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Cover letters are the bane of my existence, and I don’t think I’m the only one who’d say so. Any time I’ve previously applied for new positions, I’d pause, think twice, and frantically Google “cover letter tips” before applying when I saw a job description that required a cover letter. I’d ask myself why companies are still requesting a cover letter when they can get all the information they need by reading my resume and doing a quick LinkedIn or Google search. As an applicant, cover letters felt archaic, unnecessary, and mostly annoying.
But as I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve noticed that cover letters are still as relevant as ever. It’s led me to wonder if hiring managers are still asking for cover letters, what is it they really want to see? So, I did what any millennial would do. I turned to social media. I put up a quick pulse check on my LinkedIn to seek insight from hiring managers. Much to my surprise, every response I received was in favor of a cover letter. Color me shocked.
Overwhelmingly, hiring managers shared how much they love cover letters and how valuable they are in the hiring process. My favorite comment came from Sarah Keach Baucom, Co-Founder of Girl Tribe Co. and Girl Tribe Pop Up, who said, “If there is no cover letter, I have no idea why someone would want to work with us! Sometimes cover letters speak more volumes than resumes. Especially if the candidate is younger/entry level or switching careers, I need them to bridge the gap for us in the cover letter on where they are at and what they will bring to the table.”
In just a few sentences, I questioned my stance on cover letters. Maybe they’re not as antiquated as I once thought. To help me dig deeper, I turned to a few experts. They helped me answer the question of what hiring managers are really looking for in a cover letter, so the next time you’re applying for a new position, you can give the people what they want and land yourself an interview.
Let’s meet the experts:

In this article

Of course, I had to start by asking the experts their stance on cover letters to better understand how important or not they are.

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?
Sarah Doody: Some do, and some don’t, and that’s why we can’t make the assumption that cover letters are dead. What if the one cover letter you wrote was the difference between you getting an interview or not? Would it be worth it? There’s an assumption that cover letters take a long time to write, but that’s not true. If you invest the time to create a baseline cover letter that you can tweak for each role, then you can create a cover letter for each role you apply to in no time.
Arika L. Pierce: I DO think they read them, but they are probably reading them very quickly (five to seven seconds)—especially if they have received a lot of interest in the position. I think everyone should always send a cover letter—even if the job description doesn’t ask for one. It can be something that sets you apart because it allows you to share things that are not in your resume on what you will bring to the table.
Amy Feind Reeves: Please always send a cover letter if you’re able. Use keywords from the job description that don’t otherwise appear in your resume, which will amplify your chances of getting past an ocular reader. A cover letter will also give you a chance to explain why you want this job and why you want it at this company. These are two of the most important points a screener and a hiring manager will look for, and expressing them could mean the difference between being passed over and being passed on for a phone screen. Lastly, a cover letter allows you to show that you can write a professional document which is a desirable skill for any role.
Now that we know cover letters are a must when applying to a role, I wanted to know what are the most important things candidates should focus on when crafting their cover letter.

What Are the Top Three Things Hiring Managers Look for in a Cover Letter?
Sarah Doody: Your cover letter needs to show recruiters and hiring managers why you’re an awesome candidate and intrigue them to learn more so they spend more than six seconds with your resume, see for themselves why you’re a great fit, and invite you to the interview process. The top three things hiring managers look for in a cover letter are:
Customization: Don’t send the same cover letter for every job you apply to. It’s a major turn off to read a cover letter that is not customized and sounds like it could have been used to apply for any job. Think about all the times you’ve received generic sales emails or messages in your LinkedIn inbox, don’t make recruiters and hiring managers feel that way! Tailor your cover letter for each role and this will show that you took the time to do research and think of the person reading the cover letter.
A solid pitch: In the first one to two sentences, make the case for why you’re a fit for the role. Tell them about previous experience and expertise that makes you an exceptional candidate. For example, imagine you’re applying to a product manager role at JP Morgan Chase and you have eight years of previous experience, previously working at Wells Fargo as a product manager and PayPal as a product designer. Your pitch sentence might be, “For the last six years I worked as a product manager on the commercial banking team at Wells Fargo and was previously lead designer on the enterprise payments team at Paypal.”
Evidence and examples: Next, include one to two examples of projects you’ve worked on, outcomes, or the impact that you had. These should back up what you said you can do in your pitch sentence. If you wrote a solid resume, you should be able to draw upon those bullet points and re-use some of that content here.
Arika L. Pierce: They are looking for info that is not already in your resume: your unique value proposition (UVP) (i.e., what sets you apart from other candidates—and experience isn’t a good UVP), and what you will bring to the position—forward-looking statements, not a rehash of your past.
Amy Feind Reeves: Your cover letter needs to clearly and concisely highlight three things: (1) that you understand what the job is, (2) that you can do the job by linking the skill sets highlighted in your resume to the tasks that will be required, (3) and that you want the job. Don’t overlook that last one. It may seem like a “no-brainer,” but it is important.
We know we need a cover letter and what should be included. Now let’s explore how we actually write it and present our stories to get the best results during the hiring process.

