while and then give up? Was the project terminated? The wording, while technically correct, doesn’t give the impression you should be trying to give off. It’s subtle, but it makes a big difference.

Step Three: Suggest Action

Now that you’ve sold yourself, you need to go in for the kill. Don’t leave this part up to chance. Instead of simply saying “thank you for your consideration,” be direct in your call to action.

“The attached resume provides an overview of my skills and accomplishments. I am very interested in learning more about the Senior Java Developer position at XYZ Corp and I believe a face-to-face meeting would be mutually beneficial. I will follow up with you in a few days to inquire about setting up a meeting to discuss this further, at your convenience.”

Now, all you have to do is close politely. Avoid words like “regards” or “thanks” because they are too formal. The only word you should every use here is “Sincerely”.