Your letter might be one of hundreds a potential employer reads, so you have no choice, but to stand out. What is the most efficient way to do that? Well, by slipping in smart, eye-catching words.
Three career experts share their favorite keywords that stand out on a cover letter.
1. Descriptive adjectives
Aside from including eye-catching keywords, LinkedIn’s career expert Nicole Williams recommends focusing on the craft of the first, second and third sentence. The first one should be dedicated to the employer, the second to you and the third should be about the company. She highly recommends avoiding clichés. For instance, instead of saying ‘I’m a hard worker,’ say ‘I have an enormous capacity of work’. When directly talking about the employer, Williams says these key words are great: admire, inspired by and listen.
For describing yourself, Williams recommends: enthusiastic, passionate, and integrity.
2. Important skills to highlight
Javid Muhammedali, vice president of product management at Monster, tells that keywords change depending on the job you are applying for. However, for a general cover letter, the following words connote key skills that work for ‘all resumes with 0-4 years if experience.’
- Administrative skills
- Communication skills
- Computer skills
- Customer relations
- Microsoft office and outlook
- Multitasking
- Problem solving skills
- Resolve Customer Issues
3. Vital active verbs
Vicki Salemi, a career expert and author of two advice books, says that keywords are crucial to get past an applicant tracking system. She recommends highlighting skills and experiences that reflect the job description. Aside from that, Salemi recommends powerful verbs that will ‘pack a punch’.
- Launched
- Led
- Managed
- Analyzed
- Achieved
- Budgeted
- Forecasted
- Ignited
- Navigated
- Negotiated
- Reorganized
- Rescued
- Identified
- Generated
Source: Mashable
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