Creating an effective cover letter requires a structured approach that reflects your interest in the company and aligns with the recruiter's needs. While it may seem daunting initially, developing templates and gradually building a portfolio of customized cover letters can simplify the process.
There is a methodical way to structure your cover letter. It’s called the You-Me-Us method.
You-Me-Us Method
The You-Me-Us method is generally used by recruiters to enable them to check for their needs quickly.
Now, let's take a closer look at each section.
You: Show Your Interest in the Company’s Needs
In this part of your cover letter, it's crucial to demonstrate your understanding of the company's identity and its specific requirements. A generic cover letter that fails to mention the company suggests to recruiters that you haven't personalized your application, potentially signaling a lack of genuine interest in the role. This can be interpreted as a lack of commitment, limited capacity, or low motivation.
To stand out positively, showcase your interest in the company's activities, values, and challenges. Understanding these aspects requires thorough research, but it's an essential step in crafting a tailored letter for the position you're applying for.
Begin by thoroughly exploring the company's website and delving into their industry and operations. However, avoid reiterating information the recruiter already knows. Instead, highlight one or two specific elements that align with your values, interests, and motivations. This targeted approach demonstrates your genuine enthusiasm and suitability for the role.
What are the company’s values?
Nowadays, companies are placing a growing emphasis on their corporate values, which define their beliefs and steer their internal and external behaviors. This aspect plays a significant role in shaping the employer's reputation and perception.
Aligning your values with those of the company is therefore important. You can review the company's values on their website or conduct a quick search by combining the company name with "company values" on Google. Additionally, explore their publications and social media channels for further insights.
OpenClassrooms, for example, publishes its values on its mission page:
What are the company’s needs?
Simply listing the values and events you've noted isn't sufficient. You must rephrase and interpret them in your own words, demonstrating a deep understanding of the company's needs.
Refer back to the job advertisement and pinpoint keywords to emphasize. Explain your comprehension of the company's operations, recruitment challenges for the specific position, and desired candidate profile. Showcase your genuine interest and motivation in these aspects.
A recruiter will appreciate your efforts to understand, showcasing your ability to align with the company's needs and articulate how you can contribute effectively.
What’s happening right now in the company?
Demonstrate your genuine interest in the company's operations by staying updated on its latest developments, such as new contracts, major projects, developmental challenges, and current obstacles. Engage in the following strategies:
Research Company Updates: Stay informed about the company's recent activities and challenges by exploring their official website, press releases, and news articles.
Industry-Specific Sources: Dive into industry-specific magazines, journals, and websites relevant to the company's sector. This research provides insights into broader industry trends and challenges.
Economic Trends for Larger Companies: For larger corporations, pay attention to economic trends and current events that may impact their operations. Understanding this context adds depth to your knowledge.
Blogs and Social Media for Smaller Companies: Smaller companies often share updates on their blogs or social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Follow their pages to stay updated on company news and activities. Information you may uncover includes: acquisition of competitors, mergers and acquisitions, product launches, international expansion initiatives, fundraising activities, ongoing crises or challenges.
This research not only helps in crafting a relevant and unique cover letter but also demonstrates your knowledge of the industry landscape and trends, as well as your alignment with the company's values and interests.
Possible pitfalls
While your initial draft may include detailed information, refine this section to 3 to 5 impactful lines that highlight your genuine interest and understanding of the company's unique attributes.
Me: What are my Key Assets for the Job?
In what ways are you skilled and motivated? Why are you the best candidate? Now that you have studied the company profile and carefully identified how your qualifications, experience, skills, and qualities match the company’s, you can present your assets in the cover letter.
Be selective
Be selective and choose two skills, two types of experience, two qualities, and relevant details that perfectly match the job description. These should provide sufficient evidence of your ability to do the job.
Briefly describe your achievements, including successfully completed projects. You can also explain why you like the field so much. Illustrate each of your skills in relation to the position, using specific examples. Explain the experiences that allowed you to use the skill and verify the level you’ve achieved in it. Describe what you’ve learned, the problems you’ve solved, the tools used, the methods employed, and the objectives achieved!
This way, the employer can form a good idea of your talents and potential.
