A study in the Business Communication Quarterly journal found that 56% of employers still expect to receive a cover letter from candidates. CareerBuilder research, in turn, proved that 49% of recruiters consider this application document the second most important tool after a customized resume. These statistics show the critical role of the cover letter in the selection process and force job seekers to spend hours creating a successful professional self-presentation. Today, many online services are ready to simplify the task and reduce the time spent from several hours to several minutes. In this article, we will discuss whether online cover letter builders should be trusted and what benefits they provide users.
The main obstacles to a perfect cover letter
It would seem that a cover letter is just a list of your strengths and achievements, so what could go wrong? Several mistakes could force recruiters to put your application document into cold storage. Fortunately, most professional cover letter writing services can help you avoid these blunders.
- Lack of a clear structure. Unlike a resume, a cover letter does not have uniform content requirements. However, it is still a business document that has structure and consistency for readability. Many candidates neglect them, and their cover letters resemble a word salad. Therefore, the first thing that modern builders offer is the ordered arrangement of paragraphs to preserve the narrative logic. If you check the professional getcoverletter.com writing service samples, you will see that each of them is easy to read and perceive.
- Invalid format. You may think that font type, font size, and correct spacing in the text does not matter with an awesome self-presentation. However, these little factors significantly affect the first impression. Decorative fonts make the document unprofessional, and if the text is too small it forces the recruiter to peer at each word instead of focusing on the essence of your message. Thanks to the online cover letter generators, you don’t have to puzzle over formatting. The paper you get will meet all business standards.
- Wrong length. A winning cover letter fits on one page. Nevertheless, some candidates neglect this simple rule and try to add as much information as possible to provide an aggregate picture. This is a failed tactic since no recruiter wants to spend time on a long read when faced with an active flow of candidates. When using a cover letter maker, you just choose the strengths that you would like reflected in the letter, and the service takes on the building of your self-presentation in compliance with the length restrictions.
- Low uniqueness of the text. Today, anyone can find free cover letter samples online. Some of them seem so flawless and convincing that the applicant wants to replicate the success and copy-paste the best parts. However, this decision can play a dirty trick when the recruiter checks your text’s uniqueness. Identification of matches with third-party sources discredits you. If you decide to cheat at the initial stage, you will probably look only for shortcuts in the future. In this case, the online builder is your indispensable helper as it creates a unique and custom text for each user.
- Writing errors. Even a literate person is sometimes not immune from grammatical, stylistic, and punctuation errors in their text. The key reason is that each applicant focuses on the message that they try to deliver. Meanwhile, writing errors still offend the recruiter’s eyes and can ruin your professional reputation at the very beginning. To avoid it, you should proofread your paper several times. But you do not always have time for this, and often there are no people ready to provide a fresh look at the text. Any professional service, in turn, undertakes the document’s literacy, and you do not need the help of additional checkers.
Benefits of online cover letter writing service
Most new technologies are taken with a grain of salt. But some go a long way and become indispensable tools in the daily life of an audience. The same goes for cover letter builders. Most users do not know how they work, and therefore are afraid to trust them with such an important document. Meanwhile, these services are designed to simplify your task, save time, and increase your chances in the application process. To dispel your doubts, we will present to you their main advantages.
Customized Content
To fit an informative text on one page, you need to focus on qualifications and personal qualities that are valuable for the selected position. But how do you know which strengths are most valued? One of the main advantages of professional services is the preliminary selection of hard, soft, and technical skills for each profession. So, once you choose the desired position, you get access to the skills that hit the target. You need only to click on the appropriate ones and get a personalized self-presentation for a particular job.
Important Keywords
Recruiters always monitor keywords in resumes and cover letters to weed out some of the candidates at the initial selection stage. Often these keywords are hidden in job descriptions. Their presence proves that the applicant carefully studied the vacancy requirements and is ready to meet the company’s needs. The document made by an online cover letter writer already contains the main keywords for your post, saving you from the trouble of searching for and guessing about the keywords yourself.
Versatility
Online cover letter services are suitable for all professionals, regardless of their track record and qualifications. You can easily choose posts with the prefix “assistant” or “junior,” and your cover letter will not become less advantageous. Moreover, if you are an entry-level specialist, these services help emphasize your strengths and build a self-presentation that compensates for the lack of experience and professional achievements.
Usability
Contrary to popular opinion, such online services are not only designed for advanced users. Their algorithm is understandable and accessible to a broad audience. Besides, you always get useful tips to help you avoid errors and misunderstandings. The creation of a cover letter may vary depending on the builder, but it often includes the following steps:
- Register on the website
- Choose the position which you are applying for
- Choose your professional skills and personal qualities
- Choose a layout from the proposed templates
- Get quick preview
- If the document suits you, have it sent to your email in PDF format
- Download the cover letter or send it to the recruiter by email
The whole process takes no more than 15-20 minutes.
Unlimited Access
Some online builders offer a subscription service that allows you to create an unlimited number of cover letters. Why do you need this? You never know how long your job search will last and how many companies you will have to apply to before you get the desired job. Given that each cover letter must be customized, this subscription saves you a lot of time. You do not have to prepare universal blanks or create a document from scratch for each job application. Instead, you just follow the usual algorithm, spend 15-20 minutes, and get a new unique cover letter. Often this subscription is not free, but it is still cheap considering all the above advantages.
Wrap Up
A job search is a difficult period. You need to monitor job boards, study available vacancies, send out application documents, wait for feedback, and always think about making a favorable impression on the next potential employer. Cover letter writing services are designed to simplify at least one of the above tasks. When choosing a builder, pay attention to document samples and user reviews to avoid nasty surprises. But do not try to find a pitfall out of nothing. Remember that the time you save on creating, formatting, and proofreading the cover letter can be spent preparing for an interview to consolidate success or just on relaxation, which is no less valuable given the stresses and complexities of the application process. Rest assured, the help of professional services is always a good idea.