CelinaGHow does the ideal cover letter look like?
The letter of application, often also called the cover letter, is the heart of your application. It is often underestimated, but it is your ticket to the company. This is where you score points with individuality and personality.
The first impression counts
The draft of the cover letter is the most time-consuming part of your application. If you make mistakes here, you could be eliminated before the recruiter has even read your application in its entirety. Therefore, pay special attention to the preparation and plan enough time. An ill-considered or superficially written cover letter can ruin your entire application.
The cover letter is virtually the cover letter of your application portfolio. If you send your application by mail, it will not be in the application folder, but on top of it.
Online applications also have a cover letter. However, the text of the cover letter does not belong in the e-mail under any circumstances. The cover letter is sent as a separate document attached to the e-mail.
An example text for the e-mail could be:
Dear Mr. …,
I am applying for … Please find my complete application documents attached.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at …
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely.
…
Your complete application documents consist of: Your cover letter, a cover sheet if applicable, your CV, a letter of motivation if applicable, a qualification profile or a project list as well as the attachments such as references, certificates, etc.
Good preparation is half the battle
Don’t make the mistake of writing hundreds of applications and only changing the company name each time. Trained personnel managers will recognize this at first glance and will immediately reject your application.
Before you start writing your cover letter, take a close look at the company and the position advertised. Visit the company’s website, research important company data and figures. Also work through the job advertisement thoroughly several times. Pay attention to the information on the essential requirements and additional requirements for the applicant.
Afterwards, you can ask yourself a few questions to better prepare and set the mood.
Questions about the company:
What makes this company stand out?
What makes it special?
Why do you absolutely want to become a part of this company?
What advantages does the company gain from you?
How can you both benefit from each other?
Layout & Format
Your cover letter should be no more than one page long and should captivate the recruiter with a few, but meaningful sentences and make them curious about you.
It can be assumed that companies that advertise jobs in the administrative sector expect an application including a cover letter that has been prepared according to DIN 5008. This DIN standard deals with writing and design rules for texts and information and is one of the basic standards for work in the office and administrative sector. You are welcome to base the layout and format of your cover letter on DIN 5008. This leaves a very professional impression, but it is not a must.
The main thing is to make your cover letter consistent with the rest of your application materials and leave a positive impression. Your cover letter must encourage the recruiter to read your entire application.
A simple but appealing design that does not appear too obtrusive and possibly visually overwhelm or even scare off the recruiter has proven to be effective.
Muted colors or shading can be pleasantly supportive.
Choose common, easy-to-read fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial or Helvetica in font size 12, although the size also depends on the font you choose. Be sure to use line spacing that puts the text in a comfortable reading pattern. Usually use a line spacing of 1 or even 1.5.
Write left justified or, if appropriate, justified. Be sure to use consistent indents, lines, and spacing.
If you have a lot of text to fit, reduce all text to font size 11 or even 10, or choose a different font. You can also use the header and footer to include your contact information or list attachments, for example.
Use the option of bolding and also bulleted lists. But again, don’t overdo it. For better orientation for the reader, divide the text into thematic paragraphs.
Structure & Content
For better orientation and readability, each cover letter follows a clear structure and is structured as follows:
Letterhead
Salutation
Introduction
Main body
Closing
Greeting and signature
Attachments
In the cover letter, briefly and concisely clarify the following questions and facts.
How did I hear about the position?
Who am I and how can the company benefit from me?
What are my qualities and soft skills?
What successes can I demonstrate and how will these benefit the company?
What special skills can I score with?
What is my unique selling point?
As a matter of principle, always establish a job reference and also use the statements in the job description.
Create a connection to the company and the job. Don’t give the impression that you have simply changed the company name on several applications. Phrase each sentence as if you wrote it just for that company.
Letterhead
The letterhead is designed like a business letter and includes your personal contact information as well as that of the company.
Include your full name, address, and contact information (phone, email). Place and date also find place here. Always use a current date and make sure that it is always the same in all other individually created documents of your application.
The address of the company to which you are applying should be checked extremely carefully. There should be no spelling or careless mistakes here. This leaves an unprofessional impression. Therefore, once again compare the information in your cover letter with that in the job posting.
Directly under the company name, also state the name of the contact person for your application, starting with Mr. or Ms.. This is often mentioned directly in job advertisements.
Tip: Assuming that companies keep their websites up to date, you can search for the right contact person here. It makes a good impression if you address the person responsible directly.
