The first invite I got for an interview was a week after National Service. According to the #HR, he really wanted to see who created this beautiful Cover letter.

He said, at first he wasn’t sure I wrote it myself. He felt it was one of those copy and paste scenarios, so he decided to Google some lines randomly for plagiarism. He was impressed when those lines came out original.

He went on to ask how I’m able to write a Cover letter so creatively and I told him I was a writer. And he went, “Oh, that explains it, because a lot of people won’t even make such effort”.

The interview turned to an interactive section. He offered me the job but I turned it down. I applied for the role of an Administrative Assistant… The additional job specifications didn’t go down well with me.

However, I didn’t leave empty. I ended up revamping their webpage and creating web copies for them.

What’s the take home from this?
People should put an effort when creating Cover Letters.

A good CV with out a corresponding Cover Letter is like Oil and Water… they don’t mix. It is a competitive world out here, with thousands of people jostling for very few available jobs. Have that EXTRA factor to make yourself stand out.

Here are some pointers that can help you improve your Cover Letter:

1. Do not copy your Resumé: Don’t start going over things you have already stated on your Resumé. Your Cover Letter is not an extension of your Resumé. Rather it is an opportunity to tell the Hiring Managers things that are otherwise not stated on your Resumé.

2. Market Yourself : Cover Letter Writing is a lot like Copywriting. A copywriter writes to persuade and sell. Little wonder Cover Letter writing is so easy for me to do. Own your accomplishments with your Cover Letter. Tell the HR why it should be you and no one else.

3. Tailor Your Cover Letter: Make sure your Cover Letter corresponds with the job. Your Cover Letter cannot be all about how you have excelled as a Marketer while you are applying for a Human Resource Position.


4. Address the hiring Manager directly: If you can, make some research about the hiring company’s HR manager, then address your Cover Letter directly to him/her. This comes with a sort of personal appeal.

5. Leverage Keywords: Before drafting a Cover Letter, carefully go through the job posting and take down the reoccurring keywords in the job specification. Now find a way to make those key words a part of your Cover Letter. Be careful not to over do this, else your cover letter would seem tacky.


6. Please keep it simple and short: An ideal Cover Letter should be a little over half a page long. Try not to use a full page. Keep it brief. The longer it is, the more your chances of making a mistake. And the greater the possibility of boring the HR out.

7. Please Proofread: It is difficult to be taken seriously if your Cover Letter is laced with errors. Their are several software applications available for proofreading and error checking. Use one.

Finally, always put your best in anything you do. Go the extra mile to make yourself better. If you generally have trouble writing, then get a professional to handle it for you.

In the words of Ray Charles, “If you won’t do it right, don’t do it at all”.