By Kristina Lonstrup, Career Counsellor

Do you like writing cover letters? Do you find it hard to get started?

A common misconception about cover letters is that it is an opportunity for you to write about your skills and experience. *pssst! That’s called a resume.

A cover letter should be seen as a different document. See it as a love letter.

Cover Letter as a Love Letter (or Who You Would Love to Work For)

I often hear clients say “Do you know where I would LOVE to work??!” Yet when I see the cover letter they wrote, it is paragraphs and paragraphs about the applicant. How will the employer know that you would love to work for them, when your cover letter is an autobiography?

When you write autobiographical paragraphs as a cover letter, you

a. expect the employer to read the WHOLE thing, which they probably won’t, and

b. expect the employer to extract related skills to the position. This might not happen—the employer might simply go to the next application.

I often hear clients say “I never know how to get started on a cover letter.” We will fix this!

Why Do You Want to Work for Them

Next time you sit down to write a cover letter, think about why you want to work for this particular employer. Visit the company’s website. Visit the company’s social media pages. Research what is special about the company, and make that your first paragraph. A cover letter that begins as “Here’s why I like you” is much more intriguing and inspiring!

How Do You Meet THEIR Needs

The next section on your cover letter should be how you meet the employer’s requirements. If the employer requires [ABC], there is no need to elaborate on separate experience of [LMNOP] that is irrelevant to the position. Follow the job ad and match your bullets to their bullets. This makes your cover letter clean, efficient, and easy.

Why don’t we make this easier for everyone?

Who would YOU love to work for, and why?

I love writing cover letters! Call (204) 989-6503 and book an appointment with me. We’ll have lots of fun.

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Every year…for twenty five years

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Unit 1 – 107 Osborne St.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
R3L 1Y4
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