Email and online communication are often considered as personal correspondence between two individuals. For that reason, many of the correspondence you send and receive have informal words and format. Most letters have simplified greeting and no proper editing. Since the letter is personal, there is no need to write something fancy and well edited. As long as the message is properly conveyed, any format would do.

But the informality of email and online correspondence should never be reflected on your email cover letter. This is one of the biggest mistakes of job hunters today. Because they are already accustomed to informal messages online, they can just draft a small note on their email along with an attached resume.

Ignoring the importance of a properly drafted cover letter is a serious blunder for job seekers. Companies who accept these resumes are still expecting some formality from job seekers even though the cover letter is sent online.

Keeping up with Tradition

When you’re drafting your cover letter online, always remember that you should create a cover letter in a traditional format. Always be formal in introducing yourself along with the right greeting, body and closing.

Using the following draft will never work:

Hi!

Attached is my resume for your consideration. Included is my contact information for a possible interview.

Thanks.

The format looks simple but never enough to entice the employer to look further. If you’re not formal or professional in your email correspondence, your possible employer will not consider you for the position since you are just taking things lightly.

There is an argument that you just want to ease the burden of screeners because of your attached resume. But you need all the help you can get to boost your chances in getting hired. A simple resume with a two-line introduction in cover letter will never get you any interviews. Create a cover letter so that you can add some qualifications which will boost your chances of getting hired.

The Right Length

Aside from ensuring professionalism your cover letter, make sure that you control the length of your resume. Of course, you can’t easily control them online since you don’t have any physical basis for the length of your cover letter.

Here’s a tip: write down your cover letter first in a document format before transferring them as an email. Like the traditional cover letter, limit your cover letter to a single page for easy reading.

Follow-up on Cover Letter

One of the biggest advantage of sending cover letter online is the ease of follow-up. Instead of drafting a separate cover letter, write your follow-up email on your previous email. This will allow your possible employer to easily retrieve your data and provide you with a possible feedback.

An email cover letter should be written like your traditional cover letter. Write the cover letter first on a popular document creation application so that you can properly measure its length, check the grammar and maintain the professional format of your cover letter. Last but not the least; don’t forget to edit your cover letter and the attached resume.