/9918578/Banner

/9918578/Banner_2

/9918578/Mid

section

articleId

product

orgType

parrefer

accountID

Consulting

Banking

Accounting

Fintech

Internships

Rankings

Internship Rankings

Intern Resource Center

Explore Internships

Vault Law Home

Practice Area Resource Centers

Regional Resource Centers

Summer Program Resource Center

Vault Law Culture & Inclusion Survey

Vault Law

Guides

Events

Financial Services

Technology

Grad School

Work Relationships

Productivity

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Social Impact

Remote Work

Negotiating

Changing Jobs

Workplace Issues

Blog

Resume Samples

Cover Letter Samples

Interview Tips & Questions

A Day in the Life

International

Career Readiness

Explore Professions

Research Industries

Search Companies

Career Advice

Employers

Schools

&lt;p&gt;Including a cover letter is a great way to express your interest in a company and stand out against other candidates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many candidates choose not to include cover letters, so putting in a little extra work can really go the extra mile for you in the long run.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of course, the overall idea is to make sure you are writing a proper cover letter: it should be specific to the position you&#39;re applying for, centered on what you&#39;d bring to the table, and not focused on what you&#39;d want out of the company in terms of salary, progression or other demands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The five points below will explain the benefits of a cover letter and review how writing one can set you apart from the competition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1)&#160;Recruiters will see who put the work in&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just the fact that not everyone includes cover letters with their resume is reason enough to write one. It&#39;s an extra touch that will help you stand out as a candidate. If you can personalize it with the name of your contact or a specific person with hiring power within the company, that will display additional effort and initiative as well. Take the time, because others won&#39;t.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2)&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Your resume is factual, your cover letter is personal&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use a cover letter to shed light on the details of your resume. A cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell your professional story in a way that&#39;s more personal. For example, you could address a large gap in employment or change in career path. Bring your resume to life by referencing it in a personal letter to your professional contact within a company.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3)&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Demonstrate your interest&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Putting in the additional work of writing a cover letter shows that you value the time of the individual receiving your resume enough to reciprocate by taking the time and effort to write them directly. You&#39;re willing to put action behind entrance into their company. This is the perfect place to express why you want to work for them. Tell the company why you&#39;d be a good fit for the position. Tell them why you want the position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4)&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Show you&#39;ve done your research&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use company-specific examples of what made you look to them as an employer, what sparked your interest in them, or any company initiatives that align with your values. Immediately, this approach sets you apart from mass LinkedIn applications, or individuals who have just clicked a button to apply with no care for the company deeper than the position at hand. Employers value loyalty, and this tactic will help set you apart as a candidate that wants a career, rather than to use the position as the next stop in your job hop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5)&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Give them a taste of who you are&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Depending on your writing style or skill level, you can get really creative with how you let your personality show through a cover letter. But no matter how skilled you are, it&#39;s important to keep your cover letter concise so that the content is impactful. Make sure to sound professional—you can even use borrowed language from the company itself—but ultimately the voice of the cover letter should be your own.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These five benefits will help you as a candidate by providing leverage that an application or resume alone wouldn&#39;t allow. While your resume provides an overview of your skills and experience, the cover letter is your opportunity to express your personality through paper. Give yourself a leg up on competition by supplying your potential employer with a chance to learn more about you.&lt;/p&gt;

Sarah Kuhn

Article

How to Write a Resume to Beat an Automated Tracking System

5 “Magic” Résumé Myths: Busted

Cover Letter Tips for Creative Careers

The Library