When you’re a freelancer and you rely on a steady stream of work-from-home gigs to keep the lights on, you’re no stranger to sending out job applications.
For the benefit of those who are new, however, we need to talk about getting your job application kit handy. Specifically, your curriculum vitae (or CV), your resume, your portfolio, and of course, the accompanying cover letter.
So if you’re wondering how to write one for your work-from-home job application, all you need for your cover letter are four sections– each one just a short sentence long:
- Introduce yourself.
- Why should they hire you?
- Back up your claims.
- Close strong.
We have some objectives in mind when crafting a cover letter, and these four sentences cover all the bases while keeping things brief and to the point.
Below is a quick and easy guide to let you construct your own cover letter to accompany your online job application. You can copy it straight away and just fill in the blanks, or you can play around with your choice of words so it sounds more “you”.
Let’s get right to it.
What’s a Cover Letter For, Anyway?
The purpose of a cover letter is a polite introduction to your prospective employer. Remember, there was once a time when we didn’t have computers or email or the internet, which meant that job applications had to be mailed in or hand-delivered personally.
Cover letters were attached or inserted along with your resume or CV to let the company or HR department know what it was exactly you were applying for.
Of course, fast forward to today, you now have email and online job-matching services that tagged your applications and routed them to the proper departments with job openings.
Nevertheless, you can stand out head and shoulders above the rest by including a simple yet effective cover letter along with your job application.
By doing so, you show respect for the person’s time, you show that you’re taking this whole thing seriously, and you’re showing your prospective employers that you’re making the effort to stand out.
Crafting Your Cover Letter
Your cover letter doesn’t have to be overly verbose or lengthy. After all, whoever’s hiring you and sifting through all those applications doesn’t have a lot of time on their hands (or would rather be doing something else at work).
Most recruiters just want to separate the wheat from the chaff quickly– seeing which ones may be a good fit for the position in question and those who are not worth considering at all.
The point is: having lengthy cover letters or intros isn’t going to help you at all. But with that in mind, your cover letter has three main objectives:
1. It should explain why you’ve contacted the employer.
2. It must provide insight into who you are and what you offer.
3. It communicates enthusiasm and interest in hearing (back) from the employer.
You can accomplish these three goals in four sentences. Here they are:
1. Introduce Yourself
So your first sentence can go:
“Dear [sir/madam/whoever it is],
My name is [your name]. I’m writing to inquire about the opening for [job/position].”
Short and sweet. You’re telling them exactly why you’re sending in your application. It’s just one sentence, and that’s enough.
2. Sell Yourself
In the next paragraph, you’ll want to let them know why they should pick you.
“I offer [X] years of experience in [whatever your specialty is], and I believe that would make me a strong candidate for this opening.”
It might sound just a bit cocky, but it gives your recruiter some insight that you believe you are a strong candidate and that you can do the job. It communicates confidence and faith in your abilities.
3. Back Up Your Claims
Add one more sentence to that paragraph.
“The top portion of my attached resume highlights my career profile and three significant accomplishments that are also in alignment with this position.”
Now you’re generating a bit of interest, creating just a little intrigue. You’re telling them exactly where they can find the information that they need in order to know whether or not you’d be a could candidate, and it won’t take them very long to see it.
4. Close Strong
Start another paragraph and close with this sentence:
“I’d welcome the opportunity to speak with you if you feel I’d be a strong candidate for this or any position in your organization.”
This establishes an important thing: Even if for some reason they don’t find you a good fit for the job role in mind, you want to remind them to make sure that they think about all positions in their company (and perhaps find a suitable position for you).
To summarize, your cover letter will then look like this:
Dear [sir/madam/whoever it is],
My name is [your name]. I’m writing to inquire about the opening for [job/position].
I offer [X] years of experience in [whatever your specialty is], and I believe that would make me a strong candidate for this opening. The top portion of my attached resume highlights my career profile and three significant accomplishments that are also in alignment with this position.
I’d welcome the opportunity to speak with you if you feel I’d be a strong candidate for this or any position in your organization.
Sincerely Yours,
[Your Name]
So there you have it: a short and sweet cover letter in just four sentences. It tells them why you’re a good pick for the job, it’s brief but impactful, and it encourages them to open your resume.
You can probably add another sentence about key accomplishments or career highlights, but you don’t need to go beyond five sentences.
A Final Word About Writing Cover Letters
As much as possible you wouldn’t want to overthink your cover letter. It should be short and simple, and all it needs to do really is get the job done:
1. It should explain why you’ve contacted the employer.
2. It must provide insight into who you are and what you offer.
3. It communicates enthusiasm and interest in hearing (back) from the employer.
Four sentences– perhaps five at the most– is enough to cover all those objectives. Just make sure your resume (which also has been properly optimized) is also attached.
Not all recruiters will ask for a curriculum vitae, portfolio, or references, but you’ll want to make sure you have these ready as well when they ask for it.
Remember: the cover letter only gets your foot in the door. Ultimately, you gotta have the skills, work ethic, and/or experience to back up your claims.