Leadership Unlocked

An employer’s view of how to make a cover letter to get you that interview

Simon Ash

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Published in

Better Humans

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7 min read

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2 days ago

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What makes a good cover letter?

This is a question I have been pondering recently because, as an employer, I receive and review many cover letters. As with many business leaders, I am constantly on the search for good people for my team. This requires a constant cycle of advertising, appraising applications, and interviewing potential candidates for roles. It is time-consuming, particularly the interview stage, and therefore the initial sift of candidates at the application stage is all important. Generally, this requires filtering tens (and potentially hundreds) of applications down to single figures. When it comes to interviewing, I rarely see more than three people for a given role.

It is also a costly process. The direct cost to a company is an average of $4000 (according to Glassdoor) when you consider the cost of marketing, time clocked by recruiting staff, systems cost, etc. But the real cost is much greater, up to double the salary of the new employee in their first year according to some estimates. Therefore, as the head of an organisation, I want value for money and a return on my investment. To ensure this, I want the best chance of making the right decision, and that decision-making process starts with applications and cover letters.

What Am I Looking for as an Employer?

That is an obvious question, but the answer may not be exactly what you think. And that is because it is not just about someone’s qualifications. In fact, that is not my most important criterion.

When I am hiring someone, I am thinking about the 3 Cs of character, competency, and chemistry. The 3Cs is a model I learned early on in my career, and I have found it profoundly helpful in selecting team members. The 3Cs come in a priority order as follows:

1. Character is the most important factor as it is the hardest thing to change. In other words, it is easier to teach people new skills than to develop better character. Unfortunately, I learned this from the painful experience of having to fire highly…