Whenever people talk about job applications, they immediately think of two things: the CV or the resume, and the interview. They put a lot of effort in making themselves look and sound good on paper, and, especially for the jobs they really want, they can take hours preparing for questions in the interview room.<\/p>\n
However, what people easily forget is a crucial, and sometimes game-changing, third element in the application process: the cover letter. But hold on \u2014 FastCompany’s Stephanie Vozza argues that\u00a0the cover letter is dead<\/a><\/strong>, especially since\u00a0social media presence can stand in for what the cover letter<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0usually does: give a personalized twist to your application.<\/p>\n So what gives? Why are we still talking about this? That’s because we ignore the new form the cover letter has taken:\u00a0the cover email<\/strong>. For most of your applications, this will be your first point of contact with recruiters. They might only have seconds to skim through your application, but if certain keywords stand out \u2014 keywords, for example, that matter to to the job post or the vacancy, or even personally to the recruiter \u2014 that can raise your chances actually being considered in the first place.<\/p>\n Here are some tips to help you write the cover email (which you’ll be sending with the PDF or .doc file of your CV and\/or your portfolio). It’s better than an empty email, trust me.<\/p>\n