Do I need to customize my cover letter

When it comes to creating a cover letter that offers all the information that a prospective employer might want in a candidate, it can be difficult understanding just what that is and how to approach them. This said, you probably want to know if customizing each cover letter is important or if you should just send out generalized cover letters to every job that meets your attention and interest. So, should you customize or is it better to be more general? In this article, we give you the answer and tell you why.

So, which is better: a custom or general cover letter when applying for a job? Most often, the answer is custom at all costs. Why? Well, where it once was easy to approach any company and job position by just using a cover letter that you use for every job-and just plugging in the job title and company where appropriate, it is really a bad message that an applicant sends an employer by doing this. It looks lazy and unprofessional, but most importantly, it looks like you are unenthusiastic about that particular job and employer. The thing is, a hiring manager knows a generalized cover letter when they see one-even if you plugged in the right specifics where you thought fit, so you must avoid this at all costs, or just not apply altogether.

Instead, you should customize a number of aspects of the cover letter to the specific position and employer to show them that you want that job, and are willing to do the work to get it. Here are the most important areas to customize:

1. Skills, experience, and qualifications: When you see a job posting and know that your skills and experience match what they are looking for, you should say so in your cover letter. First, because this is what the employer is looking for in the cover letter; and second, because this may be all that they read to review your candidacy.
2. Goals and mission: It’s just as important in a cover letter to customize your goals and mission to the job position and company as it is your skills and experience. This shows your prospective employer that you are enthusiastic above the same career direction and growth, and makes you thus more applicable to the position.
3. Why you are the answer: Lastly, it is crucial to show a company why you are the right candidate for their specific company and position-using the skills, experience, and goals mentioned earlier.