Definition of

Cover letter

Cover letterA letter is a written document that is sent to one or more people with the objective of establishing communication. The notion of presentation , for its part, refers to the act and the result of presenting oneself or presenting: manifest, make known.

The idea of ​​a cover letter refers to the note that a person attaches to their resume when applying to work for a company. While the resume details work history and academic training, the cover letter seeks to attract the recipient's attention in order to achieve a personal interview .

Cover letters are characterized by a formal style . Your writing must be precise, without spelling mistakes. If the potential employer finds a cover letter with errors in spelling or grammar, or notices that the letter is unclear, they will surely reject the person's application and will not even spend time analyzing their resume.

It should be noted that cover letters can be sent in response to a company's search for workers, but also spontaneously when the individual wishes to propose themselves as a possible employee. Each case requires adjusting the wording so that the letter meets its objectives.

If a young person finds a job advertisement in a newspaper and wants to apply, they can send a cover letter that begins as follows: "Dear Sirs: I am contacting you in reference to the advertisement published yesterday in the newspaper." La Primicia, in which your company requires a specialist in Foreign Trade. My name is Brian Latenoppe, I have a degree in International Trade from the University of San Bartolomé and I have previous experience in a multinational company, where I worked for four years…” .

The cover letter is the first instance in which applicants reveal their personality to companies, and that is why it is so important. If the Human Resources department detects any personality trait that does not match the characteristics of the job position, then it is likely that the candidates' chances will fade at that point.

The issues that may displease Human Resources managers when reading a cover letter vary depending on the field and the demands of the position offered, but there are a series of attitudes and personality characteristics that lead to almost certain failure:

Cover letter* arrogance : the way of being of those who have a constant need to show others their knowledge with the intention of being recognized as superior beings cannot be liked by anyone. In a company, this is the opposite of what is necessary in the profile of the perfect candidate, which is why any evidence of arrogance in a cover letter nullifies the effort of having written it;

* insecurity : it is curious that two traits that are so far apart can lead to the same result, but it is not in the interest of any company to have individuals on its staff who are not capable of making decisions in the most difficult moments, or who do not trust themselves to move forward. in pursuit of a goal without hesitation;

* Lack of conciseness : Some applicants make the mistake of including too much information in the cover letter, and this usually does not sit well with recipients. Conciseness is a highly appreciated virtue in the business field, where numbers reign;

* lies : not many can say with their heads held high that they have never drawn reality in the context of a job search. However, there are limits within reason, and absolute sincerity is always preferable, especially if we want a long-term collaboration .