Five things recruiters look for in a cover letter

There’s a lot of advice out there on the best way to write a cover letter, mostly focused on avoiding mistakes. Career-skill programs typically like to familiarize students with “killer lines” or genre-specific formalities, or with the dos and don’ts of language or layout. This often leads to the (faulty) conclusion that once we’ve written a nice typo-free cover letter, we can use it again and again in response to any job ad. We just have to be sure we replace the last company and job title and do not forget to address the right person. This couldn’t be more wrong. While avoiding easily avoidable errors may increase your chances to be considered for the right pile on a recruiter’s desk, it does not convince anyone you’re the right person for the job—even though this is what a cover letter should do. In fact, its purpose should be to take…