In the first segment of the Cover Letter Workshop last week, I covered the best way to address a cover letter, the importance of using the name of the hiring manager, strategies to use if the hiring manager’s name cannot be discovered, and some simple steps to make the letter look as professional as possible. This week, we begin to address the body of the cover letter, and the best way to impress a prospective employer with the first few sentences of your letter.

The first paragraph of a successful cover letter should do at least two things: it should briefly highlight your best skills that you can offer to the position, and it should identify the job for which you are applying. You can also briefly identify any truly impressive facts upfront that will catch a hiring manager’s attention, such as a big-name former employer. Finally, if you are in a position to name-drop, this should occur in the first line.

Consider the following example:

My five years as an Office Manager for Super-Famous Firm has allowed me to gain strong skills in employee management, recruiting, interviewing, training, and internal business operations. After years of on-the-job training and proven performance, I believe I can offer the experience and skills that are crucial to the position of Human Resources Generalist.

This paragraph accomplishes just what it needs to. It informs the hiring manager what position is being applied for (Human Resources Generalist), it immediately identifies the strong skills that the applicant has to offer (employee management, recruiting, interviewing, training and internal business operations), and even highlights an impressive former employer that will catch the hiring manager’s attention (this applicant was an Office Manager for Super-Famous Firm and held onto that position for a five-year stretch).

Imagine that you are a hiring manager. What would be more likely to catch your attention - the above paragraph, or this dusty number:

Please accept my enclosed resume for consideration for the Human Resources Generalist position.

There’s really no contest. Opening your cover letter with a strong start can make all the difference between a hiring manager who reads your letter through to the end, studies your resume and quickly calls you to schedule an interview…or a hiring manager that gets bored after reading the opening line and tosses your resume into an overflowing in-box where it will languish indefinitely.

It’s not necessary to pack every relevant bit of information into the first paragraph of your cover letter. Greater detail can and should be provided further down in the second paragraph, after you’ve already captured a hiring manager’s attention. However, a brief and powerful statement of your strongest skills that are relevant to the sought-after position can ensure that a hiring manager will read the rest of your letter and resume with interest, and give you the consideration that you’re due.



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