Dear Readers! The following post is part of the series “The Dream Job is No Accident” by Doria. Today, you can read Part 14. The previous articles can be found using the search function under “Dream Job Series.” The upcoming posts will be published weekly on the blog. Enjoy reading and developing your ideas!
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What do many people dream of? “An unforgettable marriage proposal. With all the bells and whistles – romantic, extraordinary, and worth telling?” Or a “Honey, do you think we should get married?” – Undoubtedly, the first option. The second is not a proposal; it’s a pathetic state. We’re not into half-hearted gestures. It needs to be a proposal that the other person has been waiting for their whole life—a proposal that no one can refuse.
Every day, HR professionals receive 100 applications. How many promotional flyers do you find in your inbox? Think about how you deal with them. If you didn’t request them, they go straight into the trash. If you’re interested, your eyes scan the flyer in seconds, and if it doesn’t contain anything noteworthy, it’s back to the trash. Bad news: The same thing happens with your application materials.
You might think it’s the HR department’s job to properly review applications. You can think that, but there are still people, not machines, doing the work. After the 30th reading of “I am applying because of your advertisement…”, it gets boring and leads to a nap. HR professionals and department heads are polite and don’t actually fall asleep, but their brains handle it by saying, “Forget it, we’ve seen this before, snooze button.” So their eyes skim through, hoping to find something, because hope dies last. “After my studies in… I started at…”. Yes, that’s already in the resume. It’s dull. Your cover letter needs to be more exciting than the daily weather report! No repetitions, as the cover letter is an advertisement meant to invite further reading, not to be closed. So, you need to come up with something eye-catching!
Things you can or should use:
- An Intelligent Cover Page: Colorful, quirky, something that represents you as a candidate uniquely or makes your skills tangible. It’s important that this advertisement (cover page) clearly shows the immediate benefit to the company, the team, or the project, in addition to your competencies. The rest of the documents, like the resume and references, will then validate the cover page. In other words, the cover page is the introduction, and the rest of the documents are the proof.
- Cover Letter – or “Intelligent Flattery”: Find the best reasons why you specifically want to work for this company and craft them into a nice paragraph. Follow this with the benefits you bring to the company through your participation. 2-3 lines, no more. Use keywords from their philosophy or goals and rephrase facts from the job listing. These are keywords that companies like to see.
- Your Unique Selling Point: Here you can use the Unique Selling Point you developed in the blog post “Lovemark.” Present it in bullet points and/or text form, about 7-9 lines. Always tailor it to the qualifications and competencies required for the job.
- Building a Bridge to the Future: Describe how you want to impact the company without using the word “change.” Sounds challenging? Of course, a cover letter that makes an impact takes time and thought. Create images in the readers’ minds of the future with you in the company. Keep it to no more than 3 lines.
- Readability: Highlight key elements, use bullet points for a clearer overview, and crisp wording helps to capture attention. Incorporate the company’s colors (not the logo!), as they are positively associated in the reader’s mind.
In the next post, we’ll explore truly spectacular application variants!
Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash
