How many times have you addressed your cover letter “To Whom it May Concern?” A good cover letter has a specific audience. Simply addressing it to a title or a generic phrase is a sure fire way to increase your risk and reduce your chances of being strongly considered for the position. In writing a good cover letter, do your due diligence and conduct your research. Below are a couple tips, just in case you are not sure where to start.
Helpful tip #1 to finding the name and title of your intended audience is to leverage an internal ally. Who do you know internally who can help you with your quest? Not only can this person help uncover the name and title of the appropriate person, they can also find out key information for you to include when drafting that thoughtfully crafted, good cover letter.
Helpful tip #2 to finding the name and title of your intended audience is to find out on your own. You can do this by engaging the company directly. With one of the positions I had the success of earning, I was not at all familiar with the organization. The job description did not provide a specific name for follow up. I went to the organization and talked to the receptionist. Very pleasantly, I asked a couple of questions about the company and whether she enjoyed working there. I then informed her that I was considering applying for the open position, gave her the job title and asked her who the position would report to. She gave me this information and I thanked her for her time and went on my way.
Armed with the name and title of the person the position reported to, I was able to properly address my well constructed, good cover letter and increase my chances of earning an interview. My tactic worked as I was called in for an interview the next week. I found that knowing my audience served another purpose than for just writing a good cover letter. Knowing the name allowed me to conduct proper research on this person and gave me a leg up when I was called in for the interview.
Writing a good cover letter is part of your overall strategy in earning the job. You have to take this necessary step very seriously in reducing your risk and increasing your chances to advance to the next step in the hiring process.
Check out this site for additional tips on resume writing, good cover letters, interview methods and other information to help you get the job you are competing for.
