Would a good cover letter increase your chances of landing an interview? Yes.
Do we have any specific tips for Cyber Security Analyst applications? Yes.
Are cover letters the same as resumes, but longer? Definitely not!
So what are cover letters?
Well, great cover letters give you the opportunity to tell a personal story, while making the right impression and proving you’re the best candidate at the same time.
Need more details? Let’s dive deep.
How to write the perfect cyber security analyst cover letter
So what does a good cover letter look like?
Well, it’s written in a tone of voice that matches the specific company’s culture, and it’s not just a long-form resume. It’s also focused on making the right impression.
We advise you to talk about your achievements, goals, and motivations, rather than just plainly listing your skills and experience. Try to tell a personal story.
And if that’s not enough, we have some additional pro tips for you.
How to choose the most suitable salutation and make a good impression
Address your cover letter directly to the hiring manager, whenever possible. This has proven to be a good approach for two reasons.
First, it shows your attention to detail.
Second, it proves that you’re willing to do some research and go the extra mile for the sake of success.
But if finding the recruiter’s name is too difficult, you can go for a traditional gender-neutral phrase.
Here’s our selection of strong salutations. Feel free to borrow any of them:
- Dear Human Resources Manager,
- Dear Mr. Johnson,
- Dear Head of [team you're applying for],
- Dear Nathan Lovelace
The introduction of your Cyber Security Analyst cover letter is what will get you remembered. But how can you make sure that your opening line is good enough?
Rumor has it, many people out there have started using phrases like “I found your job advert on website X and decided to apply” ever more often. But more importantly – that recruiters are already getting tired of it.
So instead of saying what everyone else is saying, we advise you to go for a more honest approach. Begin your cover letter by explaining what excites you about the company and how this excitement will help you on your journey towards success.
Mention both your hard and soft skills
So what skills do you need to include? Well, unfortunately, there’s no one answer to this. It all depends on the job description and the skills you’ve currently got.
According to experts, what recruiters look for in cover letters is how you can link your soft skills to particular achievements and goals. So, try to figure out what has helped you on the way to success.
However, don’t forget about hard skills. Even if they’re not the focus of your happy story, you need to include at least the ones that were mentioned as part of the requirements section of the job posting. This will help you pass applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen applicant documents for certain keywords and phrases.
Prove how your skills can help the company grow
Proving that you’re familiar with the company is a great way to win the recruiter’s heart. It shows that you’ve taken some time for research and that you’re attentive to detail.
What’s more, it will also help you find out the issues at hand. This way, you can link your own skills and qualifications to some potential challenges the company might have to deal with in the future.
Choose the right closing line
The last paragraph of your cover letter should briefly sum up the whole text. This is the time to express your motivation to get to the next step of the hiring process, but also your gratitude for the reader’s time and consideration.
You can be creative or use traditional closing lines here – it all depends on your preference and the company culture.