Understanding the audience that you are trying to connect with is always key, no matter what you are writing. The biggest compliment, you can give your potential employer is to use their language. It’s a bit like saying, “Hey, I know how your team talks and I’d easily fit in.” The only way you can achieve this is to do you cover letter research.
Where to look first
To get the language right you need to go to the organisation’s website ad have a look at their ‘About’ page. What are the company vision and values say? Are there any current news articles posted? Have they won any awards? Who are their key clients? What are their key areas of operation? All of this information needs to go into your research files.
Post It Note Time
Next, take a look at the job advert and job description (if you can get hold of it). I am a big fan of Post It notes. Every time you see words that are reoccurring such as ‘client focus’, ‘safety culture’ or ‘team responsibility’, grab a Post It and write them down.
These are the words you’ll weave into your cover letter. The bonus is that by speaking’ your new employer’s language, you are also likely to be using ‘keywords’ that an applicant tracking computer system will be looking for before your application is put in front of a human.
World Wide Web Time
Finally, it’s time to go search the world wide web. Spend time on Google, YouTube and LinkedIn looking for reoccurring phrases associated with the company.
Summary: How to do cover letter research
At the end of all your cover letter research, you will be armed with a stack of Post It’s and one step closer to getting your ideal job. Follow the checklist:
- Look at the company website
- Review the Job Description and Job Advert
- Check out Google, LinkedIn, and Facebook