If you have a degree in Civil engineering, you already know how formidable you are. But when it comes to getting that civil engineering job, a good resume and your innate awesomeness might just not be enough. Most of the time, employers will ask you to send a cover letter to explain who you are, what you want and what you have to offer to the company (insert awesomeness). So you know what’s coming…yes, we’ve put together a list of our top 5 tips to help you write a brilliant cover letter that conveys the cool.
The main purposes of a cover letter is to provide a short summary of who you are and what you have to offer and why you would be an excellent candidate for the job. How to do this? Easy! In the first paragraph of your cover letter to explain why you are interested in the job. You want to write about who you are and what you are doing currently, such as work, studies, etc.
Even though your cover letter needs to be short and to the point, it is also an opportunity to expand on the bullet points in your resume. Just don’t make the mistake of repeating yourself. Avoid using the same phrases you used on your CV. Instead, choose two or three skills that are regarded as essential to the employer and explain how you meet these. Or you can talk about what you have done in your last job expanding on the job duties. A good idea is to talk about your achievements, a project that you completed successfully or were in charge of.
Choose the most important keywords from the job description that refer to the skills the employer is asking for. This helps if they quickly scan your cover letter. It identifies you as the person they may be looking for. Focus on the reason why the company should hire you by matching your skills and knowledge with the duties of the jobs as well as your career goals with theirs. The more targeted your cover letter is the more chances you have to get hired.
A company is not just hiring a resume, they’re hiring you. So you need to use the opportunity to make a good impression by promoting yourself and by presenting yourself in the best possible light. Since employers will have very little time to review your application, you will need to choose carefully what to highlight. Take a look at your CV and identify what abilities you have on there and which ones are the most appropriate to use as your key strengths. You should sell yourself as a brand by coming up with creative ways to promote yourself and your skills.
Don’t start writing your cover letter unless you have a clear goal in mind. This will keep you focused and will allow you to tailor your cover letter to each company and position: this will make you more relevant to the job. Write the letter in an informative and interesting manner: be engaging so that you can keep the attention of the reader. Which also means keeping it short and sweet. And remember: excitement and enthusiasm works, it gets you noticed and also makes you more memorable.
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