Writing a cover letter requires skills, experience, and fine attention to detail. Certain things must go into making a professional cover letter. On the other hand, you must try and avoid certain words and phrases. Recruiting professionals in the UK hate to see decorative jargon in your cover letter.
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Cover Letter Writing Tips
To Whom It May Concern
The cover letter writing service UK never uses salutations such as to whom it may concern as it looks very unprofessional and not targeted enough. Instead, the professional writers at UK Careers Booster use the name of the hiring manager. Or they can teach you how to find the name of the person whom you can address.
Although generic salutations look professional, they can appear sterile to the recruiter. Instead, do some digging to look for the hiring manager’s or the recruiter’s name. LinkedIn is an excellent way to look for the name of the recruiters in any company. Just type in the name of the company and the name of the department head.
I’m Not Sure If You Know
Starting your sentence with a phrase like this comes across as unprofessional and underestimates the ability of a recruiter to search you online. You should be cognizant of your online footprint. Recruiters and HR executives do their homework on you using various tools. They know a lot more about you than you can imagine.
The search engine results about you are like the latest cover letter. Employers look for your online profile after going through your cover letter. Make sure what you say in your cover letter matches what they would find about you online. Beat them to the punch by doing an online search about yourself.
Thinking Outside Of The Box
Hiring managers in the UK read thousands of resumes and cover letters. So, it is in your best interest to make it a treat to peruse your cover letter. This implies avoiding phrases such as thinking outside of the box that recruiters find annoying. Be creative in your writing instead of using buzzwords that are meaningless and that do not make sense.
Instead of buzzwords, try to use targeted keywords to showcase that you are aware of some of the jargon used in that industry. These are the phrases employers look for when they read cover letters. With the proper keywords, your application should pass through any job applicant tracking system.
Try and minimize jargon that is industry-specific if you are applying for a job in a different industry or are switching industries. Those phrases may be impressive if used within a specific industry. However, they may be unrelated and even detrimental if used in another industry.
For example, if you are switching from the corporate world to a non-profit organization, some words may be irrelevant. These mistakes can make the recruiter reject your application. Those words most likely confuse them in the new industry. They are best understood only by experts in your previous industry.
Statements Without Solid Proof
Instead of saying how good your performance was, provide an anecdote from your previous jobs based on the skill the new job requires. Show how your track record proves your competence in the field related to the skill. Your anecdotal evidence accomplishes and says a lot about you.
For example, if you are applying for a marketing manager’s position, you can bring out a successful lead generation campaign you ran that exceeded all expectations. If possible, pepper it with proven figures and specific numbers of client retention rates. That showcases that you know what the recruiter is asking for in your new role.
Cut The Millennial Speak
Do not say you love the industry or your job if you cannot show your love by sharing the career path that led you to this job. Show how your passion for the job motivated and drove you to choose your career. Narrate the steps you took to prove your dedication and commitment.
Address some concerns and potential questions about what are some of the things that led you to enter the industry and what experiences influenced your decisions. Additionally, you can tell them something about your personality that fits in well with the chosen career.
Avoid Lies And Embellished Claims
You should never lie in your cover letter. These days are the digital age and it is easy to get caught. Every recruiting manager is like a detective who does their due diligence on the candidates they are about to interview. Do not embellish your cover letter with touting skills that oversell your actual abilities.
Lying on your cover letter is not only letting your future employer down but also downright immoral and unethical. Do not set yourself up and raise expectations that you cannot fulfill. You will be disillusioned when you get hired because the expectation of the manager fails to match the reality of your abilities.
Conclusion
If you have not done a cover letter in a long time, you must try and seek the help of a professional writer as they keep up to date and current with the emerging trend. Getting a job is challenging enough. However, if you are unable to get professional help, follow the guidelines here and write that perfect cover letter to get you noticed.
