Is a cover letter still needed?
The answer is: definitely YES. Scientific studies show that the cover letter will become less and less important in the future. The more often the applications are processed by automatic systems, the less the text in the application letter plays a role.
As long as people are still deciding on applications, it makes sense to use the cover letter to stand out from the crowd. The cover letter is not only a chore but also a good opportunity to stand out from the competition. This assumes that the recipient is also interested in the content of the letter. A template with a prefabricated formulation cannot meet this requirement. In such cases, the shot backfires and the application is rejected.
Magic spells for your cover letter
The idea of copying a few sentences and the application disc is simply tempting. Instead of worrying about your own formulations. Probably a lot of people believe in the existence of magic spells that are invisible between the lines to “bewitch” every recipient of the cover letter.
Do you agree with this? Then you have to look elsewhere for these fabulous templates. But you will probably also join the queue of the forever rejected candidates. A professional résumé is of little use if you are eliminated at the beginning of the application process due to your cover letter.
But there is also a promising way!
Apply successfully with a successful application letter
If you try to formulate every cover letter personally and to give it an authentic note, then you will quickly notice that you are increasingly being invited to interviews.
The application letter is still a very important part of the application documents for HR managers or recruiters to be able to give a first assessment of the applicant. This is not laziness or arrogance, but necessary to reduce the number of applications to an acceptable level in the first step.
According to a scientific study by the University of Bamberg, eight out of ten companies assume that candidates can differentiate themselves positively from other candidates through their cover letter. Use this knowledge for your cover letter. Increase your chances with simple means.
How much effort for the cover letter?
Even if some sources claim the opposite, it is a big mistake to pay not enough attention to the cover letter. Because you never know which people will hold your application documents in their hands.
Men in technical professions in particular tend to keep the application text extremely short. All essential points are listed in the résumé anyway. The fact that you are applying for a vacancy is evident from the conclusive act.
“Hello, I am applying for the vacancy” should be enough, or not?
But that is a dangerous fallacy. Because a lack of initiative inevitably means that you are immediately eliminated from the application process. Who wants an employee who always chooses the easiest way? You can only get away with this variant if there are few or no applicants.
There is no other way to the interview than through your cover letter and CV. The effort that has to be put into this is exactly the reason why great importance is still attached to the application letter today!
The recipient expects to see from the content and scope of the cover letter how much effort and motivation went into the formulation of the cover letter. You want to see that the applicant actually wants the job and is really interested in the company.
Many HR managers think: “If you don’t make an effort with your application, you won’t try very much in your job,” with a large number of equally qualified applicants, it is logical, to pick out those people who are most motivated.
- No HR manager wants to be addressed in a cover letter with text modules and ready-made formulations.
- No company is looking for employees who invest the least amount of effort in their application.
However, eight out of ten applicants do the same by using the same phrases and empty phrases for their cover letter!
Come along for a thought experiment
Imagine the following situation:
You go to a well-frequented restaurant and ask every person you like the following question:
“I would like to get to know you. May I take you for a drink? ”
You probably won’t get many positive responses. Many people will complain about the impersonal approach or turn away without a word.
Although the content of your offer is not wrong. Some of you may answer that you have heard this phrase very, very often.
Empty phrases and hackneyed formulations are the wrong approaches in any way of getting to know each other, to be perceived as an interesting person. Always.
With every kind of getting to know each other – including an application – you achieve significantly greater success with credibility and a personal formulation.
Even if all parameters don’t speak for you immediately. Although the example shown above is very plausible, many applicants cannot resist the temptation to use the same text templates for all of their cover letters.
Use your competitors’ failures to your advantage
Set yourself apart from your competition with your application documents. You will be amazed at how often you are invited to interview! Of course, always provided that you meet the requirements of the job description.
Arouse interest in your skills and your personality.
Use one of our professional CV templates for your CV to benefit from our know-how for your applications.
If you manage to optimally adapt the content of your cover letter for each application with details about the company and the desired activity, then you can build on it and use modifications of the text as the basis for all your applications
Of course, for the reasons mentioned above, no text modules or phrases are given in these instructions. Rather, we are listing seven steps that serve as a guide for your perfect cover letter.
Seven steps to the perfect cover letter
Start with a rough draft and refine the details once you’ve implemented all the steps. Improve and refine this process over and over until you get that have designed optimal cover letters. Always adapt your cover letter to the respective job advertisement.
Application letter structure
The structure of the application letter is divided into seven steps. Every single step is explained in detail below. All seven steps lead to the perfect cover letter.
