5 Steps To A Persuasive Cover Letter

Do you find that you put a lot of thought and work into developing the professional resume, but lose your steam when it comes to the cover letter. More likely than not, when you submit a resume for a job posting or to a referral, you will be asked to submit a cover letter. Without engaging in a debate over whether your cover letter will actually sway a potential employer to call you, I say that there is at least a 50% chance that your cover letter will be read, right?

A well-written persuasive cover letter is a powerful addition to your suite of career marketing documents. So let me show your how to transform your existing cover letter from boring to attention-grabbing in five steps.

STEP 1: Develop a unique introductory paragraph. Focus on the fact that you are introducing yourself, in person, to a potential employer and select the right words and language to capture who you are and why they should keep reading your letter.

Boring: I am responding to your recent advertisement for the Chief Information Officer as posted in last Monday's Wall Street Journal classifieds.

Attention-Grabbing: Bringing immense improvement to Fortune 500 companies through advanced technologies and forward-thinking technology planning are my greatest strengths. Whether directing technical programs or delivering turnaround results for large, corporate operations, I have provided strategic leadership critical to corporate success.

STEP 2: Extract a "wow" achievement from your current position - preferably an achievement that occurred within the past 12 months. Make it an exciting story to read by taking the reader through the Challenge-Action-Results format; the key is to really emphasize your input and contribution and make sure that the example you use has quantitative results to back it up.

Boring: Currently, as the IT Director, I lead a team of 25 project managers and we are responsible for maintaining the company’s $10-million dollar technical architecture.

Attention-Grabbing: Upon assuming my new leadership role, I designed programs to boost the company’s technical capabilities without sacrificing its production output or product quality. By leading ardent re-negotiations of existing service agreements and implementing new application architecture, I generated 75% cost reduction in annual technology expenses and spurred an additional $2 million in revenues.

STEP 3: Highlight one big achievement for each position in your career going back at least ten to fifteen years. I recommend using a format that strategically places bulleted achievement statements throughout the body of the cover letter; this technique draws the reader’s attention to a few of your career milestones. Again, focus on those career achievements that show quantifiable successes. For example:

• As CFO of Parks Manufacturing – grew revenues to $4+ million during early startup years by negotiating key contracts with potential customers and coaching global sales team.

• As EVP of Midland Biotech Labs – raised additional $16 million in seed financing by formulating and assembling “winning” business plan with major industry leaders.

• As Marketing Director of Wincom Industries – retained critical customer base and achieved $500K in annual revenues by implementing an innovative customer relationship management tool.

STEP 4: Re-iterate your qualifications, experience and skills that make you a right fit for the position. You can use this section of the cover letter to use two or three statements that give insight to your value proposition and personal brand. For example:

Consistent with my reputation as the “Business Expansion” expert, I have an aptitude for developing strategic plans, communicating corporate vision and empowering staff/management to realize aggressive business and revenue objectives. On a personal note, I am a driven individual with strong commitment to quality, performance and customer satisfaction.

STEP 5: Close with a call to action. Don’t get the reader "hyped" up with a strong cover letter and then leave them hanging on a weak note; indicate your desired response and/or next course of action. If you plan on following up with the hiring manager or recruiter, make sure you include the date and time they can expect your call. Try something like this:

I am currently seeking new executive challenges where strengths in business acumen, financial prowess and turnaround management are greatly valued. I am very interested in the Chief Financial Officer position and will contact you on Tuesday, March 27th at 10:00 am to schedule a face-to-face meeting.

Remember your manners and thank the reader for his/her time and consideration. Finally, always make it a priority to find the correct name and title of the contact person to whom you are sending the cover letter.

By: Abby Locke

Abby M. Locke (premierwriting.com) is a career marketing strategist and leadership brand coach who partners with 6-figure executives and professional MBA women to help them achieve true career mastery and success through cutting-edge, career branded communications, innovative job search campaigns, and proactive career management tools.