In this last step of the guide, we will fine-tune the cover letter a little and adjust. Then you are done!

Layout and finishing

Finally, it is time to start writing! Please pick up your old notes from the previous exercises and read them to have them fresh in mind when you begin this step.

Write!

We'll look at the job advertisement to figure out what it means. Then, of course, we will also look at how you can match your application to the ad.

Research the job

Let's be honest: this will be the most challenging part following this guide. It will take a little extra time and concentration to get through. If you're eager to get started on actually writing your letter, then you might find this a little frustrating as well. But do not cheat now! Get through this step, and the result will be good.

Make your message clear

The letter helps you control expectations and answer objections in advance. It is your most significant opportunity to focus on what you believe makes you a unique candidate. The more energy you put into the personal letter, the more the chances increase that you will move on to the job interview. A cover letter is the most complex and essential part of the job application. As there are more and more applicants for the same job, the letter becomes more crucial than ever. The cover letter is the first and in many cases the only one that the employer or recruiter reads. The differences between the people who apply for a job are often very small in terms of formal competence, ie what educations you have completed and what experiences you have. What, on the other hand, can set you apart from others who are looking for the same job, are, for example, your personal qualities, your goals and your ambitions. This is where the cover letter comes in. In addition to clarifying your application, the letter is the part of the application that can show who you are and add personality. There is room for humor, stories, and in-depth study if you like. If a CV is about your history and what you have done so far that makes you suitable for the job, then the cover letter is what talks about the future and what you will be able to contribute if they hire you. In fact, no one gets a job because of what they have done before, but for what they will be able to contribute. Of course, it is important to talk about what you have done before, but it is at least as necessary to talk about what you want to do, will do, and where you are going. The cover letter helps sew together your application and gives a clearer picture of who you are.


Write your cover letter

Let's start this guide by looking at the job advertisement for the job you are applying for and figuring out what it means.

What should you look for among all the demands, wishes, and unspoken needs? It would be best to look for clues to understand both the organization and the position as well as possible. And you are also looking for what is expected of you, so you can decide if it is right - and in that case, clearly convey it in your application. Here are some areas you can start searching for:<ul><li>What to know. You need to know some things to be able to do the job. For example, you need to have some knowledge that comes with education, insights into an industry, or knowledge of the organization or its competitors. Some you may have read and some you may have learned through experience.</li><li>What you should be able to do. Part of what is in demand is skills or abilities. For example, you may need to be good at receiving clients, making decisions, or editing text.</li><li>How to be. To fit into the workgroup and the culture in the workplace, you probably need to be in a certain way for you to thrive with each other. It also usually appears in the ad and can range from that you should be creative to that you should have humour.</li></ul>

Different types of requirements

When you research a job, the most important thing is to figure out what the requirements are, what the wishes are, and what the unspoken needs are. Something that the employer has not thought of writing.<ul><li>Requirements. Part of what it says is formal requirements that you must have. For example, to work as a lawyer, you must have a law degree, and to work as an Art Director, you must know the InDesign program. Other things that seem to be requirements, you can, in many cases, compensate in different ways. For example, to work as a marketing assistant, you may not need to have a degree in marketing, but interest and previous experience will eventually be enough - or even better.</li><li>Desires. Other parts of the ad may be wishes about what you should know or how you should be. Some of it is described straight &amp; clear, and some can be read between the lines or figured out elsewhere. For example, it may be desirable for you to master the programs used within the organization, making the starting distance shorter. Still, it is not a requirement, and they are willing to train the next employee on site.</li><li>Unspoken needs. Some things do not appear in the job advertisement, even though they may wish to do so. It may be, for example, that they have a high average age in the organization and would like to hire someone young, but that they do not dare to write it in the job advertisement. Then it can still be good to point it out in your application. Other things they may not have thought of are good to ask for - for example, that you have an understanding of a particular industry because many of their customers are in that industry or similar. This is also good to point out.</li></ul>

Different degrees of requirements

In this step, we'll look at the job advertisement you are applying for and figure out what it means. Then, of course, we will also look at matching your application to the ad.

In this step, you will focus on highlighting your potential by reporting results and creating credibility. 

For your letter to be credible, you need to state that you have got what the role requires. On the one hand, you need to give an idea that you meet the formal requirements for the position. On the one hand, you need to show that you can achieve results. On the one hand, you need to provide credible descriptions of your personal qualities. Education and experience are part of this, but you must also tell who you are in your professional role.&nbsp;Use your qualities to describe who you are and what you can achieve thanks to them. &nbsp;Keep in mind that a trait is not the same as a skill. A quality is something that you are, not something that you can.By linking results to your characteristics, you create a more credible image. Your unique qualities have made the results you have previously achieved - not chance or luck. If you have precise, concrete results you have achieved, state them. For example, look back at your previous jobs and ask yourself if there were any goals when you started and how they were achieved, or how it was different when you left compared to when you started.It does not always have to be stated goals. Still, it can also be in the form of, for example, streamlining, improved relationships with other departments, a high workload, good results, or something else that you are extra proud of.

