3 Tips for Revising Your Cover Letter
Hi friend,
Don’t worry— this is not a blog about grammar and spelling (do check for that though)! This is a blog about common weak points in cover letter writing, and what to look for when revising your cover letter. If you don’t have a completed cover letter yet, jump back to how to start your cover letter, and work your way here!
Make Sure Your Cover Letter Sends the Right Message
Give your cover letter to a friend, preferably someone who has not worked with you or doesn’t know much about your day to day work. Ask them to read it, and then summarize it in their own words as though they were a member of a hiring team telling a teammate about a candidate. Listen carefully to how they explain who you are, your strengths, and what you’re looking for. Repeat this several more times and compare the results. If your readers emphasized anything you do not think is important, if there was confusion, or if readers interpreted something in a variety of ways, you need to revise that portion of your cover letter.
Make Sure Your Cover Letter Includes Context
In your middle paragraphs, you provided supporting examples about your experience and qualities. In each example, make sure you included the following information:
Which position the example is pulled from
Who you were working with
What you were responsible for
How you approached the problem/work
Why you made your decisions
What the outcomes were
This information doesn’t need to be in exact order as long as it’s present. For example, you could start an example by stating what you achieved in a previous position before going into how.
Make Sure Your Cover Letter Sounds Good Out Loud
Your cover letter is a story about you and should flow narratively. Read your cover letter out loud, or ask someone else to read it out loud, and flag any transitions or sentences that sound awkward or unwieldy. Listen for unintended alliteration (when words all start with the same sound in close proximity) or repeated words. Listen for any places that feel complex or rambling. If you’re listening to someone else read, it’s easiest to follow along with your own copy and circle things as they go.
You will probably go through some additional revisions as you network and submit job applications, based on feedback or shifts in your own thinking about your career goals, and that’s okay! Your cover letter and resume don’t have to be perfect to get started. But the most important thing is that your cover letter should feel like you. Don’t submit something that doesn’t feel authentic. After all, the goal is to find a job that’s exactly right for you.
See you next week,
Karissa
