You can take a resume cover letter example from the web. It will be convenient. But be honest. It won’t get you the job. A cover letter that really grabs attention has to match the job. You need to align the requirements of the job with what you have to offer. Here’s how to write a cover letter for a job you really want.

Here’s how to write a job cover letter that will boost your job search:

Write your own hiring criteria.

Sounds impossible? It cannot be carried out with everyone. But you only need to make it work with a percentage to get a good number of calls.

One of your highest priorities in your job search should be to reset the hiring criteria for your hiring manager. A cover letter can do this in ways that resumes can’t. And a resume cover letter example you get from the web won’t do the job.

What resets the hiring requirements? Examples and facts. That’s how.

In his letter, he says, “Very regularly, supervisors look for technicians with a lot of experience in this technology for a job like this. And then they regret it when that person can’t talk to product management…”

Makes the problem worse: “At best, it slows down the development process while the miscommunication is fixed. At worst, it requires rework.”

Then change the argument to confirm why it’s so effective. “You can see why an industry-wide research program found that communication skills had a higher ROI than technology skills. That’s why my time at Toastmasters isn’t just a good hobby, it actually makes me better at my job. In fact, in our last development cycle…”

Once you’ve written your new hiring criteria, read them through beforehand to make sure they make sense and are persuasive.

It’s easy to buy your own arguments. Sure, this sounds like what the job needs to be to me. But you have to convince the recruiter. In fact, it has to stand out as more compelling than all the standard packages written from a resume cover letter example. So please check it to make sure before submitting.

How to write a cover letter for a job: set the criteria and make sure it’s compelling.

1) Read it out loud to yourself. Flowing? Is the argument strong and convincing?

2) Read it aloud to two associates unfamiliar with your industry. They follow? Do you understand why someone should change their criteria for yours? Ideally, you’ll hear: hey, how do you do that? Then you tell them you’re excited.

3) Finally, have a child read it to you. This is often a challenging request. We believe that children cannot appreciate the vernacular of our industry. And they can’t. But they can still catch the gist. And they can tell you if the basic argument is convincing and sensible.