Job seekers in the marketing field should have a fair idea of how to sell a product or service to a customer, emphasizing its unique qualities and how it could make a positive difference in the customer’s life. You need to do something similar when applying for a job. In this case, the product you are selling is yourself, and your cover letter plays a big role in communicating your value to prospective employers. This is because cover letters often form the first impression that recruiters have of a job applicant. Therefore, the cover letter gives the applicant a chance to impress the prospective employer by sharing their passion for marketing, their successes, and the value they would bring to the job.
As a marketing job applicant, here are some tips you can follow to write a good cover letter:
Focus on your prospective employer like a target audience
When you market a product or service, you usually have a target audience on which you can focus your marketing tactics. Similarly, when you write your cover letter and resume, your focus should be on the needs, interests, and concerns of your prospective employer. Imagine them as your target audience and think about what they want from an employee in their company. What professional, educational, and interpersonal skills are critical for landing the job? The answer to this question will help you make a better cover letter. HR managers and recruiters are looking for applicants who will contribute positively to the success of the company with their performance, so show what you can do that will be valuable to the company.
Use your marketing tools
Hiring managers and recruiters looking to fill a marketing position would be interested in applicants who are familiar with social media and marketing tools, and who use them for their professional as well as personal life. Add links to your profiles on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter on your cover letter, but make sure that the contents in your profile are suitable for viewing.
If you have the technical skills, you could even set up a personal website and use it to market your achievements. You can then use your cover letter to market yourself and link them to your website. A well-made website with a good design, layout, and video, audio, and textual content will make a really good impression on recruiters.
Share your marketing successes
Irrespective of the position you are applying for, your cover letter should highlight key successes that are relevant to the job opening. Since the cover letter has to be short, it is best to showcase only one or two examples of how you have succeeded in your career for that job opening. For instance, if the job opening is in Public Relations, you can show how you developed your company’s brand image and helped it secure 20 placements in print, television, and online media in just six months. Whenever possible, quantify your successes so recruiters get a better idea of the results you can achieve.
Simply put, your cover letter is the core of your own personal marketing campaign, and the service you are selling is your expertise and skills. For a good cover letter, you need to connect to your target audience, build credibility, and create a unique and creative sales pitch.