When a hiring authority comments on how good the format of your cover letter is, you know you have done something right. That is what one of my clients experienced this week and she asked that I republish the article I wrote “The Most Powerful Cover Letter” so others can benefit from it as well.
Here is that article.
Recently I heard an interesting statistic from a poll taken of recruiting and hiring managers. The poll uncovered that 75% of the people who review resumes said they read cover letters but only if they know the cover letter has been customized for the company and the position.
I have two ALWAYS statements regarding the job search and one Always is to ALWAYS send a cover letter. There is one cover format I recommend over any other: the T cover letter.
What is a T Cover Letter?
The T cover letter gets its name from the imaginary T that is formed by the two columns in the middle of this single page document. In the left hand column of the T, you list in bullet form the requirements as outlined by the hiring company. In the right hand column you list in bullet form your qualifications that match the requirements. With this format you are visually walking the hiring manager through why you are the perfect candidate. Pretty powerful, huh?
The Format
There are other sections of the one page cover letter in addition to the T.
Letterhead
The top of the cover letter should look exactly like the top of your resume: the same information, in the same format. This is your letterhead and gives a professional look to your materials. In fact, this same letterhead should be used on all of your job search correspondences. Consider it your own custom stationery.
Address
Address the letter to the name of the hiring authority, which you can get through networking. Under no circumstances should you address the letter to “Dear Sir / Madam”.
Opening Paragraph
The opening paragraph should mention the position you are applying for and how you heard about the position. If you did it correctly, you networked into the position. If so, mention the name of the person who told you about the position or who suggested you contact the person you are writing.
Brag Phrase
Brag phrase is the name for the section that appears before the T . This phrase (a sentence or two) should affirm that your experience and abilities seem to be a great match for the position and serves as a transition to the T portion of the letter.
The T
The T is an MS Word table, two columns, with a row for the titles “Your Requirements” and “My Qualifications”, or something equivalent, and one row for each of the requirements.
Each item in the columns should be bulleted. Because you are using a Word table and a separate row for each requirement, your qualifications in the right column will automatically line up with the corresponding requirement in the left column. Use the exact wording for the requirements that the company used. Keep the text of the qualifications as concise as possible.
When there is a requirement for which you do not have a matching qualification, just don’t list it. Hiring managers list all of the skills and experience they would like to have. Even some requirements listed as mandatory will be overlooked for the right candidate.
If you have more qualifications for more of the requirements than can fit on one page, add the words “and more…” below the last line of the T so the reader knows you could go one and on but didn’t. At no time should you exceed one page for the cover letter.
Closing
Following the T portion, add a closing phrase in which you express your interest and your belief that you are a great fit, and mention the next steps (example: you will follow-up with them in a few days to see if they have any questions).
Tips
To select the phrasing for the opening, brag and closing sections, look through the book Cover Letters That Will Knock’em Dead by Martin Yate. Go through and find wording that sounds like you; not all phrases and wording will. Consider creating in Excel a collection of phrases to select from when you create a new cover letter.
Make the T cover letter the first page of your resume document. Doing so will eliminate the problems that can occur when the cover letter is a separate attachment
For a sample of the T cover letter, send an e-mail to Info@RightChanges.biz with the words “Sample Cover Letter” in the subject line.
Here is that article.
Recently I heard an interesting statistic from a poll taken of recruiting and hiring managers. The poll uncovered that 75% of the people who review resumes said they read cover letters but only if they know the cover letter has been customized for the company and the position.
I have two ALWAYS statements regarding the job search and one Always is to ALWAYS send a cover letter. There is one cover format I recommend over any other: the T cover letter.
What is a T Cover Letter?
The T cover letter gets its name from the imaginary T that is formed by the two columns in the middle of this single page document. In the left hand column of the T, you list in bullet form the requirements as outlined by the hiring company. In the right hand column you list in bullet form your qualifications that match the requirements. With this format you are visually walking the hiring manager through why you are the perfect candidate. Pretty powerful, huh?
The Format
There are other sections of the one page cover letter in addition to the T.
Letterhead
The top of the cover letter should look exactly like the top of your resume: the same information, in the same format. This is your letterhead and gives a professional look to your materials. In fact, this same letterhead should be used on all of your job search correspondences. Consider it your own custom stationery.
Address
Address the letter to the name of the hiring authority, which you can get through networking. Under no circumstances should you address the letter to “Dear Sir / Madam”.
Opening Paragraph
The opening paragraph should mention the position you are applying for and how you heard about the position. If you did it correctly, you networked into the position. If so, mention the name of the person who told you about the position or who suggested you contact the person you are writing.
Brag Phrase
Brag phrase is the name for the section that appears before the T . This phrase (a sentence or two) should affirm that your experience and abilities seem to be a great match for the position and serves as a transition to the T portion of the letter.
The T
The T is an MS Word table, two columns, with a row for the titles “Your Requirements” and “My Qualifications”, or something equivalent, and one row for each of the requirements.
Each item in the columns should be bulleted. Because you are using a Word table and a separate row for each requirement, your qualifications in the right column will automatically line up with the corresponding requirement in the left column. Use the exact wording for the requirements that the company used. Keep the text of the qualifications as concise as possible.
When there is a requirement for which you do not have a matching qualification, just don’t list it. Hiring managers list all of the skills and experience they would like to have. Even some requirements listed as mandatory will be overlooked for the right candidate.
If you have more qualifications for more of the requirements than can fit on one page, add the words “and more…” below the last line of the T so the reader knows you could go one and on but didn’t. At no time should you exceed one page for the cover letter.
Closing
Following the T portion, add a closing phrase in which you express your interest and your belief that you are a great fit, and mention the next steps (example: you will follow-up with them in a few days to see if they have any questions).
Tips
To select the phrasing for the opening, brag and closing sections, look through the book Cover Letters That Will Knock’em Dead by Martin Yate. Go through and find wording that sounds like you; not all phrases and wording will. Consider creating in Excel a collection of phrases to select from when you create a new cover letter.
Make the T cover letter the first page of your resume document. Doing so will eliminate the problems that can occur when the cover letter is a separate attachment
- If it is separate attachment, the cover letter may not get read. Hiring Managers may only print the resume assuming the cover letter is just another blah blah blah, paragraph-formatted letter.
- If it is separate attachment, the cover letter may not get forwarded or stored with the resume. The company recruiter may have read the cover letter and been impressed by it but it may not get forwarded to the hiring manager.
- There is one big advantage of making the T cover letter the first page of your resume. If the company uses keyword search software, your resume will match because you used their keywords in the requirements section of the T.
For a sample of the T cover letter, send an e-mail to Info@RightChanges.biz with the words “Sample Cover Letter” in the subject line.
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