How to write a cover letter

If you’re looking for a new job in marketing, you’re up against candidates who all have alot of creative flair, and the competition will be high to secure the most exciting roles.

So, you need to take advantage of every opportunity you can get to impress the recruiter. The very first of which is your cover letter – it’s essential to ensure yours makes an impact. 

Here’s how you can do so:

Introduce yourself

As you will know from your marketing experience, first impressions and building rapport are both key in building trust.

And your cover letter should be no different. You need to make that initial connection with them by being personable and friendly.

In your cover letter, address the recruiter by name. Your first sentence should be a friendly greeting – for example, ‘I hope you’re well’ – to set the tone.

You also need to explain which role you are applying for. Something short and succinct, like ‘I would like to apply for the Marketing Manager role advertised on {job site}’ is perfect.

Explain why you’re the best candidate 

Next is the tricky part. You need to sell yourself and show the recruiter exactly why they can’t pass up the opportunity to bring you on board!

To do this, spend some time reading the job advert so you can pinpoint what the employer is looking for in a candidate.

Use the details from the job advert to target the content. For example, if they mention that they are looking for someone with experience of leading sales associates, then it should be your priority to mention the relevant experience you have. If their job advert states they’re looking for a candidate who can confidently introduce new marketing strategies and creative ideas, refer to your experience with that. 

Remember, you don’t want the cover letter to be any longer than 2/3 short paragraphs, so only pick out the key areas to focus on regarding your industry experience, as the rest will be in your CV.

Your letter should also refer to your current role and briefly detail your responsibilities that are most relevant to what they are looking for.  For instance, you might write:

‘In my current role as Senior Marketing Executive at {company} I am accountable for the delivery  of our marketing strategies for each client on board. Key responsibilities include client relationship development, presentation of monthly reports, project management….’.

Try to address as many of the main responsibilities listed in the job description as you can within a sentence or two.

Share your motivations for applying

Your cover letter shouldn’t be all about you. Recruiters also want to know why you’re applying for the role. After all, they need to gauge whether you’re after any old job or are willing to make a firm commitment to the target company.

So, think of a positive, confident reason as to why you’re applying for the role in question. Is there something specific about the job which interests you? Is the specific industry a specialism or passion of yours? Are you looking to take a step up and manage a bigger team?

For example, you might say:

“After spending 2 years as marketing executive in my current role, I am looking to take a step up to manage a bigger team in a more specialist market”.

Finish with a strong, seamless sign-off

Your sign-off should include a call-to-action to open your CV.

This could be something as simple as ‘Please see my CV attached’ and should maintain the polite and professional tone that you have set in your email. Use ‘Kind regards’ or something similarly formal yet friendly to sign-off.

Then, to add a further touch of professionalism, add a signature to the bottom of your email.

If you follow these guidelines, then you should be able to produce an excellent cover letter that compels the recruiter to read your CV and then to invite you for an interview!

—-

Andrew Fennell is the founder of CV writing advice website StandOut CV – he is a former recruitment consultant and contributes careers advice to websites like Business Insider, The Guardian and FastCompany.