Report results and create credibility

Your CV describes your background, what you did, what educations you went to, what jobs you had. It is about you. But a job is a relationship between two parties, between you and your employer. So, just as your resume focuses on you, your letter should focus on the employer and the matching between you.Always tailor your application specifically to the employer you are applying to and the position you want. As an employer or recruiter, I want to know that you have a reason to apply to us! If I already notice in the cover letter that you, for example, understand how we differ from our competitors - and that this is why you chose us - then I will want to meet you. In other words, you need to show why you are looking for a job with this particular company.By showing that you know the workplace and understand the role you are looking for, you indicate that you are committed and have thought through your choice. Therefore, it is essential to go beyond the obvious and show in-depth that you have chosen them for a reason.Google the organization, examine their social media presence, find out their vision or ask someone you know who works there to create a thorough picture of who they are. Also, show that you understand the role by describing similarities with previous roles, the parts you are most looking forward to, or what results you are looking forward to achieving.There are no standard wordings or one-size-fits-all answers that work here. &nbsp;Why you chose to apply to this particular company is unique. And that's also why it is so strong. So here are at least a few tips on how to think about what to write:<ul><li>When did you first hear about this company? What made you remember it?</li><li>Have you used the company's products? What do you like about the products?</li><li>Have you heard anything about the company from others? Maybe from friends who work there?</li><li>Have you deliberately looked for interesting employers and found just this company? What criteria did you use when searching? What made you get hooked on them?</li><li>Have you ever talked to your friends about this company? What was that discussion about?</li><li>What values ​​does this company stand for?</li><li>What makes you interested in this particular organization?</li><li>What makes you interested in this particular service?</li></ul>

Focus on the employer

Research shows that we humans tend to be drawn to opportunities and potential. It is not for everything excellent you've done before that you'll get a job. But for all the new amazing things you will do. Although what we have done shows what we can do, we also need to communicate our future and potential.One of the success factors for a strong cover letter is to demonstrate potential.Unfortunately, it is common to write that one's goal is to "benefit from the education" or "use of previous experiences and qualities". Almost always, when you write, you do it because you have seen others do it; it is a cliché. But think about it, what does that say to your prospective employer? So you want a job just because you happened to read a specific line? Since you have certain qualities and experiences, it is just as good that you use them, even though you might want to do something completely different, right? Unfortunately, it is a bit like saying you want to drive someone's car just because you have a driver's license - not very convincing.One goal is not to use the knowledge you already have; it is to learn something new or achieve something you have not achieved before: that you have a direction (a goal is not a goal if you already have it, right?) We test which of these two goal formulations do you think your employer would like to see:<ul><li>"I have now studied accounting and would like to use that knowledge with you."</li><li>"I want to work with accounting so that I can develop my knowledge towards working with consolidated accounts and large cash flows."</li></ul>The first wording signals stagnation that you are satisfied and not very committed. The second shows goals, potential, and ambition.So the direction is essential, but passion then? Well, passion can also be a necessary part of a goal. It does not have to be, but it often is and is also an attractive part of an objective from an employer's perspective. Imagine we are adding the following sentence to our second option above:<ul><li>"I have always loved handling large numbers, and I find it easy to find discrepancies, which makes me think it is enjoyable to work with…"</li></ul>Your goal statement is no longer "I have the right education, give me a job now" but more "I have a direction and passion for this that makes you benefit from me".Resist the temptation to write standard wording when writing your letter, but instead, use terminology that has a direction (and preferably passion).

Highlight potential

This reasonably heavy step takes a little extra time and concentration to get through. If you're eager to get started on actually writing your letter, then you might find this a little frustrating as well. But do not cheat now! Get through this step, and the result will be good.


Time to pick up your old notes from the previous exercises and write!

A cover letter easily gets too long; it should not be longer than 3-4 paragraphs of about 7 lines each and fit on one page. Therefore, it is crucial to be concise in the message and formulations, to still get what you want to convey.After finishing your cover letter, you should go back and make sure that you avoid repetitions or lengthy explanations. Make sure it is as short as possible but that you still get what you want to say. It is more complicated than it sounds because you want to tell everything that is to your advantage for the job you are looking for, but the truth is that you rarely hear anything when you say too much. You probably recognize the concept of "I do not see the forest for all the trees that are in the way", which can be applied to an application to the highest degree.Also, remember to structure your cover letter so that it is both easy to follow the text and keep up with your arguments and reasoning, but also so that it is possible to navigate it if you want to go back and read about parts of it. Let each paragraph have a central argument to make it easier for the reader and make your letter clear and easy to understand.

