When it comes to the job search, there&rsquo;s often one factor that determines whether you do or don&rsquo;t move on to the next step in the hiring process: a good cover letter. Rather than using the same cover letter over and over, tailoring a letter for each company and position you&rsquo;re applying for can make all the difference in persuading an employer to invite you to interview.
Here are&nbsp;5 must-haves for a cover letter&nbsp;that will help you land that interview:
1. Address it to a Person&nbsp;&ndash; Ensure your cover letter stands out from the applicant pool by addressing it to a specific individual in the company. Starting a cover letter with &ldquo;To Whom it May Concern,&rdquo; can often dissuade hiring managers from considering applicants, as it can appear less personal. It can also look as if you haven&rsquo;t done your homework. Often a simple Google, LinkedIn, company website search, or email/phone call to the company can help you determine the right point of contact for addressing your letter.
If, after researching, you&rsquo;re unable to find a name, try using, &ldquo;Dear Hiring Team.&rdquo;
2. Incorporate a Strong Opening Statement&nbsp;&ndash; Much like a news story, your opening statement in a cover letter should draw your readers in and make them want to know more. Don&rsquo;t begin your letter by stating what the company already knows, such as the fact you&rsquo;re applying for a job. Instead, focus on selling yourself and why you&rsquo;re interested in working for the company. Or, talk about what impresses you about the company, or any personal connections you may have to the work.
For example, if you are applying to a company that sells products that you use, mention that. If you&rsquo;re impressed by what you&rsquo;ve seen in the news about them, share that in your letter.&nbsp;
3. Focus on your Relevant Experience&nbsp;&ndash; Your cover letter is the place to fill in gaps and elaborate on information outlined in your resume. It&rsquo;s particularly important to use your cover letter to address how your experience aligns with the duties listed in the job description. This includes incorporating specific words and phrases from the job description.
For example, if a position requires project management experience, share an example of how you have either managed a project or exercised the skills needed to do so in your previous work or educational experiences. If it requires knowledge of a specific software or equipment, explain your familiarity with these or similar systems. In general, don&rsquo;t make this section read like a list; rather, provide a few highlights based on your strengths in specific areas.
4. Display Personality &amp; Passion&nbsp;&ndash; Once again, your cover letter serves as a tool for an employer to get to know you in hopes they will extend an invitation to interview. This means going beyond the facts listed in your resume to display a bit of personality. It can also be a tool to express your passion for the organization&rsquo;s work.
It&rsquo;s important in your letter to base your tone on both the position you&rsquo;re applying for and the company&rsquo;s culture. If applying for a legal position at a high-powered law firm, you should likely err on the side of formality in your cover letter writing. If you&rsquo;re applying for a position at a graphic design firm whose clients are comprised of small businesses and local non-profits, perhaps use a more conversational tone.
Ultimately, research remains critical. Determine the culture and personality of the company and align your tone accordingly.
5. Disclose Your Disability, if it&rsquo;s Relevant&nbsp;&ndash; Today, many employers have hiring goals and recruitment initiatives designed to increase their number of employees with disabilities. As companies continue to recognize the benefits of hiring people with disabilities, they&rsquo;re doing targeted outreach to reach job seekers with disabilities. Thus, if a job posting specifically encourages people with disabilities to apply, feel free to discuss your disability in the cover letter. While not a requirement, in cases like these, disclosing a disability can be an advantage.
When choosing to disclose a disability in a cover letter, ground the letter in your ability to perform the job functions well. Focus on how your disability can be an asset to the employer, rather than how it could potentially prevent you from meeting the job requirements. Save any requests for accommodations or other needs until time to confirm your interview.
Crafting your cover letter with these must-haves can greatly influence your potential to get in front of hiring managers for an interview. For more guidance on how to write an effective cover letter,&nbsp;contact the CareerCircle team.
Contributions to this blog were made by Andra&eacute;a LaVant of Solutions Marketing Group.

Tailor your cover letter for each job to stand out. Address it to a person, show passion, and highlight relevant experience.

