The Perfect Cover Letter: Why You Need One When Applying For Your Next Position

It may seem that cover letters have fallen by the wayside and most companies prefer online applications. Many say that hiring managers and recruiters don’t even look at cover letters anymore and don’t expect to see them with an application anymore.

Everything has been simplified around the resume, but before you go down the path that many career advisers are taking by tailoring your resume for each position you’re applying for, why not take another look at the cover letter? Resumes basically state your skill sets and provide a brief statement of your accomplishments. They do not give you the skills to showcase your specific skills and achievements in relation to the position you are applying for.

Cover letters, especially for those in the construction profession, provide an opportunity for the applicant to go into detail about a particular accomplishment and tell a good story. You can send a letter to the specific hiring manager, add personal details, and/or elaborate on a project you were involved with. Engineers can quote particular projects that fit the requirements of the job. Environmentalists can talk about resources they may have tapped into to help save the environment or their contributions to a specific campaign.

Recruiters often admire the thought and effort that goes into writing a good personalized letter, compared to a tight resume. With a personalized letter, you can state the reasons why you would be a perfect fit for the position. Resumes only show work experience and skill sets as a whole. In the construction industry, a well-written personalized letter can show the nuances of what the company should expect from you as an employee in relation to their organization. It also creates an image of what you are capable of.

Designing the perfect letter is not difficult. In fact, it is relatively easy to do. It is in the cover letter that allows potential employers to create the first impression of you, before reading the resume. The idea of ​​your resume processing automatically should give you some indication why a cover letter is still important. It should also be noted that a personalized cover letter is often one of the only ways engineers and construction professionals can stand out to potential employers. For most, but not all construction engineers and professionals, there are a large number of positions that they work in throughout their career. A good cover letter can emphasize accomplishments in a workplace or make a case for a required skill set an employer is looking for.

Working in the construction, engineering, or environmental industry today, you need more than a resume in today’s job market to stand out. A cover letter will give you that advantage; Combining a good cover letter with a good resume will increase your chances of getting hired.