Jobs: Why is a cover letter so important?

The goal of a cover letter is simply to make the recruiter want to look at your application in detail.

A central part of your application, the cover letter must be perfect. A highlighting tool, the purpose of this letter is simply to make the recruiter want to look at your application in detail, to tempt them, quite simply. It must therefore give the necessary initial information and leave your reader with a good impression. What works? A dose of originality and a lot of relevance, but beware of "too much". The goal is to get a job interview.

1. The cover letter: Your spokesperson
Unlike a CV, a true professional genome but silent, the cover letter is your spokesperson, the tool that brings your application to life by highlighting your motivations, but also your personality. In other words, the cover letter complements the CV and justifies how your job application is consistent with your professional past and the projects you care about.

2. The structure of the cover letter must follow a logic.
The first development is the presentation. Show the recruiter that you know their company, their market, their strengths but also their problems. Any strategic thinking is welcome here, the goal of these steps being to make your application unique and clearly distinctive from the mass of applications received.

3. Don't forget to define your own motivation
Secondly, it is a question of defining your own motivation. Through your background and past experiences, highlight the key elements that will prove to the recruiter that you master the technical and personal skills required for the position. Don't forget, the aspects you highlight will echo the words you will use in the recruitment interview.

4. You are a service provider, you are the solution!
Thirdly, the added value you will bring is important to integrate into the cover letter. Why should they employ you rather than someone else? It's time to indicate what you will bring to the company, to make the recruiter want to pick up their phone and contact you immediately. Finally, a polite closing should be written as a conclusion. Take the opportunity to mention that you are available for an interview. Prefer an expression like "Hoping to meet you" to a voluntarist formula like "Looking forward to our interview", which is often poorly perceived. In short, the cover letter is responsible for selling you, so make an effort... You must also know how to personalize it, dose it (neither too shy nor too pretentious) and choose from your argument what will be particularly suitable for the proposed position...

By Alexandra Montant
CEO of ReKrute.com

Aujourdhui.ma

Published on February 8, 2014.

Posted online on February 11, 2014.