5 Must-Haves for an Effective Cover Letter

There&rsquo;s no denying we&rsquo;ve come a long way toward equality throughout history &mdash; though that doesn&rsquo;t mean we still don&rsquo;t have a long way to go. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) can still have a difficult time looking for and finding a successful career that fits both their needs and wants. 
Sound familiar? If you&rsquo;re BIPOC talent <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/jobs" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">on the hunt for a new job</a>, you might find yourself struggling with confidence and self-esteem. You might be worried about different workplace environments and lean on thoughts of self-rejection. Unfortunately, those thoughts and worries will only make your search harder, and could even cause you to settle for a career that&rsquo;s less than what you truly deserve. 
So, what can you do to build confidence in your job search? How can you feel more comfortable with yourself, and showcase your skills while also boosting your confidence when it comes to the jobs you&rsquo;re looking at? Let this be your guide to making your job hunt easier and more effective. 
<h2> Overcoming Self-Rejection</h2>
 One of the biggest hurdles you might face in your job search is your own lack of confidence. Unfortunately, <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2021/08/03/new-research-shows-racial-discrimination-in-hiring-is-still-happening-at-the-earliest-stages/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">racial discrimination is still happening in the workplace</a> &mdash; including on job applications and throughout the interview process. You might worry so much about rejection that you set yourself up for failure before you even send in your resume. 
&nbsp;
There might not be much you can do to stop systemic racism in the workplace right away. However, you can start by getting a job and starting a long and successful career path. The more people of color who find success, especially in high-profile industries, the weaker racial stigmas and stereotypes will become. That starts with building your confidence and overcoming self-rejection throughout your search. 
&nbsp;
First, determine where your self-rejection is coming from. For many, it stems from having a poor financial mindset. You might think you&rsquo;re not &ldquo;good enough&rdquo; for a job with a high salary. Or, you might be so focused on finances&nbsp;that you&rsquo;re willing to apply for jobs that pay less than you deserve. You can combat those thoughts by <a href="https://www.nationaldebtrelief.com/9-tips-for-creating-a-positive-financial-mindset/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">creating a positive financial mindset</a>. Try things like: 
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li> Changing the way you think about savings</li>
<li> Being mindful of your spending</li>
<li> Focusing on long-term goals</li>
<li> Knowing your net worth and credit score</li>
<li> Starting a path toward financial freedom</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
If your financial mindset isn&rsquo;t the issue, consider what else could be hindering your confidence. Maybe you had a negative job experience in the past or you&rsquo;ve dealt with racism in your social life. When you get to the root of your self-rejection, you can start taking active steps toward overcoming it. If you choose to do nothing, that mindset will never change. 
<h2> Knowing What to Look For</h2>
 When you&rsquo;re actively looking for a job, you&rsquo;re really only one part of the equation. The other part is where you&rsquo;ll end up working. If you want to feel confident in your search, seek out places of employment that celebrate BIPOC employees. If you see a job posting or description that interests you, do your research on the company. Look for things like: 
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li> Diversity goals</li>
<li> EEO statements</li>
<li> Internships for people of color</li>
<li> Diversity training programs</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
If you apply for a job and get selected for an interview, that&rsquo;s when your real &ldquo;research&rdquo; on the company environment begins. Be prepared with questions for your interviewer, including what they like about working there, what positive things can they say about the culture, and how could the last person in that position have done things differently. The more prepared you are with detailed questions, the more information you&rsquo;ll get about the kind of environment you could potentially be stepping into. 
&nbsp; <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/EQaWIWibT0yBLl7KaXRL">&nbsp;
<h2> Marketing Your Skills and Strengths</h2>
 Finally, nothing will boost your self-esteem more than <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/effectively-marketing-yourself-as-bipoc-talent-w" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">marketing your skills and strengths</a>. If you have to, force yourself to see your worth and your value. When you do, you&rsquo;ll be able to convey it on paper in your resume and cover letter, and eventually in person if you get brought in for an interview.
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re not sure how to market your skills, start by building a strong resume. Or, consider putting together a <a href="https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/resources/professions-that-need-digital-portfolios.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">digital portfolio</a> if you&rsquo;re looking for a job in art, design, or marketing. Anything you can do to showcase your specific strengths will help you stand out from the competition. Attend networking events, share your passions, and create a quick &ldquo;elevator pitch&rdquo; to share with people who might have an influence over your career path. It&rsquo;s a great way to start feeling more confident about your strengths, and you&rsquo;ll get more comfortable talking about yourself the more often you do it. 
&nbsp;
Finally, work to avoid imposter syndrome. It can make you feel like you don&rsquo;t belong, or that you&rsquo;re not good enough for a specific career. BIPOC employees already have to deal with enough of that from the rest of the world. Remind yourself that you&rsquo;re just as qualified and skilled as anyone else and that you deserve the opportunities ahead of you. 
&nbsp;
Your perfect job is out there. Keep these ideas in mind to build your confidence while you&rsquo;re searching, and you&rsquo;ll feel better about starting a career knowing you have the skills, strength, and motivation to be successful. 
Content Contributor:
Ainsley Lawrence is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest. She is interested in better living through technology and education. She loves traveling to beautiful places and is frequently lost in a good book.

