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Difference Between Personalized and Customized Cover Letter

Cover Letter

By Eva LeePublished 7 years ago 4 min read
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Cover Letter

As you would take efforts to draft a concise resume, so you must take out time to write a proper cover letter. The aim of the cover letter is to encourage the hiring manager take interest in your application and proceed to scan your resume. Just as the resume has different formats, in the same way, a cover letter can be customized or personalized depending on the job you are applying for. Though both the words mean almost the same, yet there is a vast difference between them. Personalization is taking into account available data, whereas customization occurs when an individual changes the settings as per his/her liking. For example, when you click on some products on an e-commerce website like Amazon, it will likely show you similar recommendations the next time you log in to shop. This is personalization of data as per the search history and preferences. On the other hand, customization occurs when a particular thing is changed to meet the specific requirements.

Customized Cover Letter vs Personalized Cover Letter

Are you sending a cover letter to almost every job opportunity you come to know of? While this may be a good idea to get noticed, at the same time, it is equally important to assess whether you are correctly writing the letter. The following points tell the key differences between the two types.

What is a customized cover letter?

The main aim of a cover letter is to promote yourself and show the employer why you are the best candidate for the job. In a customized cover letter, an individual must include a unique opening statement that acts as his/her branding statement to make the right impact instead of writing information about how he/she got idea about the job opening. When you focus on the job title by mentioning years of experience and key skills, you are already showing why you fit the position and have scored some points. In this type of letter, once you have captured attention by stating an impressive opening statement and given a few lines of introduction, the next paragraph must focus on what you can do for the organization. You can emphasize the key requirements given in job description and include experience. Instead of writing bullet points, go for giving a concise description to highlight your candidacy that will prompt the hiring manager to invest time in your application and subsequently read the resume. If you have a recommendation quote from former employee or some outstanding results, never forget to include it in the letter.

What is a personalized cover letter?

On the other hand, when you are writing a personalized cover letter, you are directly addressing the hiring manager and following a predefined template. After giving an introduction, tell the prospective employer where your read the advertisement for job opening, or how you came to know about the vacancy. Apart from this, describe how passionate you are about the field and how your experience makes you an apt fit for the role. Also, in the first paragraph, mention the name of the person who has referred you to the position. In the middle section, focus on the skills you possess and tell how those are relevant to the job. This happens to be the most critical part of the letter, and you need to pay special attention to it. As you are selling yourself to establish candidacy for the vacant position, you must be able to convince the employer that the skills and experience make you an ideal employee for the role. Mentioning core skills and key phrases from the job description will increase the reader's interest and make him/her take efforts to look at your application and even consider fixing your interview. As this is a chance to market yourself, don't shy away from using the organization's name or making use of creativity to catch the recruiter's eye.

While both types of cover letters have small differences, it is important to maintain the fact and professional format for them. You must always end your letter by thanking the hiring manager for taking out time to read it. Also, show an interest for a face-to-face conversation and conclude the letter by giving your correct contact information.

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About the Creator

Eva Lee

Eva Lee is an Enterprise Software Technology project Manager who also enjoy's writing,Eva started writing the blogs and articles on Resumes, Career oriented topics.

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