Cover letters: Are they still relevant?

Alright guys. It’s 2022. Are cover letters still really that important to employers?

Short answer: yes. Long answer: yeeeees, and they should be super important to you too! A cover letter is your big chance to show off your personality and uniqueness to your employer. Your resume shows your experience, sure, but your cover letter explains who you are as a person and why you’re a great fit for the company. It also explains why you want to work there, and allows you to show off that you’ve done your research about the company and its values.

Read on to see our quick tips for crafting the perfect snappy cover letter that might just be the difference between scoring your next dream job... or being left on the unread pile.

So how do you write a good one? We break it down into some easy-to-follow steps to help craft the perfect cover letter and nail that next application!

Even though you’re talking yourself up, it’s still important for your language to be formal in tone. Don’t use contractions or slang, and don't mention any hobbies that aren't very professional, even if you think doing graffiti on the weekends shows off your creative chops. (Try to phrase it in such a way that makes it sound a bit more professional - "Regularly take part in community-driven art projects" maybe!) You should still have energy and be yourself – but make sure you’re checking over for spelling mistakes before you hit ‘send’!

I recommend using a spellchecker like Grammarly or other inbuilt apps if you're writing your resume online - or write in Word to have that helpful program do it all for you.

Go through the job listing. Have you mentioned all the bullet points they wrote in the description? Use their exact words or requirements where you can. If they ask for someone who's tech-savvy, tell them about all the devices you're proficient at. Try to answer everything with a bit of experience or a part of your personality. This is your chance to tell them that you’re the perfect fit for their company and requirements!

This is your chance to explain exactly how you’d be a benefit. Don’t just say that you’re a ‘team player’, show an example of a time when you used that skill! For instance: you love working on group assignments at school, you play on a sports team on the weekends, you help out volunteering at a vet clinic 1 day a week... Short anecdotes of a sentence or two can really help your employers see who you are and how you work.

Bring everything all together at the end by thanking your potential employers for reading your application, directing them to your resume, asking them to contact you if they have any further questions, and inviting them to schedule an interview! 

With these tips up your sleeve, you can go forth and conquer those applications – you’ll be raking in the interviews and nailing those new job goals in no time!