How you can create e-mail cover letters that WORK!

Email cover letters or e-notes resolve the problem of attaching two documents to an email why also allowing you to create an introduction to your value.

Hung Lee from Wise Man Say had an interesting post on November 29 that caught my eye, “When to write a cover letter (Hint: Never)” I started writing a comment and then realized that I would take up his space with my answer and my readers need to hear the answer too.

One of Hung’s points is this:

We are at total media saturation already. Find me one HR Manager, Recruiter or Hiring Manager that has the time to read two candidate documents in a single email, and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t know how to prioritize and in all probability will soon be looking for a job himself. The chances of getting your email opened is already low; it follows that your chances of getting your CV read is likely to be even lower. What chance the extraneous cover letter?

Why using e-mail cover letters could make or break your job search

I think he and I disagree mostly on semantics. But I see a real difference between a cover letter and a resume. The resume, of course, must be value-driven and accomplishment-filled to sell your ability to do the job to the employer. But the basic construction of a resume is not personalized the way a cover letter can be.

You certainly can tailor a resume to showcase exactly how you can solve the company’s pain and improve their bottom-line. But the cover letter used correctly can achieve many things that your resume may not be able to achieve:

• You networked your way into a position and need to make the connection, the cover letter will let you explain your network connection:

“Bob Jones of XYZ Corporation were chatting the other day and he explained the need you have to resolve your widget production problem…” This little introduction tells the reader that Bob Jones knows you and values your talents. Hard to say that in a resume.

• You want to explain how you fit the position exactly:

“When you are launching a new software application, you need a Software Test Engineer on your team with extensive expertise in software testing, process management, and optimization. You want to be sure that your product withstands quality assurance testing throughout the process to result in 100% functional coverage of the application and related SMS platform.”

• You want to explain how you fit their culture because of other interests you may have:

I am not only qualified, but I also am passionate about baking, which makes me a perfect candidate for this position, as my passion for what I do and my experience as a Facility Manager lend a perfect balance to how I would effectively take on this position.

Job search has changed – try e-mail cover letters

• I advise my clients to paste the cover letter into the body of the e-mail.
• And “Dear Sir or Madam” is never acceptable anywhere. The job seeker needs to network, research, use LinkedIn expertly, and find contact names. Worst case scenario is Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Human Resources Manager but only after you have done every type of homework to clarify the contact name.
• Cover letters are also part of many applicant tracking systems (ATS). When you are invited to add a cover letter, having a text version ready to go will push your online application higher if it is tailored to the position and filled with keywords.

I hardly see the cover letter as archaic. Just to make sure I also have the UK perspective, I did a quick check with Christine Livingston from adifferentkindofwork.com, who previously was a HR Director with a Fortune 500 corporate:

Whether by email or letter – email better these days – you have to see the opportunity to succinctly promote yourself and say why you think you meet the specifications.

You just have to rethink how to use cover letters to make them effective in this increasingly fast-paced and often social media-based job search.You can chime in now!

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