Step 1: WHO is applying and WHERE?
Start your cover letter with the company name and address as a left-aligned block.
Include your name and full address as well as your email address and ONE phone number.
If you have more than one phone number or phone number, please enter only one phone number under You are best to be reached. Nobody wants to have to call multiple numbers to be able to reach you.
Include a personal salutation if a contact person is given in the job advertisement. You may also be able to find the name of the responsible person on the website in the HR or Jobs area. Only if a personal salutation is not possible, use the general salutation “Dear Sir or Madam”.
Step 2: WHAT are you applying for?
In your cover letter, write which job you are applying for. Sounds logical, but we often forget.
Enter the job title, the “Location” of the advertisement, and any existing advertisement reference ID.
This helps the HR department or the recruiter to measure the success of the job advertisement and to be able to compare the different job platforms.
This will make your work easier, and you will avoid a minus point that you would get if you did not specify anything.
Step 3: WHAT caught your interest?
Avoid empty phrases in your cover letter like “I read the advertisement with great interest” or “I am looking for new challenges” and similar phrases.
An unbelievable number of applications contain such hackneyed phrases. This means that you can not differentiate yourself from your competitors with your cover letter.
Explain in a few sentences which content of the advertisement aroused your interest. State the tasks for which you consider yourself to be particularly suitable. When you apply, always keep in mind that EVERY job posting is looking for the most suitable person who can complete the tasks to the fullest satisfaction to do.
That doesn’t mean that only the best of the best have a chance of a job! Rather, you have to convince every phase of your application that you ALL manage tasks associated with the job profile.
Step 4: WHY are you interested?
Research any information you can about the company on the company’s website. In your cover letter, explain WHAT you particularly like about the company. Link to statements you found on the website.
Stay factual in your arguments and avoid unprofessional statements such as “I don’t live far from your location” or “You can do well there during your lunch break go shopping “or” my children’s school is close by “and similar arguments. These points may really be decisive for you, but do not represent actual motivation for the company.
Step 5: Arouse interest in your experiences and skills
In your cover letter, explain in a few sentences why you are the ideal candidate for the job AND the company.
Both are important!
Avoid long sentences and retelling your résumé, but mention those points about your education, professional experience, and special skills that fit your future job. Don’t overdo it and be realistic.
Superlatives make every reader suspicious. It sounds implausible when the best, most motivated, and most team-minded superstar applies for a “normal” job.
The trick is to let your own abilities appear in the right light.
“Creative, motivated, and resilient team player” is a very popular phrase that appears in many application letters.
Such information only makes sense if you can substantiate this statement with examples from previous activities.
Do not forget that every application is a long-distance run and with your application, you would like a start permitted. No more, but also no less. Much of what you mention in your cover letter and your personal resume is likely to be detailed later in personal interviews.
Subjunctive means decreased self-esteem
Avoid the subjunctive such as “I would”, “I could”, “I would like” and similar expressions.
That may sound friendly or polite, but it seems very hesitant and not confident.
Formulate your sentences self-confidently and convincingly with “I will”, “I can “, “I want ” and “I am looking forward to an invitation to an interview” instead of “I would be happy to receive an invitation happily…”.
Step 6: Answer all questions in the job advertisement
Answer all questions listed in the job advertisement, such as your salary expectations and similar questions. Questions in the job advertisements are generally used to limit the number of applications in advance according to certain specifications and to be able to filter out.
If you decide to ignore some of these questions, then you are defying the employer’s guidelines and risking being eliminated from the application process.
Step 7: Complete the application letter
In total, your cover letter should not be longer than an A4 page. About a quarter to a third of the page is intended for the company address, for your own address, and the personal others.
Read your cover letter several times and pay attention to typos and understandable wording. Double-check the exact spelling of the company and the name of the contact person. A typing error in this area is classified as gross sloppiness.
Finally, give your cover letter and your CV to several people you trust to correct any typing errors and to check the text for clarity before you send the application documents.
A visual eye-catcher is your handwritten signature at the end of the application letter. This is not necessary because a scan or an image of a signature cannot be legally equated with a digital signature, but a signature makes a particularly professional impression.
Scan or photograph your signature from a sheet of white paper. Edit the picture in image editing software and adjust the contrast and brightness so that you get an absolutely white background. Finally, crop and scale the picture so that you can include it in your cover letter. Your perfect cover letter is ready.
Include your CV in the attachment to the cover letter. Service references are not required in the first application phase unless this is explicitly stated. These are usually asked separately and are neither necessary nor desirable in the first step of the application.
