{"id":3421,"date":"2018-10-15T16:27:27","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T16:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monsterindia.com\/career-advice\/cover-letters-that-get-you-the-interview-3421\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T18:01:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T12:31:58","slug":"cover-letters-for-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/cover-letters-for-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Cover letters"},"content":{"rendered":"

TO<\/strong> begin with, let me define a cover letter. It is a letter that accompanies your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and introduces you, highlighting your reasons for sending the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 to the particular employer. A covering letter must accompany ALL non-electronic r\u00e9sum\u00e9 postings. For e-mail, you should substitute the cover letter with a short introduction in the body of the e-mail. So, why send a cover letter in the first place? <\/span><\/p>\n

The role of the Cover Letter is to get the Hiring Manager to say: \u201cHmmm… you know what, I want to meet this person for this job opening.\u201d So what should you write in the Cover Letter that will get you the nod from the Hiring Manager. To start with, remember that a good Cover Letter is not a Cover Letter at all, it\u2019s a SALES Letter! Let\u2019s go through the process of building the Sales Letter now.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

How to address the recipient<\/strong><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

Address a specific recipient. It\u2019s not always easy to find the name of the specific Hiring Manager, but try to do so, if at all possible. Usually, you can just call the company and ask who the hiring manager is for a given position.<\/p>\n

Inappropriate address<\/strong>: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDear Sir or Madam\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo Whom It May Concern.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

This lazy approach will show that you were not concerned enough to find out whom to address your letter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Appropriate address<\/strong>: \u201cDear \u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

In the worst-case scenario, your letter could begin with \u201cDear Hiring Manager for \u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paragraph 1<\/strong><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

Opening – Tell why you are a Good Fit for that Job.<\/span>
\nThe cover letter must target a specific position. If you\u2019re answering an ad, it\u2019s easy to target your letter to a specific job. But if you\u2019re making cold calls to employers, you\u2019ll have to do some research to find out what positions are open. Try old ads for job postings at job portals and company website. Don\u2019t list several possible positions or say that you\u2019re willing to consider any position.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weak opening<\/strong>:<\/span>
\n\u2018I am writing today to apply for the account manager position you have posted on your company Website.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Better opening<\/strong>:
\n<\/strong>\u2018I have increased the size and sales levels of my client base in every position I have held, which in turn has increased the revenues and profits of my employers. I want to bring this same success to the account position you have posted on your Website.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Paragraph 2 –<\/strong><\/u>Synopsis<\/strong><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

Make a mention of academic and professional experience relevant to the job. Provide details about your professional and academic qualifications. Provide more information about how you can provide the benefits you mentioned in the first paragraph. Be sure to stress accomplishments and achievements rather than job duties and responsibilities. Expand on specific items from your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that are relevant to the job you are seeking. Use solid action verbs to describe your accomplishments and achievements.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weak synopsis<\/strong>: \u2018I have an MBA from XYZ Business School with an aggregate of 76%. I have completed my BE in the year 2007 with 82% marks. I have worked as a Summer Trainee in ZBC Company for 2 months.\u2019<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nYOU are wasting stationary by just restating the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that does not tell anything additional.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Quick Take<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
    \n
  • Address a specific person<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Target a specific job position<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Give a snapshot of education\/professional experience<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Stress on your accomplishments, not responsibilities<\/span><\/li>\n
  • End with a strong call to action<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0Strong synopsis<\/strong>: <\/span><\/span>
    \n\u00a0\u2018I have a formal training in business management with a keen interest in the area of Event Management. The\u00a0 exceptional organizational abilities and detail orientation I deployed to conduct college festivals at my college, are directly applicable to the skills needed for event management. With exposure to interacting with corporate for fund-raising, I can prospect new business opportunities, successfully manage client relationships, give presentations, and much more.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0Paragraph 3 – Relate<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0Tie yourself to the Job\/Company. If you are answering an ad or online job posting, the specifics of your cover letter should be tied as closely as possible to the actual wording of the ad. Echo the ad\u2019s words and intent.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0Weak relation<\/strong>: <\/span>
    \n\u2018I will like to apply for the job of Software Programmer in ABC Company.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Strong relation<\/strong>: <\/span>
    \n\u2018I have a strong background in programming. I came across this opportunity with ABC Company and found it very exciting. It matches my interest and skills in the area of mobile computing and I can contribute to the success of the organization while pursuing my professional goals.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

    Final Paragraph – A call to Action<\/strong><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

    Set the stage for the Interview Call. You want to get an interview call \u2013 do not be vague about it. Come right out, ask for an interview and then follow up. If you take this proactive approach, you are much more likely to get called for interviews than if you did not follow up.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Weak call to action<\/strong>: <\/span>
    \n\u2018I hope you will consider my r\u00e9sum\u00e9 favorably and consider me for the position. I look forward to hearing from you.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

    Strong call to action<\/strong>: <\/span>
    \n\u2018I look forward to being interviewed at your earliest convenience. Thank you so much for this opportunity. If you require any additional information, I can be contacted at the phone numbers listed above.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

    Remember that a cover letter is the most important part in your sales package. The product is you. Like any other sales letter, you are trying to motivate a specific action. You want the employer to invite you for an interview. A well thought-out dynamic cover letter can attract the employer\u2019s attention and get your phone ringing!\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    TO begin with, let me define a cover letter. It is a letter that accompanies your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and introduces you, highlighting your reasons for sending the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 to the particular employer. A covering letter must accompany ALL non-electronic r\u00e9sum\u00e9 postings. For e-mail, you should substitute the cover letter with a short introduction in the body […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3421","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-resume-cover-letters"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3421"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18370,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3421\/revisions\/18370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.in\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}