Cover letters have only one purpose: to get you an invitation to an interview. Therefore, your cover letter needs to persuade the employer that you exactly the skills and background they are looking for. Even though your resume might clearly list your qualifications and experience, it is up to you to make this connection clear to the prospective employer in your cover letter.

Just as Canadian resumes do not contain personal information, neither do cover letters. Your cover letter should never contain personal information that is not directly related to the job or how your skills and experience make you the best candidate. Unlike the written self-introductions used in Korea, a cover letter should not contain your personal history or any other un-related information to the desired. 

Also, while your self-introduction text can often be used repeatedly for different Korean job applications, in Canada you will need to write a new and customized cover letter for each job you apply for. Each letter must specifically address the match of your working and education history to their job requirements and criteria.

Here are some pointers to ensure we target your cover letter enough to catch the attention of the recruiter and get you that all-important interview:

Use Keywords

Use keywords and phrases from the job posting in your cover letter. This step is very important for IT positions as the postings will contain technical requirements such as specific programming languages that HR departments or their screening software will be looking for.

Emphasize Value

Provide some concrete examples of your work achievements in your cover letter. These action statements will provide proof of your potential value to the company. For example, did you reduce customer complaints by a certain percentage after fixing a bug in a software program? It is possible to use a bulleted list after your introduction paragraph that lists a few of these key accomplishments.

Carefully Edit

Nowadays, many IT jobs also require employees with strong communication skills, which of course includes written communication. Therefore, carefully proofread your letter before sending it, and double-check for spelling and grammar errors. When your cover letter is complete, it should always be placed on top of the resume as it will be the first document read by the recruiter. A search on Google for “sample IT professional cover letters” will give you hundreds of examples that you can use to model your cover letter in the appropriate style for job-hunting in Canada.

Kari Karlsbjerg and Elaine Chu are authors of the best-selling bilingual guidebook, Everyday Vancouver, which contains all the practical cultural information and resources Korean newcomers need for life in Vancouver, Canada. 

By Kari Karlsbjerg 다른기사 보기