Get Interviews: 5 Steps to a Perfect Cover Letter.

These steps will help you craft a cover letter that will capture the attention of the recruiter and lure them to look at your CV.

It’s no secret that the first step to getting a job is crafting a winning cover letter. A cover letter is the key that opens the door to your CV then the CV ensures that you are called for an interview. According to human resource experts, a cover letter is crucial because it determines whether the recruiter will take a look at your CV or bypass you to look at the next application. A cover letter is supposed to be brief, sleek, written in perfect grammar and straight to the point. Fuzu’s Head of People, Nelly Mutula always says that job seekers often repeat the mistake of duplicating the information in their CVs onto their cover letters. This makes the reviewer dismiss their application because it shows that they don’t have substance.

In order to write a cover letter that will guarantee you results, you need to apply the following steps:

1. Study the job post First and foremost, it is important to study the job post and also the company that is hiring. Many applicants fail to tailor their cover letters to the specific company and its particular requirements. Which causes them to be eliminated at the initial stages. You need to search and understand what the company stands for, their values, their culture, their products and their clientele. This will guide you to know how you can demonstrate how you’ll bring value to the company. Furthermore, it will help you show how your skills and work experience fit the job description.

2. Choose the most relevant skills In light of the job requirements, choose your best skills and qualifications that the employer is looking for. You may have a lot of skill and qualifications but in a cover letter you only need to include the best and most fit. The recruiter has a lot of applications to look at, so you need to be precise.

Pick out a skill and exemplify how you applied the skill in the past. For example, “As a communicator, I have written different press statements for company XYZ.”

3. Show how you fit in the team Like a jigsaw puzzle you need to show the employer how you fit into the team. This is where you show how the skills you possess are a vital addition to the company’s workforce. For example, “My skills as a social media influencer will be a plus for your marketing team as you seek to establish a stronger brand on social media.”

4. Call to action Your letter like any other successful marketing message needs to have a successful CTA. According to experts, you might have a stellar application but a weak CTA will have your application being ignored.

The following is an example of a strong CTA, “I look forward to meeting you face to face or having a phone call with you so that we can discuss how my skills and qualifications will help you meet the needs of your company.”

5. Edit and proofread thoroughly The importance of editing and proofreading your cover letter cannot be overstated. You might have what it takes to perform the job and even exceed the expectations of the employer, but one grammatical or typographical error will have you disqualified.

The recruiter is always on the lookout for small mistakes so that he/she can eliminate as many candidates especially when they have a very large pool of applications to choose from. Therefore, ensure that you carefully proofread the letter severally and ensure it has no mistakes. It needs to be in perfect and excellent grammar so that you can impress your potential employer.

The above steps will ensure that your cover letter captures the attention of the recruiter and lure them to look at your CV.