Career Advice
How To Customise Your Cover Letter (with 3 Examples!)
You probably already know how to write a cover letter. Then again, so do many other job seekers out there.
So how do you stand out from the other applicants? By creating a customised cover letter for each job application.
Why?
With a customised cover letter, you can be specific and show how you can address a company’s needs.
This persuades recruiters of your fit with the company, which is what they REALLY care about.
In this guide, we will show you how to customise your cover letter to showcase your unique competitive advantages.
Table of Contents
- What is a Cover Letter?
- Why customise a Cover Letter?
- How to customise a Cover Letter
- Address the Hiring Manager by Name
- Do your research
- Understand your job scope
- Express Your Desire to Follow Up
- Customised Cover Letter Examples and Samples
What is a Cover Letter?
It’s a one-page document you send with your CV in your job application.
But don’t let it be just that!
A cover letter is your chance to sell yourself to recruiters.
Think of it as your elevator pitch, a chance to highlight yourself as a person, emphasise your competitive advantage, and share why you’ll be the perfect hire.
To showcase your skills and experience, consider splitting your Cover Letter into these 3 sections:
- Paragraph 1: Your career narrative and relevant experience for the job
- Paragraph 2: A brief write-up about your current/most recent role, and your greatest achievements in this role.
- Paragraph 3: Convince the recruiters that you’re the right fit.
ResumeWriter Tip: Want a more in-depth breakdown of how to craft a great cover letter? Check out our Ultimate Cover Letter Guide and download our Cover Letter Samples!
Now that you know how to structure a cover letter, the next step is to tailor it to the company and job that you’re applying for.
Why Customise a Cover Letter
“Why bother crafting a unique cover letter? Can’t I send a generic one?”
That’s a valid concern. You’ll probably be applying to multiple companies, so it’ll take a lot of time to tailor your cover letter to each one.
But we absolutely recommend that you take the time to customise your cover letter.
Why?
Remember how your Cover Letter convinces recruiters that you’re a good fit?
What better way to stand out than to show that you specifically want to work in this company?
This way, recruiters can see at a glance how you plan to contribute. When you show how your experience addresses their hiring needs, they’ll be more willing to hire YOU over other applicants.
In other words, a customised cover letter is a great way to differentiate yourself.
ResumeWriter Tip: A tailored cover letter is useless if recruiters don’t read your application. Learn how to create a knockout first impression with our Outstanding Job Application Email guide today!
How to Customise Your Cover Letter
Remember, you want to show how you can contribute to a particular company.
How could you do this?
By following these 4 simple tips:
- Address the Hiring Manager by Name
- Do Your Research
- Understand Your Job Scope
- Express Your Desire to Follow Up
1. Address the Hiring Manager by Name
First, find out who will be reading your Cover Letter. They’ll be the ones deciding if you’ll be getting an interview.
Imagine you’re a Hiring Manager and you’re addressed like this:
To Whom It May Concern, |
Compare this to:
Dear Ms. Wong, |
Which one sounds more personable?
Definitely the latter!
Take the effort to do a quick LinkedIn search for the company’s hiring manager. A name goes a long way to building rapport.
But what if you can’t find a name? Try tailoring your greeting to the job like so:
Dear HP Systems Engineering Team, |
Doesn’t this sound more friendly and targeted than ‘To Whom It May Concern’?
2. Do Your Research
Next, do your research about the role and company.
Why are you applying for this job? How does the company align with your values and/or help you achieve your career goals?
Figuring out these questions will help you understand your own fit with the position that you’re applying for.
Do your research on the company to find out what attracts you to them. This is a crucial step as you can reflect these motivations in your Cover Letter.
Remember, your Cover Letter is your chance to let your personal voice shine! Be authentic as it will help recruiters better envision your fit with the company.
ResumeWriter Tip: Mention a recent company development or mission statement that inspired you to join the company. This shows that you’ve done your homework and demonstrates your enthusiasm to work for the company.
