Part II: Writing a Cover Letter
(Source:
SuccessGoGo | Southeast Asia's Leading Application Review Platform - Home)
1. Formatting
Length
Less is More. The recruiter is not expecting an full length essay about your life and your passion for the company. The actual substantive content of your cover letter should not exceed 3 – 4 paragraphs or half a page.
Who to address the letter to
Always address your letter to someone directly. With Google and LinkedIn, there’s no excuse to not be able to find the name of a hiring manager or professional in the department you are applying to.
Format
PDF is recommended. Not every office computer can read your .docx or .pages file, and in many cases there may be formatting issues. Save yourself the hassle and save your cover letter as a PDF.
2. Tone
Before you start writing, find out more about the company and the specific job you want. Look at the company’s website, its publications, its employee profiles (from Google, LinkedIn or your personal network). Do some research beyond reading the job description. Find out what challenges the company is facing and how your role would help address those. Knowing the company better helps you decide on the right tone to use in your cover letter.
Think also about the culture of the organisation you’re applying to. If it’s a creative agency, like a design shop, you might take more risks but if it’s a more conservative organisation, like a bank or law firm, do adopt a business tone.
3. Content
Now that the basic layout and tone of your Cover Letter have been settled, we come to the most important part: the substantive content. Ensure that you DO NOTsimply repeat your CV. Your cover letter is almost always stapled to your resume and given to your future boss for review. Repeating what is on your CV is not only a waste of words, you come across as lazy and unenthusiastic about the position. Rather, use your cover letter to convey your personality and enthusiasm for the job, and why you would be a great addition to the company.
First Paragraph - Start Strong
Job applicants typically start by saying "I am applying for the "[position]" that I saw listed on the [source]". This is a total waste of text. Start by saying why this job is exciting, and why you are perfect for the job. For example, being with “I am a corporate lawyer with more than 5 years of experience in Public M&A work and I would love to bring my expertise and enthusiasm to your growing and international team”.
If you have a personal connection with the company or someone who works there, don't be afraid to leverage on it. The job market is highly competitive these days, and you will need to rely on any benefit you can get. Be sure to mention this connection in the first paragraph.
Second Paragraph - Your interest in the company
Share your interest in the company or industry you are applying to. There are many ways to show your interest in a company. Common methods include (1) sharing a unique personal story that drew you to the company, (2) sharing interesting historical facts about the company that drew you to it (you can source for such information from Google) and (3) sharing an insight into the industry trends and challenges facing the company.
Our favourite is the third option. For example, if you are applying to Apple, talk about how the launch of the first iPhone 10 years ago has truly changed the world (apps like Uber would never have taken off without the iPhone), and if the past 10 years are any indication, the next 10 years would truly blow our minds away. If you are applying to
SPH, talk about how mobile devices and social media has fundamentally changed how people get their news, and then go on to propose an idea to address this, perhaps by reducing the length of content to cater to reduced attention spans, covering exciting topics that appeal to the millennial crowd, or to be more mobile friendly and encourage sharing on social media.
Not only does this demonstrate that you understand the industry well, it also shows that your have spent time actively thinking about the company's role in their industry, and how to tackle challenges facing the company.
Third Paragraph - How can you help the company
In the third paragraph, discuss how your skills and experience can help the company. Again, do NOT simply repeat whatever is stated in your CV. Either (1) pick out specific experiences or (2) chart the broad outline of your working/academic reference, and then link this back to the question of how you would be a strong addition to the company.
Last Paragraph - Close the deal
Close strong and sum up how your passion, experience and skills will be of great use to the company. This will serve as your closer, and should not be longer then 1 to 2 sentences. If they need more details about you, they will ask you at the interview.