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by Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs
As the saying goes, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. If
you're doing a job search or resume submission via email, the first impression
any employer will have is your cover letter.
Some tips for creating successful email cover letters are the same as for paper
covers: be professional, with correct spelling and grammar, and -- very
important -- do use them. Other tips pertain only to the electronic medium, and
when disregarded, could ruin your chances before your foot is in the door.
What should you consider crafting an email cover?
Don't waste your subject line. What you write on the subject line can determine
whether your letter gets read, according to business etiquette expert and author
of "Manners that Sell," Lydia Ramsey. "Don't ever leave the subject line of your
email blank and don't waste it by just inserting the job number," Ramsey tells
Yahoo! HotJobs. "The subject line should be clear, and specific to the job
you're looking for." An example: "Bilingual CPA seeks account manager position."
Use standard cover letter protocol. Write your letter as the body of the email
and include a salutation (use the receiver's actual name if you know it) and a
standard closing ("Sincerely" or "Warm regards" work well). Leave blank lines
between paragraphs, and use appropriate signature and closing lines. Include all
the information in your signature line you would have on your business card,
including snail mail address, phone number and even email address. Ramsey adds,
"Remember, your email address doesn't always automatically show up on the
receiver's email program."
Keep it short and dynamic. Managers and recruiters are busy. They want to get
the gist of your pitch in 150 words or fewer. The first paragraph is crucial,
according to Ramsey. "Hook the reader in the first paragraph by selling him or
her your abilities," she says. "Use short paragraphs and short sentences to give
a very brief bio on who you are and what you can do for them, and wrap it up in
the second paragraph."
Keep it simple. If you write a cover letter in a word-processing program, strip
away all formatting and save the file as plain text. The ideal line length is 40
characters. Some email packages automatically do word wrap for you, so your
cover letter doesn't arrive in fragments. If your program doesn't do this, go to
www.formatit.com, drop in your text, and the free service will format your email
for you.
Don't get cute: save emoticons, abbreviations, wild colors, and fonts for your
non-professional emails. The same goes for humor. Chances are, the reader won't
think it's funny, and may even find it irritating.
Be specific. Don't respond to an ad for a copywriter when you're really a
graphic designer, says Diana Qasabian, talent director at Syndicatebleu. "It may
be the tight job market, but we've been receiving more and more letters
responding to a specific job from candidates who are not at all qualified for
it," she says.
"We look for specifics in email cover letters, which means skills and abilities.
Embellishment and fluff are not necessary. It's not necessary to write, 'I'm a
hard worker.' That goes without saying," she says.
Keywords are key. Because many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to
find and screen candidates, skill-oriented keywords will boost your chance at
being discovered, a recruiter at a large technology company tells Yahoo! HotJobs.
"ATS tools track keywords that identify skill sets," she said. "So even if
you're not right for the job you're seeking, strong keywords improve the chance
that your cover letter and resume will be retrieved in a future search or be
selected for a more appropriate job."
Play by their rules. Take the time to learn the company guidelines for
submitting resumes, and follow them. Many companies list these guidelines on
their websites. Also, don't include attachments unless they are requested. Some
companies block all emails with attachments to prevent viruses.
Check it again. You must thoroughly spell-check and proofread your email letter.
And remember, your email software's spellchecker won't catch grammar mistakes.
Send it to a friend first and ask him or her to check for the content and style.
If all your friends are tapped out, or even if they aren't, test your email
cover letter by emailing it to yourself, and put yourself in the mindset of an
employer when you read it.
Tags:
8 Tips for Better Email
- Cover Letters |
