Cover Letter- An Opportunity Letter

Writing a pain letter to accompany your resume will have a 20% success rate when it comes to landing up for an interview. You can create a difference & improve your chances of getting an interview call by writing an opportunity letter instead of pain letter.

Let us discuss why pain letters fail 80% of the time! Linda( who now runs a fintech venture), One of my German clients found her job search stalled. She got so frustrated that she wrote in a couple of discussion forums, seeking help & advice. She shared a cover letter with one of prospective employers. She wanted a treasury manager role. In her cover letter, she wrote about ideas which she can use to solve the company’s growing problem. 

While taking feedback from someone in one of the discussion forum she posted, she was advised:

Crafting ideas in your cover letter can be risky since as an outsider you are unaware of the strategy of the company. If you hit the jackpot, you can be sure of getting the job. However if your ideas are not aligned with the company vision & strategy, you could miss the bus & company may not find you suitable.

It is not necessary that a plain letter can help you land up with the job, even though it can help your resume get noticed. Think about receiving advice from a stranger telling you that you are doing wrong. Rather you should focus on communicating to the employer how you can leverage on the opportunities. 

By writing an opportunity letter showcasing, how you can use your skills & expertise to leverage on opportunity, you can help your prospective employer in evaluating

1. How are you a perfect fit for the role?
2. What you bring you the table/what value & expertise you carry>
3. Why is a treasury role a right one for you?

An opportunity letter describing writer’s success stories in similar roles in the past( factual information) shows the reader answers to above mentioned questions. Obviously, you would prefer interviewing people who can identify & deliver opportunities.

The best strategy would be not to do a pain hypothesis & write how you can solve their problem, rather than showing factual data/information combined with a convenient call to action. You will certainly create a credible impression.

 Are you looking for some career advice & guidance about how to write an executive resume or have a rebranded Linkedin profile?  As the founder & executive resume coach at Sushant Kumar Ventures, offering executive resume writing & LinkedIn profile writing services for modern day job seekers, I would be happy to chat to help you meet your career goals; Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/fbPEMJ3