Natalie Fisher breaks down three cover letter formats that consistently land interviews: problem-based letters that identify what the employer needs and offer solutions, resume-style letters that mirror your CV, and traditional formal letters. Tone should match your industry, from legal formality to startup casual.
Hey there! Welcome to this cover letter tutorial. If you've ever struggled with this, if you can't seem to figure out how to write the perfect cover letter or where to start, then this episode is for you. First, we'll talk about 2 key concepts that you need to understand before you jump in and write your letter. Then we'll cover 3 examples of COVID letter styles that have all worked well and landed great jobs. Are you ready? Stay tuned. All right, let's get started. Key concept number 1: you approach— your approach to the COVID letter depends on the industry. Let's look at an example. So if you're writing to a legal institution, an educational institution, or a government agency, This warrants a more formal letter, so no first names. For example, Mr., Mrs., last name, more formal language. If you're going to write to a tech startup or a music studio, for example, less formal. You can use first names. You can be a little bit more fun in your style of letter. We'll talk more about this. Key concept number 2: the COVID letter and resume are just a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Here's a great visual. So getting clear on what you want so that you can have powerful and clear messaging in your supporting documents— and by supporting documents, I do mean resume and cover letter— your networking system You want to know the right people, know how to reach out to them, and reaching out to them on a regular basis with the right words. You want to use side door applications, so your application technique needs to be strong. You don't want to just rely on the black hole. You want to have a strong interview strategy and strong negotiation skills and know-how. Any one of these links could be weak, and if it is, it won't help you in your job search. Let's get into the 3 examples of COVID letters that work. Example 1: the problem-based cover letter. So this cover letter is basically saying Hey, I can see you have a problem. That's why you're hiring for the job. I have a solution, and I've solved this kind of problem before. So let me help you. Let's talk. So you introduce a guess to the problem. Then you talk about a solution. You tell a little story about how you've solved it before. And then you close with, hey, I'd love to talk about it. This letter is very successful. Because it's talking to the hiring managers directly about problems they are facing day to day. Really hits home. A regular letter basically just covers the same as what's on your resume. It lists your skills and it says, hey, I think I'd be great, let's talk. So this letter is more focused. The formality-based cover letter. Now you can do a combination of the 3. But a formality-based letter is going to be using a bit more formal tonality. So again, it's going to say Mr., Mrs. No, it's not going to say, hey Joe. It's going to be more formally written. And I'm going to give you an example of that. So you're going to be able to see word for word what a formality-based cover letter looks like. And my favorite, the fun, more startup-based vibe cover letter. So with this kind of a letter, this is the one that I have the most experience writing because most of my jobs have been at places where the culture is a little bit more think outside the box and they welcome that. So this letter, it just, it doesn't mean that it doesn't focus on solving a problem. It doesn't mean that it doesn't talk about your skills that are necessary and relevant to the job. It just means that you can use a bit more fun tonality And a little bit more creativity when you write it. If you're interested in diving deeper with these 3 formatting and written styles of letters, you can download the free cover letter example package, and you just have to click below and you can get it right now. Why would you want to get this? So what you'll get is 3 examples of the written word-for-word letters that I just talked about, plus a 4th example. I slipped a bonus example in there because one of my clients recently just landed an awesome job as a conference and event manager, and she used this letter, and I just had to slip it in there for you guys. And it'll be beautifully designed, plus you get the workbook and a checklist to start on your own cover letter. And of course you get instant access right away. Just click below to the link to grab it. Now I would love to hear from you. Have you ever been stuck on your cover letter? You're not really sure where to start or what to write. Or have you had a really great success with a certain cover letter and you'd like to share some tips with us? If you have anything on the subject, I'd love to hear it. Please share in the comments. Or feel free to come over to my website and leave a comment there. While you're over at my website, make sure to click on the Get Started link in the navigation bar above and download some more great free tools, including the Salary Boosting Step-by-Step Guide and How to Figure Out What You're Worth. And if you like this video, please subscribe to my channel. I'd be so honored to have you as a subscriber. And thank you so much for watching. I hope to see you over at NatalieFisher.ca, and I will see you next week. Bye.
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