Every Job Search Should Start With a Cover Letter

Hi friend,

If you’re currently searching for a new job, odds are you started with your resume; most people do! You need a resume for just about any job application, even the jobs you find through networking, so it makes sense. But, every job seeker I work with starts with their cover letter, and here’s why:

What types of jobs are you searching for?

Starting your job search with a cover letter forces you to define the type of job you’re looking for. Many job seekers make the mistake of applying to every job they could do, instead of staying focused on the jobs they want to do. High volume, low quality job applications won’t lead to many interviews, and it won’t lead to a job you love.

If you start your job search with a cover letter, you have to decide what type of work you want to do every day in your next job in order to highlight your most relevant skills. Want to seek out a role managing a team? Then you’ll have to highlight your past leadership experience, of course. If you write a strong cover letter, you’ll find that the specificity makes it inapplicable to many jobs— and that’s a good thing! If your cover letter is too general, it’s not adding value to your application. A cover letter will help you stay focused on the job you really want.

What information belongs on your resume?

After you’ve held a job or two, most job seekers need to make decisions about what information to cut out of their resume. Without a cover letter, you’ll probably make these decisions based on what seems most prestigious or what experiences are most recent. With a cover letter, you have a blueprint in hand for the attributes you need to highlight to get the job you’re looking for. 

After you write your cover letter, you can review your skills section and each experience listed on your resume and map them to the attributes highlighted in your cover letter (i.e. customer service and written communication). Then, review the bullet points under those jobs to ensure they fully cover all of your responsibilities and accomplishments related to your key attributes, and cut most or all of the other bullet points. If something unrelated is important enough to keep, make sure it comes after the other information. 

Ultimately, a cover letter is a narrative about you and your career. Without clarity about the story you are trying to tell, it’s hard to focus your search or communicate clearly with your network and future interviewers about your skills and ambitions. No matter your industry or field, everyone needs a cover letter. And if you’re ready to write, you can check out my other blog on how to start your cover letter.

See you Thursday!

Karissa