Many people don’t add a cover letter to their application when applying for jobs.

However, having a cover letter can help when applying for jobs...

Especially when you customise it to a specific role with a specific employer! It may seem that this will create more work for you and can be time consuming, but it can be that point of difference to get you in the door for that important job interview.

You might think why is a cover letter important? Your resume is an important document in your job search, but it only tells part of your story. Having a long resume isn’t always helpful, as hiring managers will not read it all, they could skim over important details. A cover letter helps you break it up in a way that a hiring manager can understand, it can explain why you are applying for this job and why they should hire you. Six seconds is all it takes to grab the attention of the reader and decide whether to ditch your application or move you to the next step. Therefore carefully selecting words that match their job ads will increase your chances of passing through that quick six second review.

Don’t forget to highlight your soft skills that are relevant to the job too. People like to work with people that are like them and that they like, so a work culture is so important to employers. You are more likely to be hired by employers who have similar values and goals to yours.

Good luck!