10 Tiny Tips for a High-Calibre Cover Letter that Lands You an Interview
Make your cover letter and resume impossible to overlook with these ten clarity-driven writing principles. Ease the reader’s burden and spotlight your personal brand’s professional brilliance.
Your cover letter is more than just another job application document; it’s the narrative of your professional story. Yet too often, the unique value of your professional story is buried under cluttered language, disconnected experiences or vague claims. The reality is recruiters are much too busy to do any unnecessary digging. To stand out, your writing should respect their time, connect the dots and make your message and professional value effortless to understand. Here’s how to write with clarity, confidence and intention, so your next application reads like you’re the obvious choice for a job interview.
1.Ease the burden on your reader
As Todd Rogers and Jessica Laksy-Fink remind us in their book Writing for Busy Readers, writing is a burden on the reader. Concise writing eases the burden and puts the onus on you, as the writer, to communicate clearly to lighten the mental load for the reader.
2. Connect the narrative
Make life easier for recruiters by connecting the dots in your resume to explicitly highlight why you're the best person for the job. Just because you have an in-depth understanding of your career history and its relevance to the role, it doesn’t mean your time-poor, and quick-skimming recruiter can make sense of your experience.
3. Ensure every word earns its place in your letter
As the famous maxim from Blaise Pascal captured:
“I would have written a shorter letter if I’d had more time.”
Unless stipulated otherwise in the job advertisement, avoid sticking strictly to your own arbitrary rules about your cover letter word count. Prioritise sticking to one page, but otherwise as many or as few words as you need to convince the recruiter you're a strong candidate for an interview shortlist. I once read about marketing guru Seth Godin discussing how long a blog should be. He recommended that the blog should only be… however long it needs to be to communicate what needs to be communicated. No more or no less. Show that you value your recruiter's time.
4. Match the language of your target job
If every word must earn its place on your resume, then how do you know which ones to choose? The job ad and key elements of the job description are your blueprint. It’s what the organisation values most in a role. Make these elements the focal point of your cover letter. While you might have your own preferences, match the terms and lingo they use to align with the vibe of the organisation. Make it obvious to the Hiring Manager that you tick all of their top boxes.
5. Add evidence to your claim
A cover letter that simply conveys skills and mirrors the job description is not enough. That alone will sound fluffy and vague. Avoid making unsubstantiated statements. Complement your claims with evidence and examples.
Consider the STAR method, or variations of this, to create examples that tell a transformative story:
Situation
Task
Action
Results
Choose examples that most accentuate the capabilities prioritised in the target job to position your irresistible, unique value proposition for the position.
6. Add numbers
Your cover letter is going to be one of many that your target recruiter reads. If you’ve been on the other end of the job application process, you know it’s easy to drown in a sea of text across applications.
Numbers not only elevate the evidence in your claims, they also give the eye something to land on. For your busy reader, who is already skimming your resume, numbers visually tell them where to look. It quantifies the most important points for you to capture the Hiring Manager's attention and draw you into the rest of your application.
7. Have a hook
The opening paragraph of your cover letter is the hook of your job application. Again, ensure every word earns its place and adds value. Aim to highlight your skills or specialisation, years of industry experience and type of industry experience at the start of your cover letter. See this as your opening argument. It’s why you’re the person they’ve been searching for. Make it clear upfront that it’s worth reading on.
8. Tell a transformation story
Your cover letter is storytelling for your professional personal brand. And it contains stories within the story. At every opportunity, don’t simply end with vague references, numbers or skills. Ask yourself, ‘So what?’. Why does that matter to the reader? Connect the dots, make the achievement and what it means obvious. Where possible, complete key sentences, sections and examples with the transformation state.
Branding master Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework in Building a Story Brand outlines:
A character (your audience is the hero, not you)
Has a problem
They meet a Guide (this is you or your brand). With 1) empathy and 2) authority
Who gives them a plan
And calls them to action
That helps avoid failure
And ends in success
Your recruiter is the character with a problem. Using elements of this framework, power your cover letter to give Guide energy. Show you have empathy and authority, and how you have or will lead transformations to success.
Consider transformation state language in these areas:
Ending of the opening of your first paragraph
Specific examples
The final paragraph
9. Show that you’re a compelling cultural fit
A Hiring Manager isn’t just looking to tick all the right technical boxes. They want to know they can work with you, and that the teams they are representing can too. Infuse the cultural tone of your target organisation into your resume. One of the more explicit ways you can do this is to show your knowledge and appreciation of the organisation’s:
Core values
Mission
Vision
Strategic directions
Beyond simply reflecting the job ad, this shows you’ve done your research into the organisation. When done well, rather than just coming across as someone looking for any suitable role, this can communicate your enthusiasm for a particular opportunity.
10. Add your character
Your cover letter isn’t all about matching the organisation’s vibe. You should convey the unique character you bring to the role. Small transitions in your storytelling, phrases and word choices can speak volumes for your character.
From ignored to irresistible
A compelling cover letter doesn’t just talk for the sake of talking. It’s strategic storytelling that tells a transformation story and positions you as the unicorn your next dream job is looking for. Every word should be working for you to convert busy recruiters to pick up the phone and invite you in for an interview. When clarity meets strategy, your personal brand speaks volumes for your professional value.
