How do I Personalize a Generic Cover Letter?

Creating a cover letter is a simple and often maddeningly frustrating part of any job application. In a single page, a candidate is meant to outline the reasons why he or she is suitable for a job, including why the company should choose to pick his or her particular application out of a pile of near-identical offerings. Not surprisingly, there are hundreds of generic cover letter forms that allow a candidate to simply “fill in the blanks” in order to make the process faster and simpler. Personalizing a generic cover letter can help increase the chances that an application will stand out from the pack and lead to an interview.

While it may not be a bad idea to download or generate a generic cover letter than can be used for multiple applications, one key paragraph should be altered or added to suit each individual application: information about the specific company. It's important to do some research on the prospective workplace, both to help a generic cover letter come to life and to know for sure if it is a suitable workplace for the applicant. A quick Internet search will likely turn up information on most companies, including company web pages that can include important details such as the history and mission statement of the business. Including a short paragraph in a generic cover letter that details specifically why the applicant admires and appreciates the individual business can go a long way toward personalizing a bland letter.

Another good way to personalize a generic cover letter is to find a suitable personal anecdote or experience that can be used for many different jobs. If a person is applying to jobs in the medical sector, a single, brief, personal story about how the applicant came to be interested in the medical field might be suitable for dozens of jobs. Including a short personal connection to the industry can make the cover letter feel as if its coming from a real person, and help demonstrate passion for the industry.

With so many generic cover letters available on the Internet, it's likely that some employers will get multiple copies of the same exact letter with different names at the bottom. In order to avoid this trap, consider taking a generic cover letter and restating each sentence in different words. This will help keep the form, length, and professional tone of the letter while at the same time preventing the possibility of an identical letter from another candidate.