According to 83% of hiring managers, cover letters are an important part of every recruiter’s decision-making process.
What’s more, 72% of them will expect you to hand in a great cover letter, even if this part is listed as ‘optional’ on the job advert.
And if you ask our experts, cover letters are an amazing opportunity to tell a personal story and make the right first impression.
But what exactly is a cover letter and how to write a good one? Let’s see…
Make your office manager cover letter stand out
The secret to making your Office Manager cover letter remarkable is to share your excitement about the company, the field, and the position.
It’s also a good idea to aim not to re-write your resume, but rather to build upon it and expand on your competencies.
Now, let's look at some other things that will make recruiters remember you.
Choose the right salutation and write a strong introduction
Choosing the right salutation might be tough – we get it. After all, you don’t want to sound way too formal or too friendly.
There are some things that should definitely be taken into consideration when it comes to addressing your cover letter. First and foremost comes the recruiter’s name.
Even if you don’t know who the person reading your cover letter might be, try to find out. Check company websites or social media profiles or even media articles.
If this doesn’t help, you can go for traditional gender-neutral salutations that don’t require knowing the hiring manager’s name.
Here are some of our favorites:
- Dear Hiring Manager,
- Dear Head of [team you're applying for],
- Dear [company name] Recruiter,
- Dear Alex Johnson
You wonder what the key to good introductions is? (Moderate) Creativity!
You’ve probably heard that many people out there have started using phrases like “I found your job advert on platform X and decided to apply”, right?
And what’s wrong with such phrases, you may ask. They’re outdated and they definitely won't make you stand out, to say the least.
So go for something different. Begin your cover letter by sharing your excitement about the company, the position, and even the field.
Link your hard and soft skills to your achievements
So you’ve listed all your hard skills on your resume, now what?
It’s time to think about the soft ones. But remember, it’s essential to not just list your soft skills but to link them to the actual ways they can help you do well in the future.
And what about hard skills, have we completely crossed them out? No, not at all. You still need to mention some of these if you want to pass applicant tracking systems that screen texts for certain keywords. Check the requirements section of the job advert for a complete list of phrases you need to include.
Prove that you've researched the company and are aware of industry problems
How can you prove your excitement about the company? By showing that you’ve taken the time to research its issues, goals, and plans. You can also link them to your skills and experience if you want to show that you're really a strong candidate.
In addition to making a great impression, researching the company will help you find out if you really want to be part of this team or not. After all, interviewing is a two-way process.
Go for an actionable ending
Ending your Office Manager cover letter in a suitable way can help you land an interview. Why? Because strong endings portray applicants as considerate and, what’s even more important – passionate about the job.
Just make sure that your ending (just like your cover letter’s body) matches the company culture. If you prefer to be on the safe side, go for traditional closing lines such as “Looking forward to hearing from you”.