The letterhead concludes with the subject line. It seems to be an unimportant detail, but it is the first thing that catches the eye of the recipient of your application.
In the subject line you say what it is about. By the way, the word subject is not written down. It forms the introduction to your application and makes it easier to classify it. Particularly in large companies, several positions in different departments are often advertised at the same time.
Choose expressive phrases that make it immediately clear which job or position you are applying for. Also, keep it short and to the point.
Some job advertisements also have a reference number, which you must then state here. Of course, this is not required for unsolicited applications.
Be sure to mention the job title of the company. For example, do not apply as Financial Accountant if the company is advertising the position of Financial Accountant.
The subject line consists of one or a maximum of two lines, with the second line being the reference line. The first line is always set apart from the rest of the text by font type and size. In the second line, you can specify, for example, the location and date of the job advertisement. This line is written smaller than the first and is only used to indicate further information. Many companies use multiple media and channels for their recruiting, which is why internal orientation is then easier.
Salutation
You should always choose the personal salutation. This is: “Dear Ms. xy” or “Dear Mr. xy”. Make sure that you spell the name correctly.
For reasons of politeness, the woman is always called first if there are several contacts. However, this does not apply if there are different positions in the company. The person with the higher position is always called first, regardless of whether it is a man or a woman.
If you do not know the contact person in the company, use the general form of address “Dear Sir or Madam”. Depending on the company, you can also use other salutatory formulas such as “Guten Tag”, “Hallo” or, in the more upscale version, “Sehr verehrte Damen und Herren”.
Introduction
The first sentence of your introduction should show who you are and immediately arouse curiosity about you as a person.
Perhaps there has been previous contact at a trade fair or conversations with recruiters? Great, refer to this.
It must be clear within the first few lines what your strengths are and what added value you offer to the company.
Main body
Show confidently and creatively what skills you have and why you are the ideal person for the job. Create strong arguments that will convince the recruiter to want to get to know you better and invite you for an interview.
Go into detail about your qualifications and also about your professional experience. Which requirements of the company do you meet? Also refer to relevant stations in your resume. Add to them, but do not repeat them verbatim.
Have you already successfully completed projects in previous positions? Feel free to cite facts and figures that demonstrate your successes without exaggerating or violating your duty of confidentiality.
You can also present your relevant qualifications and skills as short lists. This loosens up the entire cover letter and attracts the recruiter’s attention. Individuality always makes an impression and remains in the memory.
Here, you should also credibly describe your career goals in relation to the advertised position.
How can you contribute your expertise to the company?
What new professional challenges are associated with the position?
HR managers like to see you pursue concrete goals together with the company. This can emphasize a long-term nature in the cooperation. How can the company benefit from you in the process? Find descriptive and convincing examples.
Closing
Every finale needs a climax, and so does your cover letter. Don’t fall into the subjunctive and write sentences like: “I would be happy to …” or “I would be happy to …”. These phrases make you seem uncertain and hesitant. You have explained throughout your cover letter why you are the ideal person to fill the position. Your closing sentence should be equally confident and self-assured, without coming across as arrogant.
If possible, include a call-to-action. By this you mean a call to action to contact you. It works.
Examples might include:
I look forward to your positive feedback.
Have I aroused your interest? Then I look forward to meeting you in person.
I welcome the opportunity to meet with you in person. Please feel free to call me at 0123 456789.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone or e-mail.
I would be happy to convince you in a personal meeting.
Many things are easier to discuss in a personal meeting, so I look forward to your invitation.
Only if the job advertisement explicitly asks for your salary requirements and notice periods, you should state them. Do not ignore it, this could give the impression that you do not know what you want or want to conceal something.
Greeting and signature
Your cover letter ends formally with a greeting.
You can use the following classic formulations:
Yours sincerely
Best regards
Best thanks
Thank you very much
Thank you for your time
By signing this form, you certify that all of the information and statements you have provided are true and correct. Please always sign the original with a blue fountain pen or ballpoint pen. If you are sending your application online, print out the cover letter, sign it and scan it as a PDF document. In general, all attachments to an application should be sent in PDF format.
You can also scan your signature once and paste it into the document. In that case, please make sure that the pasted object does not cast any borders or shadows.
Attachments
For the sake of completeness, a word about the attachments to your application.
Every recruiter is happy about this, but nowadays a list of attachments is no longer a must. It simply makes it easier for a recruiter to check whether your application documents are complete. It also makes it easier for him to find his way around.