How Long Should a Cover Letter Be and How Should It Be Structured?
Sarah Doody: A cover letter should be no more than one page! Your cover letter should have three sections, an introduction that includes your pitch sentence, evidence and examples, and a closing call to action. Your call to action should aim to spark interest and get them to follow up. For example, if you have examples of work you can show them, you could say ““If you’re interested in seeing examples of my work, I’m happy to send over a case study or talk you through it on a 15-min call.” By letting them know this exists, you might spark their curiosity and increase the chances they want to learn more.
Arika L. Pierce: These days no more than one page and I would keep it fairly short and succinct. Put the most interesting things first. The average person may read it in five to seven seconds so make sure your point jumps out—use formatting to your advantage.
Amy Feind Reeves: No more than one page with lots of white space at that. Less is always more. Your cover letter only has a few seconds to make an impact, so focus on the most impressive elements of your background. Set off the best, most sellable skills and credentials in bullet points, so they stand out. In the opening paragraph, state why you know you’ll add value to the role and why you want it. In the closing paragraph, say why you want to work for this company, specifically check out their website for a specific client or project or corporate responsibility policy that you really like, and mention it.
And finally, our experts share how we can stand out to help us land the interview.

What’s the Number One Thing You Should Do To Make Your Cover Letter Stand Out to Hiring Managers?
Sarah Doody: Recruiters and hiring managers are busy, so anything that a candidate does to help save them time will be appreciated. A great cover letter should quickly inform a recruiter or hiring manager about why you are the best candidate for the role. Think about your cover letter as a movie trailer and your resume as a feature film. Movie trailers are designed to instantly capture your attention and make you want to see the film. And as mentioned above, customize it and don’t send a generic version!
Arika L. Pierce: Use keywords from the job description and consider what else you can do. For example, connect with the hiring manager on LinkedIn and send them a video or audio direct message. Again, it’s about doing things to make you stand out that other people are not likely doing.
Amy Feind Reeves: Cover letters are not like essays or term papers. They do not need to be finely crafted biographical stories that explain your choices in life, the lessons you have learned, and how you arrived on your current path. Officially, these letters are known as #TLDR (too long; didn’t read). Unofficially, they just won’t get read. Cover letters are a second opportunity to make a first impression. Make them short and focus on why you want the job you are applying for and why you will be good at it.
So as it turns out, cover letters are more important than I once believed. They may be the difference between getting noticed and getting looked over. And if the only thing standing in your way of landing the job of your dreams is one piece of paper detailing how awesome you are, wouldn’t you take the time to write it?

What You Should Actually Put In Each Section Of Your Resume More

It’s a brand new year, and with that comes a blank slate full of possibilities. Many people immediately think about setting resolutions to hit the gym more, revamp their dating life, or start saving for a big goal. These are all great goals to set, but one area you shouldn’t overlook when it comes to setting goals for the year is what you want to accomplish in your career. Often, career goals can seem intimidating because they can take a while to accomplish and require some deeper strategic thinking, but once you’ve set a big goal you can break it down into smaller goals that can be easier to accomplish month over month.
Whether you’re brand new to the “real world” and are looking for your first opportunity or have been climbing the ranks for years, there’s almost certainly a new career goal you can add to your list for 2023. In no particular order, here are some goals I’ve set for my career in the past that you might want to consider!

If you’re ready for a big change: Get hired at a great company 
Whether you’ve recently graduated or have been working for a while and are feeling a pull towards a new role, the start of the new year can be just the motivation you need to shake things up and focus on getting hired at a great company. I say a great company and not just any company because we want to set the bar high and get exactly what we deserve in 2023! A great company can be different based on what you’re looking for, your industry, and your location, so this is totally subjective based on your wants and needs. 
If getting a new role speaks to you, you can break it down into more actionable steps and then set deadlines for each step. Micro goals could look like researching companies that offer the compensation and career challenges you’re after, reaching out to connections at those companies, and practicing interview questions. If you start at the beginning of this year and have your target list of dream companies ready for the end of January, you can give yourself the rest of the year to build those connections and hopefully receive an offer by December.

