Get Attention with a Two-Column Cover Letter
The best cover letters—the ones that get you an interview— are those that are highly specific to the job. When writing a cover letter, your overall goal should be to show that you are suitable for the position being offered. If you’re responding to a posted job advertisement, the two-column cover letter format can be a very effective way of achieving this.
The two-column cover letter starts out the same way as a standard letter. Your first paragraph should mention the position you’re applying for, and should be designed to immediately grab the reader’s attention. The last paragraph of the two-column letter also shares some similarities with the standard format—you’ll end with a sentence that restates your suitability for and interest in the position and follows up with an action statement—for example, that you will follow up by phoning the employer to arrange an interview.
The body of the letter, however, is quite different. Rather than following the standard paragraph format, the middle section of the letter is split into two columns. The left-hand column should list the employer’s requirements as outlined in the job advertisement, while the right-hand column describes the skills you have that match those requirements.
This is a very effective format to use when you do possess all the necessary requirements, but it’s often just as valuable if you lack one or two important qualifications. Even if you don’t meet all the requirements, the two-column format clearly shows that you posses most of them, and does it so effectively that an employer might be willing to overlook those requirements that you don’t meet. That gives you the opening you need to land an interview, and the opportunity to convince the employer that you’re willing and able to get up to speed in those areas where you lack the necessary qualifications.
A two-column cover letter is also an effective format to use when you’re planning a career change. While you may not have the experience in the position being offered, a two-column letter can demonstrate that you do have the skills.
This format works well for two reasons. Firstly, you are showing an employer that your skills and professional characteristics exactly match what the position requires. Second, and equally important, you’re echoing the words and phrases used in the advertisement, and that leaves the reader feeling that you’ve really listened to what they want.
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