Structure and shorten

For a start, it is best to start writing without thinking about whether it is worded correctly or if it is a good start. Then, get what you want to say and help yourself out from your support words. Then, completely ignore the structure and finish.Sometimes it can be challenging to write if you do not know who you are writing to. Therefore, try to figure out who will read your letter. Maybe it is already in the ad? Perhaps you can look at the company's website and find an HR manager? If you get a face and a name for a person, it often feels much more effortless. Then you will subconsciously or consciously write the letter to them. On the other hand, if you do not find the person you think will read your letter, you can find a person and imagine that you are writing to that person instead.Once you have what you want to say, you have the first draft to continue working from.At this point, do not worry about it being perfect or even good. Expect that you will still throw away most of what you write. Just make sure that there is some valuable content, and in the following steps, we will hone it further.

 Start somewhere

The introduction to your letter needs to be exciting and make the reader want to read on. Some recruiters have hundreds of applications to go through and quickly reject an application that does not seem interesting at first glance.It is common to start your letter by repeating the information you have already provided. For example, "My name is Carolina, and I hereby apply for the position as xx because I find your organization interesting". It may seem nice to present yourself in the introduction, but it is not very interesting. It is also stupid to repeat yourself on the small surface in an application. Instead, you can start your letter in one of the following ways:<ul><li>"I have followed your development in recent years and am fascinated by…"</li><li>"My goal since school time has been to specialize in…."</li><li>“When I was little, I used to sit under my dad's desk and listen to his phone calls with customers. Ever since then, I have wanted… ”</li></ul>You can, of course, capture a reader's interest in a variety of ways, and there are no given answers. If there were a trick to take, it would quickly bore a seasoned recruiter when more people learn the trick… So instead, try to look at the text you wrote and see if there is any part that stands out and could make the reader stop.

Write the introduction

You must end your letter in such a way that the last thing the reader brings with them after reading your letter is a strong and positive feeling. The very last short paragraph in your letter should therefore be summarized with the most important thing you want to say with your letter - your main argument - and a line that you look forward to hearing from them, meeting them or the like. Also, do not forget to end with a greeting and your name.

Write the end

How formal you should be in the letter's tone depends on the job you are looking for. A tip is to stick to the same manner as in the job advertisement and on the organization's website. An application letter for a job within an academic and strict organization should thus have a more formal language than if, for example, you are applying for a job at a young startup.

Language and tonality

Now it's time to write! Pick up your old notes from the previous exercises and read them so you have them fresh in mind when you start this step.


In the last step, we will just fine-tune the cover letter a little and adjust. Then you're done!

It is more important to stand out for the content than the form. If you are not looking for a job with a graphic talent or ability, it may be wise not to bother with it by trying to stand out with a different layout. The simple is most often the most beautiful.Here are some basic rules that are good to check:<ul><li>Let the text be in size 11 or 12</li><li>Use an easy-to-read font, such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica</li><li>Use easy line spacing</li><li>Make clear boundaries between each paragraph, preferably with a blank line in between.</li><li>Use default settings for the margins at the top, bottom, and sides.</li><li>Avoid colours and shapes if you are not sure you are getting it graphic.</li><li>Enter your contact information, for example, in the header at the top right</li><li>Specify the recipient and any reference requested in the ad- </li></ul>

Layout

﻿A good idea to get your entire application to give a good impression is to match the cover letter with your CV. By using the same font and letting details in the layout follow, you can, with simple means, make your application look professional. For example, you can:<ul><li class="ql-indent-1">Enter your contact information in the same way</li><li>Use the same font</li><li>Use the same size of text and headings</li><li>Have any graphic elements repeated</li></ul>

Match with the CV

Feel free to add a picture to your application. An image can make the application more personal and can make it easier for the recruiter to get an idea of ​​you as a person. However, keep in mind that the image must be adapted to your application and of good quality to add a positive value.

Image

No matter where you are looking for a job, spelling and grammar significantly impact your overall impression. Therefore, make sure that you do not let spelling and grammatical errors slip away. The sentence structure must be correct, and the language must be fluent so that the reader does not stumble and need to read about parts to understand what you mean. To ensure that you succeed in this, there are some tricks:<ul><li>Use the spelling program on your computer for both spelling and grammar</li><li>Read the letter aloud to yourself</li><li>Leave the letter when you feel ready and reread it a few hours later</li><li>Ask someone else to read it</li></ul>

Spelling and grammar

We are almost done! Now we will fine-tune and adjust the letter a little. Then you're done. Good job! 

How to write an impressive cover letter

Layout and finishing

Layout

Match with the CV

Image

Spelling and grammar