Overview 

When you find an interesting job post, you stumble upon one of the requirements requesting you to attach a cover letter. You might ask yourself: what is a cover letter? And how can I create one? Don’t be afraid, we are here to tell you all about it, from beginning to end.

A cover letter is one of the essential documents that you submit in a job application. It’s designed to introduce you in a way that is more personal. It should complement the resume that you already developed by expanding on the skills and achievements, highlighting the ones relevant the most to the job that you are applying for.

Why is the Cover Letter Important?

• It provides additional, more personal information of something that is difficult to grasp when reading a resume

• It is a marketing tool for you to show your interest in the job and the company by communicating the value that you can bring to them

• It is the perfect place to tell your story and why it matters to the company. A story is more memorable than just a list of previous experiences and skillsets

Steps of Writing a Cover Letter 

1-Write the Header 

Always start with the basics, your cover letter header should include the following information:

1. Your name

2. Phone Number

3. Email address

4. Date

5. Name of the hiring manager and their title (if applicable)

6. Name of the company and its address

2- Address the Reader

Who is the person receiving the cover letter from the other end? It is usually written to the hiring manager of the company. Be careful here, as this might be the first thing the hiring manager sees. Which makes it an important part of the cover letter. The safest way is to greet the reader by their name because he or she will feel like it is tailored specifically to them. Make it more personal, and show that you are doing your due diligence about the company.

Who to address in the cover letter if no hiring manager’s name is provided? If you could not find the hiring manager name by any means, settle for “ Dear Hiring Manager “ and avoid using “ to whom it may concern “ because it will indicate that you have one general cover letter for all applications. Also, don’t start it off with “ Dear Sir or Madam “ as we are not living in the Victorian era anymore. A good greeting example to look into are:

• Dear Sales Team Hiring Manager

• Dear [X Company]’s Recruitment Team

3- Show Your Interest and Enthusiasm In the Opening Paragraph 

This is where the hiring manager will decide whether to continue reading or potentially skim through the cover letter. You need to attract the hiring manager’s interest by showing how well you know the employer’s needs and your enthusiasm about the job.

Avoid writing “ In response to you posting for the X position, I would like to express my interest in the company. As a manager with +10 years of experience, I’m positive that I will bring success to the company ” Why? It provides no value nor details about you and it is just extra meaningless text to beef up the cover letter.

What you can open with is something like “ I am enthused to see a position open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a Senior Consultant in XYZ company which I found on the website of YYY. I am applying for this position because I want to help the world’s operations improve its efficiencies through automation while reducing the environmental footprint. As an engineer fluent in Arabic and English and with a focus on business process re-engineering, I will bring an accessible and comprehensive approach to solving and automating the most complex processes for the YYY clients across the MENA region.”

4- Explain Why You are a Great Fit for the position and Company

Show the hiring manager what they are looking for and that you will be able to achieve the company’s goal and meet its needs. Start the first paragraph with stating that you are an expert in the field, but control your bragging. It’s a double-edged sword here, use it wisely.

In the second paragraph, showcase how your previous experiences will help the company push the pedal full throttle. It impresses the employer by identifying transferable skills related to the job opening. Here is an example of a good body paragraph: “In my previous experience at Company X where I was consistently evaluated as “greatly exceeding expectations”, I launched and led a process improvement initiative to automate a YYY creation process, reducing process time by 63% and saving over SAR 500k for the company per year. Additionally, my experience leading a team and mentoring junior data analysts have prepared me for the requirements of a senior consultant.

While I like to be part of a team who solves complex problems, my background in engineering and business process re-engineering will allow me to continuously develop robotic process automation (RPA) strategies for clients, reducing overall errors and limiting staffing requirements. My academic education in supply chain analytics, machine learning, and computer integrated manufacturing are well-suited to the Senior Consultant position in Robotic Process Automation and supplement my professional work.”

5- Show Why are Motivated to Join the Company 

It is true that the company wants to satisfy their needs, but they also want someone who will actually enjoy the ride with them for the long run. This is the key part to show why you want this job specifically, not a general job. Generic ones do not get you jobs, tailored ones do. Here is an example:

“YYY Middle East has an impeccable reputation in the consulting industry, and I have been consistently impressed by the company’s commitment to global growth, an inclusive and diverse work environment, responsible business leadership, and world-class business practices. My professional values align well with YYY’s and I look forward to the opportunity to bring my personal and professional skills in RPA to YYY Middle East.”

Some people may say the paragraph above is unnecessary because it talks about how good and accomplished the company is; most companies know how good they are and you do not need to tell them. So, we will leave this up to you. Always close with action by saying, for example, that you are looking forward to meeting them in person to discuss the opportunity with further details. Will you be available next week for a quick call? 

6- Close Formally 

You are done writing the body of your cover letter, close it by writing a formal salutation at the very end. Usually we use “Sincerely “ followed by your full name. You are free to use words or synonyms like “ Best regards “ , “ Kindest regards “ , or “ Yours truly “. Choose whatever you feel comfortable with

Cover Letter Template 

Date

(Skip one line)

Hiring Manager’s Name

Hiring Manager’s Position

Company Name

Company Address

(Skip one line)

Dear Hiring Manager,

(Skip two lines)

Opening Paragraph

(Skip one line)

Middle Paragraph

(Skip one line)

Ending Paragraph

(Skip one line)

Sincerely,

(Skip one line)

Your name

Cover Letter Example 

November 05, 2021

Mr.X

Territory Senior Partner

YYY

Riyadh 11414

Saudi Arabia

Dear Mr. X,

I am enthused to see a position open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a Senior Consultant in Robotic Process Automation in which I found in the website of YYY. I am applying for this position because I want to help the world operations improve its efficiencies through automation while reducing the environmental footprint. As an engineer fluent in Arabic and English and with a focus on business process reengineering, I will bring an accessible and comprehensive approach to solving and automating the most complex processes required by the YYY clients across the MENA region.

In my previous global experience at Company X where I was consistently evaluated as “greatly exceeding expectations”, I launched and led a process improvement initiative to automate a build book creation process, reducing process time by 63% and saving over $1 million for the company over a 10-year span. Additionally, my experience leading a team and mentoring junior data analysts have prepared me for the portfolio and management requirements of a senior consultant.

While I like to be part of a team who solves complex problems, my background in industrial engineering and business process reengineering will allow me to continuously develop robotic process automation (RPA) strategies for clients, reducing overall errors and limiting staffing requirements. My academic education in supply chain analytics, machine learning, and computer integrated manufacturing are well-suited to the Senior Consultant position in Robotic Process Automation and supplement my professional work.

My current skill set in industrial engineering, and cultural and professional familiarity with Saudi Arabia make me an ideal candidate for this position. Further, my commitment to sustainable solutions for challenging problems, optimization, and client satisfaction have made me an invaluable asset throughout the start of my professional career.

YYY Middle East has an impeccable reputation in the consulting industry, and I have been consistently impressed by the company’s commitment to global growth, an inclusive and diverse work environment, responsible business leadership, and world-class business practices. My professional values align well with YYY’s and I look forward to the opportunity to bring my personal and professional skills in RPA to YYY Middle East.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Final Takeaways 

• Personalize the cover letter and directed it to the hiring manager

• The cover letter is the bridge between your resume and the job description

• Focus on your strongest qualifications for the position, use the job description as your guide

• Make the cover letter short and concise, within one page or better less

• In cover letters, less is more because writing a full cover letter page that could have been written in less than a page with same message shows laziness

• Write a clear cover letter title for the document like “ Your Name_Cover letter_Job title.pdf”

• Check for spelling and grammatical errors

• Submit the cover letter in a PDF format