Recruiting 101: Perfecting Your Cover Letter

Welcome back to our Recruiting 101 series! Previously, we have helped you nail your phone interview, prepare for your video interview and even showed you how to become a customer service superstar!

Today, we wanted to bring it back to the basics and help you really perfect your Cover Letter. Let’s start with the question Why is a cover letter important? Well, in short, a cover letter provides a glimpse into your personality, reveals your attention to detail and allows you to communicate to the company why you are a good fit for this particular role.

We asked two of our top recruiters, Emily and Marcela, to give us their best advice for perfecting a cover letter.

Emily: So, this might go without saying, but I think the biggest piece of advice I have is to really proofread your cover letter before sending it.  I understand that when applying for jobs, candidates are often working off of a basic template (been there, done that), but I receive a few too many cover letters where the company name is incorrect, the position is incorrect, or the body of the cover letter makes no reference to any of the skills needed for the actual role.

My second piece of advice is to make sure that your motivation for the company and the role are in the cover letter, and ideally towards the top.  Since I can read a candidate’s CV, it is less important for me to get a run down of their career path, and more important for me to understand their passion for GetYourGuide specifically as well as the position.

Additionally, if there is a gap in your CV, it might be a good idea to bring it up up front in the cover letter.  Just got back from taking some time off to travel? That’s great! Tell us about the new perspective you’ll bring in following your travels! Your explanation does not need to be lengthy, but it is always a better plan to be direct.    

My last piece of advice is rather administrative, but take the time to submit your cover letter in a PDF format.  It’s more professional and loads correctly every time.  

Marcela: You have to tailor your cover letter to each company you apply for and that involves a lot  of research and creativity. There is nothing worse for a recruiter than a standardized cover letter that is clearly being sent to every company. I recommend to thoroughly research the company, its culture and values and show how it links to your own values and why are you the best fit for the company. Why is it you want to work for this particular company? Really think about it and make a compelling case.

In your cover letter you don't want to repeat what is in your CV but add on top of it, maybe mention what you have achieved or how you demonstrated your strengths in certain situations. Expand on your work experience mentioned in your CV and make sure you pick relevant examples based on the position you are applying for.

Be authentic, cover letter allows you to show a bit of personality. It may sound like a cliche but it is good to think about what makes you stand out from the rest and make sure you put it across. Tell us more about what makes you you and why should we want to know more.

So, there you have it! Now that you are fully equipped with the knowledge on how to craft  the best cover letter possible, why not put your newfound skills to use and apply for one of our open positions?

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