Jan 9, 2017 ● Peter Jones
Important Cover Letter Trends in 2017 That Will Help Your Job Search
One must never underestimate the importance of a good cover letter. Once you’ve got your resume in shape, this should be your main focus in job searching. A good cover letter can get you through a door that your resume couldn’t. So sit down, and start writing to impress.
You probably already know the basics:
- Keep your letter to one page. Remember, you only have about 10 seconds to get HR’s attention.
- Give them a sense of who you are, first and foremost, both as a person and a candidate.
- Encourage readers to consult your resume—so they’ll see that the skills listed in the job post match yours. And remember not to focus too much on your duties, but on selling yourself as a candidate.
- Write a brand new letter for every single application.
- Get your reader’s attention in the first two sentences. Include as many keywords as you can cram in reasonably and convincingly; this lets them know that you are hip to the lingo of the job and of the industry.
- Use the terminology when you can. Repeat the exact job description language wherever possible.