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There are two most challenging aspects when you sit down to write a cover letter.

One, you have to polish up your writing skills and be a convincing storyteller even if it doesn’t come naturally to you. Two, you have to self-promote during your application, and that task can easily feel uncomfortable.

However, the experience of writing about you shouldn’t necessarily be painful to bear!

That’s why we’ve written this article to help you!

And to that end, we’ve included an easy-to-follow example to guide your writing. Download Austin Belcak’s cover letter example here on Google Drive. (To save the document, make a copy of it to make it editable.)

Writing a cover letter is an excellent opportunity to learn about what makes you stand out among other professionals.

So, what is a cover letter and why does it matter?

The cover letter is a one-page document to introduce yourself in a memorable, personal way during a job application process.

A well-written cover letter goes over information on your resume and expands this information for the reader, taking them on a guided journey of some of your greatest career and life achievements. Its purpose is to elaborate on the information contained in your resume while infusing your personality.

And unlike a resume, a cover letter lets you introduce yourself to the hiring manager, provide context for your achievements and qualifications, and explain your motivation for joining the company.

The question stands: how do you pique the interest of your future employer and hiring manager by showing your authentic self?

What structure can I use to put together my letter?

You don’t need to be overly creative with the document, or even have writing skills that challenge Maya Angelous’.

Instead, you can follow a tried-and-true format:

• In the header, include your contact information. Include links in the details so that it’s easier to get in touch with you. 
• Greet the recruiter/hiring manager and be personal in your tone.
• In the opening paragraph, grab the reader’s attention by sharing your proudest achievements.
• In the second paragraph, discuss why you’re the perfect person for the job.
• In the third paragraph, discuss why you’re a good match for the company. This means you need to research the culture of the business and identify ways you can connect it with your personal/professional values.
• Close off with a formal and courteous tone.

Before we get to the elements that make up the cover letter, let’s highlight the most prevalent mistakes to avoid:

The five most common mistakes to avoid in your letter

1.      Using more than one page

2.      Grammatical errors and typos

3.      Not addressing your cover letter to an actual person

4.      Repeating the same information found on your CV document

5.      Hiding your personality in favour of sounding “professional” (hint: don’t sound like a robot)

Now, here are ways to structure your letter:

Address the hiring manager by their name

An advantage when you submit a cover letter is the opportunity to further create a strong, more personal, connection with your recipient.

To achieve this, make sure to speak directly to a person, instead of writing “To Whom it May Concern”.

That might give off the impression that you didn’t do your research to learn about the person who’ll be processing your application.

Discuss reasons you want to work in the company and why you’re qualified for the job

In this case, it’s important to bring attention to your unique selling points (USP).

Be positive about what you have to offer and define how your skills and professional experience meet the requirements in the job description. Demonstrate why you’re the perfect candidate!

Although, self-promotion can be a tricky task. But when you approach it through the lens of highlighting why you are the perfect fit for the company you’re applying in, it becomes a little bit easier to pull off.

Connect your work experience to the company’s business needs

You need to rewrite the cover letter every time you apply for different vacancies.

Submitting generic letters for all your applications can lead recruiters to identify your lack of sincere effort in the application process.

How to sign off the letter

Finally, here are the elements of a good cover letter closing.

Summarise your strengths:

When you showcase your talents, don’t use phrases that recruiters have read many times before. Throw in unique phrases to succinctly make your case close.

Show confidence:

A cover letter closing such as, “I look forward to hearing from you,” will not move a recruiter to dial your number. Rather, you might write, “I look forward to speaking with you about how I can put my skills to work for [Name of Business].” 

Always express gratitude for other people’s time:

Thank the recruiter for considering your application. Avoid over-used phrases such as, “Yours,” “Cheers” or “Take care.” Don’t be afraid to infuse your personality into the words that you send out.

Be sure to keep your cover letter to one page and indicate any email attachments, as well as enclosures or documents the hiring manager may expect to receive related to your application.