Find success in your job hunt as BIPOC talent. Boost your confidence and discover inclusive workplaces.

Building Confidence in the Job Search: A Guide for BIPOC Talent | Getting Hired

Building Confidence in the Job Search: A Guide for BIPOC Talent

For many people with disabilities, identifying themselves as such in the workplace evokes fear of discrimination and stigma. Self-Identification campaigns &ndash; typically referred to as Self-ID campaigns &ndash; are a great way for employers to prompt disability disclosure among their employees and continue to foster a culture of inclusion in the workplace.&nbsp;
Organizations planning to host a Self-ID campaign should provide multiple methods for collecting information from employees with disabilities. This can include allowing employees to self-identify anonymously, perhaps by sending out a general employee survey that includes the question, &ldquo;Do you have a disability?&rdquo; Some may use the U.S. Department of Labor&rsquo;s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs&rsquo; formal <a href="https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/sec503/self_id_forms/selfidforms.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form</a>, while others may have more public opportunities for employees to share personal stories about their disability-related experiences. Regardless of which method an employer uses, Self-ID campaigns have numerous benefits for both employees and employers. Here are our top 5:&nbsp; 
<ol>
<li>They can help employers measure their success in disability hiring.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
<a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/section-503" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Section 503</a> of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating in employment against individuals with disabilities and requires employers to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, promote, and retain these individuals. To continue to improve employment outcomes, employers must be able to measure their success in disability hiring, which means employees with disabilities must self-identify. However, it is always important to remember that compliance with regulations is only one reason to create an equitable workplace!&nbsp; 
<ol start="2">
<li> They push back against stigma.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
There is a long history of the stigma that comes with having a disability. This can manifest as a fear of disability, the mindset of seeing disability as undesirable, or, most insidiously, as ableism&ndash; discrimination in favor of non-disabled people. By hosting and participating in a Self-ID campaign, employers and employees both seize the opportunity to show that disability is simply another form of diversity, much like gender and sexual orientation. A diverse workplace is a dynamic workplace.&nbsp; 
<ol start="3">
<li> It&rsquo;s good for business.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
According to the <a href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_NES_DEI4.0_Toolkit_2020.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">World Economic Forum&rsquo;s 2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 4.0</a> toolkit, teams that have a diverse makeup are up to 36% more likely to outperform on profitability and have up to 20% higher rates of innovation. The bottom line is that diversity, which includes disability, outperforms homogeneity. Furthermore, it can be enormously beneficial for an organization&rsquo;s makeup to reflect the population they seek to market to.&nbsp; 
<ol start="4">
<li> They calm fears of disability discrimination at work.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
One of the most common reasons employees choose not to disclose their disability is because they fear negative consequences in the workplace, such as discrimination. By taking a &ldquo;loud and proud&rdquo; stance on disability visibility, employers and employees alike show that they value disability and would not take negative action against a team member with a disability. Self-ID campaigns can take a variety of forms, ranging from anonymous surveys to putting a &ldquo;face&rdquo; to disability and featuring selected employees who self-identify as disabled.&nbsp; 
<ol start="5">
<li> They can be a catalyst for the creation of a vibrant Employee Resource Group (ERG).</li>
</ol>
People are naturally attracted to those they share similar experiences&ndash; the workplace is no exception. Learning about other team members' experiences and disabilities through a Self-ID campaign can be the catalyst for creating a disability-specific Employee Resource Group (ERG).&nbsp;
&nbsp;
There are numerous reasons to host a disability Self-ID campaign. While it&rsquo;s important to know the number of employees with disabilities an organization has, fostering more inclusive workplaces and creating better experiences for all employees is arguably more important.&nbsp;
 
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Self-ID campaigns foster workplace inclusion, combat stigma, and improve disability hiring and business outcomes.

Five Ways Disability Self-ID Campaigns Benefit Workplace Culture | Getting Hired

Five Ways Disability Self-ID Campaigns Benefit Workplace Culture

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142 Articles

5 Must-Haves for an Effective Cover Letter

Building Confidence in the Job Search: A Guide for BIPOC Talent

Five Ways Disability Self-ID Campaigns Benefit Workplace Culture