Ask for the Interview: A Simple Cover Letter Tip That Works
The goal of a cover letter is an interview, so why don’t you just ask for it? In this blog post, we show you how.
By: Shyene Joubert | Contributor for Let’s Eat, Grandma
Welcome back, job seeker.
Crafting a cover letter may seem daunting at first. Questions like “What exactly should I say? Do I sound natural?” might fill your head. Luckily, we’ve got you covered! (Get it?)
This blog post will help you with a specific struggle for many job seekers: How to wrap up your cover letter. We’re going to share a must-have element that our professional writers always recommend including in the closing paragraph, and it’s simple:
Ask for an interview.
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Why Ask?
Asking for an interview in the cover letter is a simple and effective call to action. Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
It may sound easy, but it really is an effective touch to end your cover letter. Remember: You are marketing yourself with your applications. Every marketer and salesperson knows you need to close a sale with a good call to action; a clear step you want the prospective customer to take.
Think of asking for the interview like your personal call to action, urging hiring managers to buy in and contact you because of your expertise.
Although it takes more finesse than saying “Hire me now!” in bold letters, this quick closing sentence is your chance to sell your qualifications and desire to join this company. You want to exude confidence to convince the hiring manager to take action.
Don’t believe me?
Recent Statistics
According to Glassdoor:
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- 86% of HR professionals indicated recruitment has become more like marketing.
- Only 2% of applicants for the average job will receive interviews.
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Only 2 percent?! Now that’s scary. We’re here to arm you with a skill in order to become one of the individuals who advance to the next round.
By initiating the interview conversation, you’re demonstrating your tenacious, go-getter mentality.
However, there are several variables to consider when drafting your cover letter’s closing paragraph. I’ll guide you through them.
Attract Positive Attention
As a job seeker, you don’t want to attract the wrong kind of attention with your cover letter. It’s important to emphasize the valuable skillset you will bring to the role without coming across the wrong way.
Although your tone will vary slightly depending on your industry, we recommend your cover letter maintain a confident, respectful voice throughout. For example, if you’re an executive, you must come across as mature and powerful, as you share some of the lessons you’ve learned in your long career.
Avoid sounding pushy at all costs, for this may cause you to stand out like a sore thumb. Hiring managers want to bring in people who sound excited about the role and who will mesh with their company culture.
Use the Right Tools
By tools, we mean words. Phrasing matters, and that’s why we suggest you use these three practical techniques to wrap up your cover letter:
1. Provide contact information. Although your contact information should also go at the top of your cover letter in the header that matches your resume, it may also be helpful to incorporate your phone number and/or email address into the closing sentence as another helpful reminder that reinforces your ask.
2. Offer availability. You can offer periods of availability that work for you (i.e., “I am available for a phone call Monday-Friday in the evening.”). This shows you’re thinking ahead and carving out time to learn more about this role.
3. Be clear. Make sure your interview ask is direct and clear! A simple sentence like “I look forward to discussing what my background can bring to the team at Company A in greater detail with you during an interview” is concise and professional.
Here’s an example of a cover letter I recently furnished for a client:
This closing paragraph not only summarizes how the job seeker can contribute meaningfully to the organization, but also how to best contact them for an interview. It is straightforward without feeling overbearing. Several clients of mine have been successful when framing their cover letters this way. If you need more ideas for specific wording to use, you can find a handful of examples here.
While requesting an interview on your cover letter or in-person won’t always earn you an interview, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Job searching can be stressful, but creating your application documents doesn’t have to be! Now that you understand the significance of tone, phrasing, and asking for an interview, we hope you feel more confident about writing your cover letter.
If you appreciated this tip and feel like you need more assistance in writing documents that will land you an interview, find out how we can help!
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