With the global economy having off-loaded countless jobs in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, the hunt for work opportunities has more than intensified.

And in a fiercely competitive job market, misrepresenting a few details on your CV, during an interview, or even on your social media profiles might be tempting. Especially when you feel as though you don’t adequately measure up to competing applicants.

There is something else to think about. The new National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act 2019, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, means that prospective students and job applicants might be prosecuted, given up to five years in jail for misrepresenting their credentials.

It’s an illegal offense for any person to falsely claim to hold a qualification that’s registered on the NQF database or awarded by an accredited institution. This means even if you only publish the information online (and not on any transmitted documents), it’s still measured as an offense.

If sentenced in a court of law, the offender might get a fine or imprisonment of up to five years, or both, depending on the type of case being litigated.

And since we live in the digital-led/information overload age, it’s doubly important to learn how to share and effectively manage the information you share about yourself.

You can read up on The Right to Privacy in the Digital Age, and Defamation and Social Media.

Now, let’s take a look into personal branding, to help you think about how to cultivate, tell and live an authentic story as you shape your career.

Personal Branding

Your personal brand, in a nutshell, is the way in which you position and promote yourself and your work. It’s the essence of the person you are, all of your history, education attained, your skills and their commercial value, your worldview, and what direction you want to take your career.

It’s also a narrative that speaks about how you dress, how you move, speak, your personality traits/quirks, and your ability to build healthy/enduring relationships with other people.

To begin constructing your personal brand narrative, you need to…

• Identify your unique characteristics that carry commercial value.
• Learn how they connect with your work and then intentionally build a reputation around those qualities.
• Continue learning and refining what sets you apart from other professionals.
• Once you’ve fairly figured it out, develop a working system that works for you on order to replicate efficient and consistent results.

In many instances, people find it difficult to evaluate and effectively pitch the value of their skills.

To mitigate that, take a bit of time and think about these three things…

1. What is your personal story?
2. What is the one thing you want another person to remember about you after a meeting with you?
3. What noticeable value do you want other people to take away from spending time with you?

Ultimately, the goal is to create a strong intersection of skills that convey a specific message about you.

Play the long game

As you begin to sell your skills and knowledge, ask yourself tough questions about your intentions. Sure, you apply for work opportunities mainly because there’s money to be made. But it’s also important to think about long-term career goals.

For example, imagine this scenario: What type of projects do you see yourself working on in the next ten to fifteen years?

And while you think about that: Does working at that level of your industry naturally come with strict protocols and background/reputational checks?

The point is that it’s relatively easy to make compromising professional decisions in the current moment. And those decisions might eventually box you in and jeopardize the availability of future work.

The nature of professional dishonesty

Lying can range from excluding key facts, timelines, all the way to blatant fraud.

The most typical cases of professional dishonesty generally revolve around the following five:

1. Academic qualifications: misrepresenting these by claiming ownership of a degree you have never achieved, or falsely claiming higher grades.
2. Dishonest reasons for leaving previous jobs. Example: hiding that you were fired from a previous job and the accompanying reasons.
3. The exaggeration of previous salaries or level of responsibility.
4. Providing bogus references and points of contact.
5. Falsely upselling previous work experiences, skill sets, age, etc.

And aside from the references that you provide, recruiters have the option to write to your current and previous employers. They might even contact your high school, college or university, with a request to confirm your employment or educational qualification(s).

Potential employers may also hire specialist security businesses to perform background checks on your story and documents before processing any agreement with you.

Ultimately, you need to always keep in mind two things…

1. There is a difference between presenting yourself in the best possible way and deliberate misrepresentation.
2. Building a career is a long-term job. (Even if you change career at some point, the name and reputation remain.)

For many of us, preparing for an interview can be a stress-inducing period and an added layer of the interview being conducted online can feel like additional pressure for everything to run smoothly. The COVID-19 era forces us to adapt to the new normal of job interviews being conducted online which might require a different kind of preparation.

