Cover letter, resume, and portfolio are three keys to success when applying for any job. CL or cover letter is a concise description of your skills and results in the profession of your choice. At present, submitting a cover letter is a common practice. Without it, you will not even be chosen for a mid-level company. Also, you risk being rejected by the HR manager if you miss providing a cover letter.
An HR manager reads this doc first and only then decides whether it makes sense to see your resume. Therefore, if you really want to secure a job in a particular company and you have a chance to write a cover letter, be sure to do it. You can style it beautifully using a career change cover letter template found on the Web.
A cover letter is especially vital for job seekers with no work experience. A young specialist who has just recently left a college or university can hardly surprise an employer. So, if you do not have enough work experience and practical skills, you need to mention your high motivation, enthusiasm, and energy. It is typically catchy for HR managers and company executives.
This short and semi-formal document increases your chances when applying for a job and submitting your resume. An illustrative analogy is pertinent here. If a resume is an original product, then a cover letter is its advertisement. In this way, if you want to sell yourself in the labor market successfully, do not be reluctant to write a career change cover letter. In what way can you write a cover letter that will become your business card when applying for a job?
First of all, you should focus on a well-structured design of your cover letter for career change. The structure is a strict order and correct presentation of thoughts. Do not deviate from the chosen structure. Avoid the stream of consciousness not to confuse the HR manager and give a negative impression of yourself.
Start with a greeting and turn to the HR manager or company director personally. You can simply use Dear Sir/Madam or find the company leader's name in the public domain. Present your full name, the source where you found the vacancy, and the opening you are applying for.
Then, briefly tell what precisely you are able to do, what you have already done on a professional level, and what results you have obtained. Indicate how you can be useful for this particular project or job. Your task is to arouse the employer's interest in your candidacy.
Why are you interested in this vacancy? Maybe, you want to get more experience, learn from the professionals in their field, or prefer to work remotely. Show that you are genuinely interested in working for this company and explain why.
In conclusion, thank officers for their attention and make it clear that you are ready to meet personally and discuss the details of cooperation. Do not forget to include your contact information.
A resume is a presentation of concise information in the form of a list of work experience, education, professional development, and personal skills. A cover letter is an appeal to the company's managers with an offer to review your documents and an explanation of the key points why they need to look at your candidacy. If your career change cover letter reads great, the company officers will read your resume more closely.
You need to carefully study what kind of company it is and who works for it. If this is an IT studio, you can present yourself as a buddy guy. But if it is a large corporation with a strict policy, you better follow a formal business style.
Of course, a designer's cover letter will differ from an accountant's copy. A designer can be informal in communication with an HR manager since it is a creative vacancy, after all. It is to note that a cover letter, a resume, and a portfolio should all be written in the same style.
It is not necessary to create a very detailed essay. Brevity is significant in this matter, and just a few lines in the main body of the cover letter are enough. A career change cover letter template should have nothing superfluous, but only the most essential points about your past work, skills, and achievements.
For example, you can share the successes of some promotional activities under your supervision. Tell about the fruitful training of new employees, your exciting initiatives, the introduction of a CRM system, without which the business processes were chaotic, and so on. Describe achievements only within the framework of the chosen position. There is no need to state that you can work as a designer, a project manager, and an executive clerk at the same time.
If you want to enumerate several skills, it is best to use a bulleted roster for better visual perception. But do not overdo it - just one list will be enough.
Tell the truth in your CL, even if you miss some required skills. Say that you are ready to learn and mention how you are going to do it. Perhaps you will take additional courses or study on your own in your free time. It is not necessary to state that you can do everything from the list of job duties. Otherwise, if the employer finds out that you cheated, it will cause an embarrassing situation.
The numbers draw attention. Indicate the specific results of advertising campaigns, the number of attracted clients, and how many times you participated in various conferences, and so on.
If you want to introduce some humor, do it carefully not to offend anyone and not to seem too frivolous.
Especially do not joke about the company and its employees. Few people have a gift of joking pertinently and wisely. So, it is better to refrain from it.
You do not need to write banal, trivial, and overused phrases. Write about the facts - how many years you have been in the profession, what you have achieved, and what you can offer to the company. You can impress people with politeness and openness without using cliches.
Many applicants believe that they need to use as much terminology as possible to impress the company officers. In fact, it is not so. A good specialist has to explain complicated things in simple words. Besides, an HR manager may not know all the professional words you use. The feeling of unease may arise, and you will not be invited for an interview.
Some candidates try to explain why they did not have any job for several months. If you improved your skills in freelancing or took training, you can mention it. However, you should not make excuses about some situations and write too much about your personal life.
If you are applying for a specific position, you have to show that you are well-informed about details and meet the criteria. The company manager will immediately understand whether you have at least read the vacancy description to the end.
If it is written that they are looking for an employee in the office, but you prefer to work remotely, it is better not to respond. Even with a perfect cover letter for career change, your candidacy will not be reviewed. You will only waste the HR manager's time and generate negative emotions.
In your contact details, do not provide such emails as sara_little_princess@gmail.com or big_profy@gmail.com. They look funny, immodest, and unprofessional. If you want to get a job in a large company, you have to be serious. Also, check your social media pages and delete everything that could cause a negative opinion of the HR manager about you.
Many do not know about this technique, but the postscript can attract attention. For example, you mention something like that: "P. S. I can send you my showcase about how I helped increase the company's sales by 20% using SEO-promotion." Most likely, your candidacy will be immediately noticed in this case.
Reread your cover letter carefully. Use helpful online resources to proofread your text. If this job means a lot to you, turn to professional services.
Adequacy and compliance with generally accepted norms are crucial points for your cover letter. A little bit of humor and personal insights are allowed, but you need to keep to the style of business communication. Recruiters may only be interested in a cover letter for career change that is well written and kept within a particular framework.