How to Write a Cover Letter That Stands Out: 3 Steps

The relationship between people and cover letters is love-hate. A majority detest writing them. Some people adore hiring managers, while others despise them. But you NEED a cover letter that sticks out if you want to leave a positive impression.

In my experience, when a cover letter is necessary, it is read 50% of the time and 100% of the time when it is not.

Therefore, it’s crucial to put effort into creating a cover letter that stands out and draws attention to you.

As a result, I’m going to walk you through the three components of a standout cover letter in this article.

How to Write a Cover Letter That Stands Out and Gets You Interviews

Three crucial elements make up a standout cover letter and are intended to convince the reader that you are the perfect candidate for the position.

We’ll start with the first section of the guide on how to write a cover letter that stands out before moving on to the other two.

Step 1: Verbalize the Pain

Use the cover letter to demonstrate to the reader that you are aware of the difficulties the company faces and why you are the best person to address these problems. Show them that you are aware of their suffering and that you have the power to alleviate it.

Pain can take many different forms, including the smooth completion of a project to avoid disrupting business, the development or expansion of a team to gain market share, the introduction of a new product or service to boost brand recognition, and the ability to reduce costs through the introduction of automation and process efficiencies.

You must conduct a study on the company and assume the position of the employees in order to accomplish this. Examine the job description and consider what they appear to require assistance with.

That properly sets us up for the second phase of creating a standout cover letter.

Step 2: Examples that Show Pain Solving

The following step is to persuade the reader that you are the one who can alleviate the issue or the pain once you have successfully demonstrated to them that you understand it.

If it specifies that they require someone who can handle a heavy workload and work in a fast-paced setting, they presumably have an excessive amount of work coming in and are stressed out or overwhelmed. Prove to them that you can lighten their load.

The ideal method to write a standout cover letter is to discuss how you can do this, or better yet, how you’ve done this in the past for previous employers if they state that they need someone who can make a great impression on clients to help them build their business.

Give them concrete accomplishments; the more specific, the better. Describe the facts, figures, statistics, and outcomes. Don’t forget about this when you arrive for the interview as well.

(If you’re applying for your first job and don’t have any prior accomplishments to discuss, check this article on how to write a cover letter without experience.)

Step 3: Moving Past the Pain

Recapitulating your abilities and how they can help a company advance toward achieving its greater mission, vision, or objective should be the third section of a standout cover letter.

You must combine the first two parts of your argument to arrive at your conclusion.

Let them know how hiring you will benefit their business. What will occur once these issues are resolved? Get them fired up about working with you and the firm in the future… and demonstrate to them your enthusiasm for the task at hand.

The “Secret Weapon” to End Your Stand-Out Cover Letter

The major body of your cover letter will be crafted in a way that will make it stand out to companies and land you an interview once you’ve completed the three steps above.

To make yourself even more noticeable, you should do one additional thing…

Finish your cover letter by politely requesting an interview. Although it sounds straightforward, more than 50% of job searchers fail to follow this advice!

Give them your phone number and tell them to call you to schedule a meeting. Tell them you want to schedule an interview with them so you can chat more in-depth and answer any questions they may have regarding your background.

This is the last crucial step in creating a cover letter that stands out.

Formatting Your Cover Letter Before Sending

Generally speaking, e-notes replaced cover letters when it was possible to send resumes via e-mail or the internet.

I advise job hunters to send out notes using both traditional snail mail and electronic means to cover all their bases. Although e-notes and cover letters include many of the same basic components, some of them have been altered or must be placed in a different place.

Therefore, let’s go over how to write your cover letter in an electronic format.

1. Contact Information

In contrast to a cover letter, where your contact information must be listed first, an e-note should place this information below your name in the form of an email signature. Make sure you at the very least include your LinkedIn URL, full name, contact information (phone, email, address), and address.

2. Reference Line

Below the “Dear Hiring Manager,” line is Reference Lines that describe the position you are aiming for. However, in an e-note, the subject matter line is where this information must go to start the email.

3. Screen v. Print Reads

Online reading is a completely different experience than reading in print. It’s actually a lot harder. This is large because reading thick blocks of information (long paragraphs, lists of bullet points) on a screen can be difficult for our eyes to process.

Your e-note should have paragraphs that are no more than two to three lines in order to enable easy online reading.

If you anticipate that someone will view your resume online, keep this in mind as you structure it.

A Stand-Out Cover Letter Can be the Difference Between an Interview and Rejection

Some recruiting managers do give cover letters some consideration, though not all do. And when hiring managers demand it, there is a strong likelihood that they are concerned and will use it to select candidates for interviews.

You’ll obtain more interviews and land a job faster if you use the tips above to produce a cover letter that sticks out to employers.