Of course, technology is notorious for malfunctioning at the most inconvenient times. This means that online interviews can present a challenge to the jobseeker, given the endless possible technology glitches. For other job seekers, online interviews can be a positive element as it saves travel time, and can be less stressful than interviewing in person.

Irrespective of personal preference, due to the digital era we find ourselves in, chances are that you will need tips on how to tackle both. The common dominator is preparation. Although online and in-person interviews are slightly different, preparation effort is equally important if not more. You need to approach both with an equal amount of preparation as your interview could get you to the next round or even a job offer.

Here’s how to get ready for an online interview:

Technological Preparation

1. Download the software ahead of time

This is the most critical step. Whether your interview will be conducted via Zoom, Skype, Microsoft teams or Google hangout, make sure to download the programme days before the interview. This also leaves time for you to familiarise yourself with the necessary tools.

2. Schedule a mock interview with a friend on how to use the programme

Preparation, preparation, and preparation! Practice on how to navigate the software in which you will be interviewed before the interview, to ensure that everything is in working order and that you’re comfortable interviewing on video. If for instance, you use zoom, you can create a meeting link and see if you know you to navigate the necessary functions. You can do this through an interview with a friend and check things like audio, muting and unmuting, sharing your screen for presentation and turning the video on, etc.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to use the chat function, in case you come across any technology glitches and need to communicate this with your interviewer(s).

3. Have a professional username

This might seem quite minuscule but how you represent yourself will be important. Preferably, you should stick to the name on your CV. If for whatever reason that is beyond your control, you will be using someone else’s login details that might have a different name, you can inform the interviewer before your meeting

Physical Preparation

1. Declutter the space around you

Unlike in-person interviews, there are higher chances of distractions during online interviews. Make sure you clean the space around you so that unnecessary clutter doesn’t show up on your screen. This includes paying extra attention to your background and ensuring that it’s as plain as possible.

The aim is to minimise any kind of visual or audible noise that might distract both the interviewer and interviewee. Another key thing is that you never want to create the impression that the disorganised space is a reflection of how you would perform as an employee.

2. Dress professionally

Even though you might be sitting down or are at home, you still need to dress professionally. This includes professional pants and shoes as you never know when you might be required to stand up and fix something. Dressing professionally can also be a good mental contribution to making you feel prepared and getting your head in the game.

3. Keep your CV, pen and paper next to you

Always keep a copy of your CV in case you need to refer to any questions regarding previous jobs, titles, dates, or numbers. The last thing you want to do is scramble through your emails during an interview which is often pressed for time. The same is applicable for wanting to jot down important notes and questions. You do not want to be running around at the last minute for a pen and paper.

Mental Preparation

1. Relax

This might come as a surprise to some of you, but chances are that the interviewer(s) is just as nervous. Technically, you’re both strangers and are about to e-meet each other for the first time so do not let your nerves be your downfall during an interview. Try finding healthy coping mechanisms such as practicing mindfulness and slow breathing before the meeting call to help reduce anxiety and remain calm.

Do not panic if you encounter glitches, especially if the issue is out of your control such as poor internet connection, the interviewer(s) should understand. Instead, think of other ways to transition the interview such as a phonecall or rescheduling to another time.

2. Eye contact – look at the camera and not the screen

The aim is to behave as if you were in a regular, in-person interview. So pretend the camera is the interviewer’s face, focus, listen attentively and engage with your interviewer(s). The point of looking at the camera is to create some form “eye contact”.

It is advisable to prepare your interviewing technique as well. Practice how to speak slowly and clearly so that you do not speak over anyone. Softwares like Microsft teams have the “raise your hand” control and you can make use of such tools as well.

The key to a successful online interview is simply preparing thoroughly ahead of time and having a backup plan should things not go accordingly. If you’re uncomfortable with the technology or how you look/sound on camera, the best you can do is practice, practice, practice. The more you practice, the better you’ll get with not only online conferencing technology but the art of interviewing, too!