If you want to level up: Get promoted 
Love your current company but feel ready to take on new challenges? The goal of getting promoted this year is for you. This is a great goal to set at the beginning of the year because it will give you lots of time to work on any areas you need to develop on your path to promotion. It also gives you time to research and work towards any certifications or courses that could help you jump to the next level. 
Once you’ve set the goal to get promoted this year, be loud and proud about sharing your intentions at work. Set up a meeting with your manager or HR partner to chat about what a promotion timeline looks like for you. Coming out of that meeting, be sure to record any next steps or agreements made (pro tip: send an email to the relevant parties the next day to ensure you captured everything correctly and have a record of your convo). Then, take every opportunity to showcase the skills you need in order to get promoted, and schedule regular check-ins with your manager to ensure you’re on track.
Remember to keep a “Wins List” of your accomplishments to have as proof of everything you’ve done that year in service of getting promoted. My personal Wins List always includes key presentations I gave, any initiatives I started above and beyond my job description, and big wins my team had (as well as how I specifically contributed to them). I also include important metrics to tangibly show how I added value over the past year. 

If you’re a manager (or want to be): Build your leadership skills 
Let’s say you’re happy with your company and are killing it within your role, but you know you’re not quite ready for a promotion yet (or maybe you recently got one, in which case, yay you!). If you fall into this camp, a goal you could consider is increasing your leadership skills. Leadership skills are important for almost every job as you grow your career, whether or not you want to manage a team or department down the road.
Increasing your leadership abilities might look like owning more deliverables, taking a greater lead on team projects, or mentoring newer teammates. If you have a team reporting to you already, consider setting a goal of becoming a better manager, finding different ways to coach each of your direct reports, or creating opportunities to be seen as a leader outside of your immediate team.
Depending on whether you have a team already or not, your micro goals will look a little bit different. If you don’t have a team, take some time to identify areas where you could take on a bigger leadership role and speak to the necessary parties (likely your boss) to see if it’s a possibility. Mentoring a newer teammate could be formal or informal and might look like finding someone who could use support and offering yourself as a resource to answer questions, provide feedback, and give advice.
If you already manage a team, think about if there are courses you could take or books to read to become a better manager, speak to your boss about growing your team if there’s a need, or build out individual plans with each report to make sure you’re supporting them as best as you can. My career goal for 2023 is to become a better manager, so you’ll definitely find me researching some leadership courses this month!  

If you’re up for review: Negotiate for the raise you want 
There’s always a lot of buzz around the “New Year, New You” idea in January, but I propose we change that to “New Year, New Salary” because I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love a bit more cushioning in their bank account. If you’ve been with your company for a while or have a yearly review coming up soon, creating a plan for a salary increase might be the perfect goal to set. Oftentimes companies will go into raise discussions with a prepared budget increase of 3-7% of your salary, so if you want more than that you’ll need to take the time to prepare and state your case through negotiation. 
If negotiating is a scary thought for you, make 2023 the year you face that fear and ask for what you want! You’ll first want to create a list of all the ways you’ve added value for the company since your last raise, along with any metrics you can provide (think along the lines of “I strategized and launched our TikTok channel which grew our yearly site visits from social media by 35%”).
Once you have your accomplishments, use online job boards, your network, and any salary publications to help you develop a target number that’s ambitious but still realistic. It can also be helpful to find similar job descriptions in states where salary transparency is required on the posting, such as California or New York, to use as a benchmark. Then, schedule a meeting with your boss and let them know you’d like to discuss your salary. Finally, put on your best hype music (I recommend Lizzo) and go get what you deserve! Remember, if the answer is unfortunately no, try to take that as a “not yet” and ask your manager what you’d need to do to receive the raise you want and what a realistic timeline would be to have the conversation again. 

If you have an unexplored passion: Build a side hustle
If you’re in an industry where freelancing is common or you have a skill you know people will pay for, 2023 might be the year you think about finally starting a side hustle. You’ve heard it all before, but having an alternative source of income can be a great security blanket during challenging times, can provide extra funding for a big savings goal, or just give you a little bit of extra fun money (prepare to say yes to that cashmere sweater you’ve had your eye on!). 
The first micro goal is to figure out what your side hustle is going to be (a bit of a key step!). You could try out freelance writing, selling your art on Etsy, coding websites for small businesses, managing social media for a local organization…the options are truly endless. You’ll want to pick something that has a good hourly rate for the time you’ll be putting in and has enough demand to warrant making it your niche. Your next goals should include researching any licenses or tax implications you need to be aware of (some states require you to have a separate business bank account, for example), determining how many hours you can dedicate per week, and then working on marketing yourself and getting some customers.
It might sound like a lot, but you can totally launch a profitable side hustle within a few months if you just dedicate a few hours to getting it up and running each week. Trust me, your bank account will thank you! 

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