Here’s a brief example:
The possibility of working for HP excites me. As someone who believes in a people-centric approach for designing systems, I’m impressed by HP’s commitment to driving organisational change towards adopting a hybrid-cloud framework. My extensive background and knowledge in hybrid cloud platforms, coupled with my technical expertise in DevOps will allow me to effectively drive the development of secure and scalable projects to expand HP’s repertoire of services. |
By linking his values to HP’s mission, the candidate shows how he aligns with HP’s company ethos. This goes a long way to show the fit with the company!
3. Understand Your Job Scope
When you apply for a job, it’s for a particular role.
Recruiters often ask for certain competencies in their job description. Make sure you address these points in your cover letter with targeted keywords.
Why?
You want to show that your experience is relevant to the job. In other words, that’s your competitive advantage!
When you address how your skills will be an asset for your new company moving forward, you are demonstrating your fit to the Hiring Manager.
Alternatively, if the company uses an ATS scanner, injecting these keywords will significantly increase the ATS score and ensure it passes through the application process.
ResumeWriter Tip: Afraid that your CV can’t pass the ATS scanner? Send it in for a Complimentary CV Analysis today!
Take this sample job description for a Systems Engineer job:
– Design and implement hybrid cloud platforms in accordance with corporate security guidelines. – Lead internal IT teams to transition to adopt DevOps, automation, and data analytics. – Manage and support the delivery of in-house and outsourced IT projects and services. |
You could tailor your Cover letter like this:
Through my 7 years in the Systems Engineering industry, I’ve come to specialise in developing and implementing hybrid cloud platforms, leveraging my knowledge of DevOps to design 15 scalable platforms across the Fintech, Insurance, and IT industries. I particularly excel in Java and Python, and I’ve achieved both an AWS certification in 2017 and a CITPM certification in 2019, the gold standard accreditation for IT professionals based in Malaysia. I’m experienced in managing the delivery of in-house and outsourced IT projects as I supported > 200K users to transition towards a hybrid cloud platform. As such, I am confident that I can continue building upon my successes to deliver top-quality IT solutions at HP Malaysia. |
WOW!
This sample Cover Letter directly addresses the candidate’s area of expertise which is highly relevant to HP Malaysia’s business. It’s also backed up by metrics to add a sense of scale to his achievements.
With such a targeted piece, Hiring Managers can clearly see how this candidate adds value to the company.
Express Your Desire to Follow Up
In your conclusion, you want to signal to recruiters that you’re enthusiastic about working for their company:
HP’s HPE Hybrid Cloud Solutions is the gold standard for the industry, being ranked in the top 10 hybrid cloud platforms according to an IBM survey in 2020. I am thrilled at the possibility of being part of such a renowned firm and would love the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the value I can bring to HP. I appreciate your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to contact me at any time via mobile at +60 9615 3126 or by email at tanminglin@gmail.com. |
What a fantastic show of interest!
Note how the candidate not only demonstrates that he’s done background research on the company but also provides a call-to-action for the recruiter to follow up.
How would this customised Cover Letter look as a whole?
Putting these tips together give you a Cover Letter, like one we have written for a Systems Engineer.
Customised Cover Letter Example
Still need more inspiration?
Below are two customised cover letter examples written for jobseekers across different industries.
Cover Letter Example 1: Customised Brand Strategist Cover Letter (Fresh Graduate)
Done any work attachments or internship stints? Highlight them! Recruiters love it when you’ve had previous industry experience.
You can also highlight co-curricular or school activities if it matches the job description.
Remember, the key is to make your skills relevant for your new company.
Cover Letter Example 2: Customised Admin Assistant Cover Letter
Had a long and successful career and are looking for fresher pastures?
Highlight your extensive experience and greatest achievements to hook recruiters in!
Conclusion
Customising a Cover Letter is key to impressing recruiters.
It demonstrates your interest in the company and for the role, helping recruiters better envision your fit.
Our 4-step guide provides an easy way for you to customise your cover letter:
- Address the Hiring Manager by Name
- Do your research
- Understand your job scope
- Express Your Desire to Follow Up
With these pointers, you’re on your way to drafting great Cover Letters that’ll land you the interviews you deserve.
ResumeWriter Tip: The best Cover Letter wouldn’t land you an interview if your CV is weak! Make sure your resume sells your skills and value effectively before applying for the role. Unsure if your resume is holding you back from opportunities? Send it in for a Complimentary CV Analysis today!