Want to grab an employer’s undivided attention?
Use this little-known cover letter secret to land more quality job interviews immediately.
A fantastic, ‘must-read’ headline practically ‘forces’ a hiring manager to keep reading right through to the end of your cover letter.
BUT, headline placement is all-important so listen up…
Put your show-stopping headline right above the cover letter body text. Use bold font so it stands out. It’ll be the first thing the employer sees. Keep in mind that a knockout headline will do more for your cover letter than any other single ingredient. Why? Because it pulls the reader into your letter. And without that, your cover letter has an excellent chance of being completely overlooked and fed into the paper shredder.
Reread the above headline in this article. How To Start Your Cover Letter With a BANG! Does it bring a smile, a question, a bit of curiosity? You can do the same for your reader––with your own sizzling headline.
Why do well-written headlines work so well?
The answer is simple: Advertisers, marketers, and columnists have literally trained us to scan headlines in newspapers and magazines for decades. We’ll always stop and read more when a great headline attracts our attention. It’s no different with a cover letter.
Here’s what to do…
Directly above the greeting in your cover letter (Dear Ms. Smith), place your winning headline. To make it even more effective, use boldface print and center it on the page. (Two lines maximum).
Here are 3 examples of excellent cover letter headlines:
- I would love the opportunity to interview for the position of [fill in job title here]
- I believe I’m an excellent match for the position of [fill in job title here].
- Prompt, Friendly, and Results-Driven. May I interview for the position of [fill in job title here]? I would love the opportunity to meet with you in person.
How can an employer pass that up?
Remember, the first step of your job hunt is to land the job interview. Using a headline to attract the attention of a potential employer AND asking for the interview at the same time is incredibly powerful.
Try one of these examples or create a winner of your own. Next, take a seat on the phone because it’s about to start ringing!
Further reading at How To Make Your Cover Letter Grab the Employer’s Attention.
