How to Write a Winning Cover Letter

Before you start writing the cover letter, you should make sure that you have done all the research and have collected all the necessary information to include. At the same time, you should be well informed of all the essential elements that a well written cover letter is comprised of. The three major parts of a cover letter include the introduction, body and the conclusion. Now, what makes all the difference is how well you compose each of these elements to write a winning cover letter. Let us discuss these important elements in a little more detail.

 

Writing the Introduction
As obvious, this is where you begin the cover letter. This part is constituted of your contact details, salutation and an apt subject line. Your contact details will be added to the top of the page including your name, address, phone and e-mail address. In case you are writing the cover letter in the form of an email, you need to exclude putting the contact details at the top of the message. On the other, contact details will be included if you are sending the cover letter as an attached document via email. The introduction of the cover letter also includes an opening paragraph informing the reader about why you are responding or writing the letter.

 

In the opening paragraph, you need to mention the source of job information for which you are writing the cover letter. Mention the date if was an advertised job. Even if you got the job information from one of your professional contacts, you need to mention their name in the letter. You need to clearly cite the reasons behind your writing the cover letter.

 

Care should be taken while writing the salutation part. Salutations like Dear Sir or Dear Madam are too generic to be used. If you really want to personalize your cover letter and attract the employer's attention, you need to address them by name. In case you don't know the name of the employer, you can use salutation mentioning the post of the person you are writing to. Another important part of the cover letter is the subject line. Whether you are writing an email or sending a letter traditionally, you should include the job title in the subject line. Also remember to mention the reference number if it was an advertised job position.

 

Making up the Body
This is main part of the cover letter. A winning or well written cover letter includes a body that mentions why you can be a best fit for the applied job and how you can contribute to the overall growth of the company. The average length of the cover letter's body should be two to three paragraphs. Applicants are required to write only those things that can make a difference, relate to the job position and win the employer.

 

A well crafted body should consist of the following -

 

Reasons for your interest in joining the company
Reasons for leaving your present job
Your top career achievements
Skills and talents that make a best fit for the job

 

It is the body of the cover letter that provides you with the opportunity to talk about your strengths, capabilities, qualification, working experience and your previous work achievements. If you want to attract the employer's attention, prove to them how your skills and abilities match the available job position. Mention how you can help the firm achieve its future goals. If you have written it all appropriately, you stand an excellent chance of winning the employer and getting the job.

 

Reaching the Conclusion
Many applicants underestimate the opportunity that the concluding paragraph of the cover letter brings. It is the part where you wrap up the letter and inform the reader or the employer of the next action of the process. Mention the documents that you have attached. Also thank the employer for taking some moments out of their valuable time to go through the cover letter. Make yourself easily contactable by mentioning your telephone number at the end of the letter. Express your interest of working with the employer once again and tell them that you are really hoping to get an interview call soon.