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- When it comes to landing a first round interview, a resume might be more important than a cover letter in always but one. A good cover letter can evoke emotion in the reader, something even the best resume cannot do. In this video, I share the three key things my colleague Peter did in his cover letter that helped him stand out, get in that first round interview, which ultimately led to an offer, so let's get started. Hi, everyone, it's Jeff from Google. If you're new here, this channel is all about practical career and interview tips. So if you're a current college student, or young working professional, consider subscribing. I often get asked with a cover letter is really necessary when applying to jobs nowadays, and my answer is always the same. A good cover letter won't guarantee you the job, but a bad one will make sure you don't even get the first round interview. So let's break down the three things this cover letter got right. Number one, you wanna start off the cover letter by immediately mentioning a connection with the company because if you do this right, it will keep them reading past the first sentence and onto why they should be considering you for the role. Let's just take a look at what Peter did in his example. Dear Miss Yap, I now regret rejecting a pitch from the Google Ads sales rep last year, I can promise you this cheeky sentence captured the attention of the recruiter. For those of you unfamiliar with Google Ads and not sure why this is a witty comment, basically, the account manager role Peter is applying for is a sales role responsible for contacting clients. The implicit assumption here is that his previous job was that of a client, and he now regrets rejecting the Google account manager who approached him, you get it now though, huh, huh? So what if you don't have this one in a million chance of having that genuine connection? You go the extra mile and do a little bit of research. As a general rule of thumb, if you're applying for roles where a software product is involved, like Google Ads, Salesforce CRM, Amazon AWS, Office 365, you wanna go to sites such as G2 and Capterra to get a first-hand look at customer testimonials and reviews, because this will help you understand the product in a very short amount of time. If you're applying to companies where a software product is not part of the main equation, such as the CPG, finance, magic consulting verticals, you probably wanna check out relevant reviews on Indeed and Glassdoor and more importantly, read up on their latest news. For example, a quick Google search on Procter and Gamble, a supposedly traditional consumer packaged goods firm, shows that they actually attended CES, the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. So if I were applying, I might mention something about how a traditional CPG firm is innovating in the tech space. Okay, final tip is to not mention something too high level. Remember, the connection you mentioned has to be relatable with the reader, which is oftentimes the recruiter or hiring manager. So if you're applying for a position at Apple, don't say how you'd like to continue Steve Jobs' vision and come up with the next iPhone, but just in case you do you have an amazing smartphone idea, consider applying to the Android or pixel teams here at Google. (bell dings) I know I spent a lot of time on this first point, but I mean, if we can't get the recruiter to repass the first line, none of this other stuff matters. Actually, let me know down in the comment section below what roles you're applying for, so maybe I can reply with some ideas. Number two, keep the length of your cover letter to three paragraphs maximum. Just like how your resume should be one page, your cover letter should only have three paragraphs with two to three sentences each. I mean, just take a look at these two cover letters. Formatting aside, which one do you instinctively prefer to read? Probably this one, especially if this person was able to include all the important information in a concise and structured way. So here's what you write in each paragraph. Right after the connection or hook sentence, you dive right into the skills and experiences that make you a strong candidate. Right off the bat, Peter mentioned he's been a sales manager for two years, has a strong understanding of Chinese exporters and can manage complex client relationships, all of which are skillsets the recruiter looks for in the key account manager role. Too often I read cover letters that start off with my name is John, I currently work here and I'm applying for this position. Peter skipped all that because he realized his resume, an online application, already told the recruiter all that information. And now he wants to show them why he should be considered for a first round interview. And for all the fresh grads out there, the less qualified you are for the position, the more important this first paragraph. You need to convince the hiring manager that your motivation, energy willingness to learn, will make you a stronger addition to the team than someone who might have a bit more experience but fail to be interesting in their cover letter. In the second paragraph, Peter highlights specific achievements that again, tie into the responsibilities of the role he's applying for. He drives more than 30 million RMB in annual revenue, manages the full life-cycle of the account and ensures timely delivery that affects the profitability of the business. Again, he's very purposeful about the experiences that he brings up, I actually know a little bit about his previous role. So he could have brought up how he managed a team, leadership skills, or how he launched a new line of product, innovative thinking, but he knows the recruiter's hiring for the sales team, and he speaks to that role, revenue, lifecycle of the account, profitability. The third paragraph can be a bit more generic, since you usually end the cover letter by thanking the reader for his or her time, and reinforcing your strong desire to join their company. Peter adds a little bit of personality here by saying his work experiences, coupled with his international background makes him an asset to the sales team. International background's a small bonus because Google usually looks for people with an international background, and I just love how the word asset is used here, not too cocky, not too modest, just right. In fact, if you take nothing away from this entire video, you're can probably copy and paste this exact sentence, and it would work for all situations. My work experiences will make me an asset to the marketing team. My work experiences will make me an asset to the finance team. My work experiences will make me an asset to the circus team. By the way, I have a Facebook group where I share more exclusive tips and resources. So feel free to join if you haven't already, I'll link it down below. Number three, use a simple cover letter template. This is too simple, this is too fancy, this is just right. I especially like how the name and address section is in a separate column, meaning you don't have too much awkward white space. If you saw my resume video, you know that I really like having colored accents to give your cover letter a bit more personality while retaining that overall professional look and feel. Finally, you might have noticed this nice looking font. It's called Google Sans, it's not available by default in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, but I have linked this exact template in the description down below, so all you have to do is make a copy to your Google Drive. So circling back to the emotion aspect I mentioned at the beginning of the video. After reading this cover letter, the recruiter might come to the conclusion that Peter is witty, he has a relevant skillset, and he's driven. All of which means that at least a first round interview is warranted. If you did the three things Peter has done here, I promise you, your cover letter will stand out among the others, and increase your chances of getting that first phone call. If you want more content on practical career and interview tips, consider subscribing, and if you're actively looking for a job or internship right now, make sure to check out my playlist, walking you through each step from networking to landing an offer. See you on the next video and in the meantime, have a great one. (gentle music)