10 Ways to Craft a Compelling Cover Letter

Among the many steps involved with getting the job you want, coming up with a winning cover letter may be among the most challenging. A cover letter, after all, typically serves as your introduction to a potential employer. It is the document that describes who you are and why you'd make a great hire—and it's done in a much more conversational, storytelling manner than a résumé or employment application. In addition, the cover letter should be tailored to a specific employer and should address specific challenges that the targeted company faces in its industry, along with details about how you'd help tackle those challenges. In other words, cover letters involve actual writing, and we all know how painful that can be! Given how important a cover letter is, we're happy to provide the following best practices. They address templates, substance, tone, keywords and the closing call to action—not to mention the often tedious but absolutely essential need to carefully proofread the letter. Our tips were compiled from a number of online resources, including those posted by Glassdoor and Monster.