Breathe new life into your boring, old cover letter

Imagine for a second that you're a hiring manager and a big part of your job is writing cover letters.

We know, horrifyingly boring, right?

That's why one of the best ways to get an employer's attention is to have a good cover letter that actually gets their attention and breaks them out of their coma induced by reading the same cover letter over and over and over again.

Here are seven quick tips that you can start implementing to make sure your cover letter gets you a job and doesn't put someone else to sleep.


1. Lose the 'To whom it may concern'
Seriously, not the best start in terms of the whole 'oh, whatever is coming up is going to be fascinating, I bet" department. Lose it. Same with the 'Dear sirs or madames.' Find out the person's name who is doing the hiring, and use that. Or if you don't know it, then cut to the chase and just start the letter. That's what's important.

2. Don't start off asking for a job or saying you have interest in the job
We're guessing if they received a cover letter, something might tip them off that you're looking for a job and are interested in the positon. Just a guess. A cover letter gives employers a chance to get to know you and what you have to offer. Don't make it overly personal; keep it professional. But consider what really defines you professionally. What do you really bring to the table? What is your strongest quality? A cover letter is the elevator speech to sell yourself to someone else. Give yourself a definition.

3. Make it a story
People like to read stories; what they don't like to read is a listing of a person's skills and abilities in paragraph form, and often these are lost in all the clutter and conjuctions desperately trying to bind them together anyway. Use examples of accomplishments in your past to make your skills come to life. The key is in these examples and stories because that gives an employer evidence of the results you're capable of.

4. Channel a little Hemmingway
No, we're not expecting this to be that good. Nobody is. But one aspect of ole Ernest was his ability to write short, to the point sentences. They grabbed your attention. They got to the point. Subject. Verb. This is how we traditionally speak and what people like to read. The moment you start adding flowerly language to the equation, it gets clumsy and the information gets lost. Keep it simple, and Papa would be pround.

5. Take the time for tailoring
Taking the time to redo your cover letter with each position can be a pain, yes. But it's the hard work that often yields the best results, or any results for that matter. So each time you respond to an advertised job, look at the requirements and skills, and change your letter to fit those requirements. We're not saying you have to completely start from scratch each time, but make this information fit within appropriate areas.

6. Stay on point
Salary requirements, why you're looking, reasons for leaving past jobs - this is neither the time nor the place. Always remember this is about selling you for the future, not for digging up the past or bringing up things that don't need to be brought up.

7. Enthusiasm, enthusiasm, enthusiasm
We apply this rule a lot. That's because no matter which aspect of job hunting your engaging in, from interviews to phone calls, enthusiasm will carry you far and get an employer's attention. Don't be desperate and pleading, but be excited and genuinely interested in the new challenges and how you can put your skills to task in order to solve them.