Mining resumes cover letters can be your best friend or your worst enemy. The problem that a lot of people have is that they either don’t understand what a cover letter can do for them or they simply don’t know what to say. In it’s most basic form, the purpose of a cover letter is to tell your potential employer why you are sending the resume and why they read it. Normally, this is done by highlighting a few past achievements and experiences. At the same time, you don’t want to lay out your entire resume in the cover letter. Here is a quick look at how you can create a cover letter that stands out for all of the right reasons.
1. Customize Each One
It doesn’t matter if you are sending the same mining resumes to 50 different potential employers, every cover letter should be unique. Mining resume cover letters need to specifically address whoever is reading it. This means using the job title and recognizing the company by name. Another thing to consider is that most job postings are unique – even if they are for the same position. If the purpose of a cover letter is to tell the employer why you are sending the resume, then it needs to reflect what the job posting was asking for. If every job posting is different, then necessarily every cover letter must be unique.
2. Don’t Preview Your Resume
One of the biggest mistakes that are made with cover letters is that they essentially preview the resume. As a general rule, you should never include any information in your cover letter that is already in your resume. This can be difficult, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience in the mining industry. Fortunately, by formatting your cover letter effectively this problem can be circumvented. If you create a standard 3 or 4 paragraph cover letter, the only 1 paragraph should be used to demonstrate that you are qualified for the position. All you need to do is take one of your top “experiences” from your resume and move it to your cover letter.
3. The Preemptive Strike
The easiest way to make your cover letters stand out is to do a preemptive strike on any common objections your employer might have. If you have a gap in your work experience, this is where it should be addressed. The same is true for any skills that you may lack. By addressing these issues in your cover letter, there are a number of benefits that can be gained. The most important benefit is that by answering objections before they are raised by your potential employer, it is much less likely that they would hold them against you. Since you addressed them immediately, it shows your potential employer that you understand what the position requires. Another benefit is that you can direct their focus somewhere else. If you know that you don’t have enough direct experience, then you can point the reader towards an area of your resume that features related experiences.
Mining resumes cover letters are incredibly important and should not be overlooked. By implementing these three tips, you can ensure that your cover letter stands out and your resume gets the consideration that it deserves.