Consolidate your resume
Your career as a whole is what makes you who you are today. Nowadays, linear, uninterrupted career paths are increasingly rare! If you have any gaps in your resume, for example, a period where you traveled extensively or decided to devote yourself to personal projects or raise your children, you can explain in which ways those experiences have contributed to your professional development.
Show that you are an even more nuanced and highly skilled applicant than all the others precisely because these experiences have shown you how to make choices, see your commitments right through to the end, and grow.
To help you consolidate your "me" section, answer these three questions.
How am I competent?
What proof do I have of my competence?
What are the benefits I will bring to the company?
Us: A Win-Win Partnership
This is where you explain how your collaboration will be a success! You must inspire the recruiter with confidence from the start, as this is the beginning of a great story. 😉
Show your desire and motivation to be associated with the company’s project. Talk about yourself within a work context by explaining how your qualities can be used and how you are going to align yourself with the company effectively.
How do your values align?
The values outlined by the company often match the qualities desired for the position. However, you can broaden the subject to include information you’ve gathered, for example, from the company’s website.
A company that believes in solidarity, team spirit, or excellence will allow you to put all your cards on the table! Do you believe in all that, too? That’s great! It will allow you to fully contribute to the company’s mission. In the interview, you’ll need to show what you can do and prove your commitment with concrete examples.
Make the most of your professional qualities
The job posting specifies the desired profile and qualities. You should mirror this language in your cover letter and interview.
Show that you also know how to use your qualities to make your challenges a success!
Use the CAB method to be persuasive
It’s not easy to find just the right tone. You need to be persuasive yet remain modest! I recommend an approach based on sales techniques – the ones that let you tell the difference between good and bad salespeople! Don’t forget, you’re currently in the business of selling yourself!
Sales methods are based on these three stages of CAB:
Characteristics (C): The content of your resume refers to your qualifications, skills, experiences, and achievements. This includes your educational background, work history, certifications, technical skills, and any relevant accomplishments such as awards or projects.
Advantages (A): This is what you can bring to any company. It encompasses your unique strengths, abilities, and qualities that set you apart as a valuable asset. For example, you may have excellent problem-solving skills, strong leadership abilities, effective communication skills, adaptability to change, or a track record of meeting and exceeding goals.
Benefits (B): This relates to how your characteristics and advantages align with the needs and requirements of the company. It highlights the value you can provide to the company in terms of fulfilling their objectives, contributing to their success, and fitting well within their organizational culture. This could include your ability to streamline processes, drive innovation, enhance team collaboration, or bring in specific industry knowledge.
Samantha
The start of a beautiful adventure?
Your cover letter should end on a note where it’s obvious that you are made to meet one another and go the extra mile together! Show the recruiter how you’ll succeed and develop together in the same direction!
By looking at the company’s website, you’ve been able to check out open positions, opportunities for advancement, and the company’s ongoing projects, mission(s), and values. Demonstrate that you're ready to ride the company's momentum into the future.
Your Turn!
Choose a job advertisement for a position in which you are interested. Reflect on how best to present your current skills and experience for this job or invent skills and experience for a fictional applicant that would be a good fit for the job.
You can use ChatGPT to assist you in writing your cover letter.
Use the you/me/us method to structure your letter.
Don't forget a conclusion at the end!
Are you done? 😊 Read on to see how you did!
Check that the following elements have been included:
An introductory paragraph.
Three main paragraphs:
You: a paragraph that demonstrates an understanding of the company and the position being advertised.
Me: a paragraph that explains your skills and experience, focusing on ones that are relevant to the job posting.
Us: a paragraph that explains what you will bring to the company or team.
A closing statement suitable to the style of the job posting and in alignment with the company’s culture has been included.
Let’s Recap!
Your cover letter is structured in three sections:
You: the company’s needs, identity, values, and challenges.
Me: what I can bring to the table, my experience, how I can help the company meet its stated needs.
Us: how we’re going to be able to collaborate and be successful together.
Display your characteristics, benefits, and advantages to convince recruiters that you are the apprentice they need.
When they finish reading your cover letter, they should be convinced that there are possible avenues for collaboration and that they can’t afford to miss out on you!
Great work! In the next part, we’ll look at how to organize your apprenticeship job search strategy.
