When prospective employers are looking for someone to fill in a vacant position in their organization, a common question that comes up is “what kind of person would be best suited and most successful in this position?” Elements such as experience, background, and skills are all considered. Two additional elements that many applicants may not realize are part of the consideration include personality and creativity. This assumes of course that the applicants are not only qualified for the position, but that they have written an appropriate professional cover letter as part of the process.
So what can help you to stand out from the crowd? What sort of cover letter style can properly demonstrate your personality and even your creativity?
It’s important as you put together your professional cover letter to add in your own personality amongst the experience and background that you portray. As this is a vital document in getting attention and moving to next steps, this is fundamentally important. If you want to be sure to stand out from the crowd and ensure that your cover letter style commands attention and jumps off the page at the potential employer, then you need to focus on a great deal of creativity.
Force prospective employers to see beyond your degree and experience. Help them to see through your professional cover letter who you are wand why you are a perfect fit for their organization. Your cover letter style can speak volumes about you, and it’s important to remember that this is the document that may make or break your opportunity to move forward in the process. Most companies will not have the time or desire to interview every single qualified candidate that sends them a resume. Your cover letter has to say it all if you wish to stand out from every other candidate, and that means that it needs to go above and beyond. Put your own personal stamp on it and show that you are a creative individual with your cover letter style, language, and approach—that’s what will help you to get noticed at the end of the day.
So by now you may be asking “how do I know what an employer wants?”. Take the time to do your homework, and this shows through as part of your creativity and effort in your professional cover letter. You need to read up on some of the most applicable subject matters such as employer profiles, industry outlook, forecasts, and trends. This will help to demonstrate that you took the time and initiative to be prepared and this shows through as a strength in your personality as a potential candidate. Moving towards a creative and personable approach in your cover letter style assumes of course that you have taken the time and effort to write an appropriate and winning resume and support documents in the first place. That is of course the first and most important step in the process, and the creativity should help to echo that and make you even stronger.
You want an employer to read through your professional cover letter and recognize that you are the person for the job and that they simply must meet you. It’s important that your cover letter style first and foremost cover the basics in conveying your experience and background, and that only then you move into the more creativity aspects for landing the job.
Portraying something intelligent and pertinent about the organization, industry, or even open position is an effective tactic that many people don’t recognize or practice. When you take the time to write out your professional cover letter you want it to scream to the hiring manager that you are worth noticing and that you have what it takes to get the job done. Showing that you’ve done your homework shows a strength and initiative in your personality and is what helps you to get noticed. If you can create a cover letter style that represents you well and helps to show your creativity, then you are sure to move on in the process and ultimately land the interview. The following is a list of sources that you can use to find information on a given organization:
- Company headquarters, branch locations;
- Company mission and vision statement;
- Name of officers;
- Size of staff;
- Products and services;
- Sales and marketing actions;
- Competitor’s profile;
- Competitors marketing actions;
- Financial information;
- Company news release;
- History, Stability and Growth;
- Divisions, subsidiaries, and affiliates;
- JV’s profile;
- JV’s competitors’ information;
- Rank of company among large corporations;
- Position of a company in its industry or field;
- Plans for new products, services, locations, the future development;
- Customer complains, feedbacks;
- Online discussion
If you want to truly get noticed and ensure that you move on in the process, then you need to create a cover letter style that not only demonstrates your capabilities but also your personality and creativity. While potential employers are going to be concerned first and foremost with your experience and background, a professional cover letter that demonstrates your creativity and ability to get into the details will help to differentiate you from the crowd. If you do your research, it will show through and result in you moving on in the process.
November 4, 2009