Crafting a cover letter to get yourself noticed by a healthcare employer is never an easy task. However, it's your best chance of getting your foot in the door of an employer that may or may not have thought about hiring you based on your resume. Cover letters get personal; employers want to see who you are through them. When you're conducting a healthcare job search it's important to put together one that tells the prospective employer who you are and what you've achieved in the field to date. Create a stellar cover letter by knowing the difference between what information you should and shouldn't put inside it.
Express Yourself
Inject your personality because this is where your window of opportunity to make an impression lies. Addressing your letter with phrases such as “to whom it may concern” and “dear sir” makes the potential interviewer think that you sent the same one to many different employers. Take the time to look up the hiring manager and place his or her name at the top.
No Copycats Allowed
You don't want to sound like you copied your letter from another source such as a book or on the Internet because it's the quickest way to get it tossed aside. Employers spot copycat cover letters from a mile away. You want to change-up the sentences and add some personal details about your life. For example, tell the heath care company about how volunteering at your local homeless shelter enabled you to feel empathy for people in need and how later you decided to incorporate that dream into a career in the healthcare industry.
Don’t Brag
Reign in your desire to ramble on and on about your personal achievements and work history. You most definitely want to list your professional successes. However, going into great detail causes the interviewer's eyes to glaze over. They stop looking at what makes you stand out and start daydreaming about what they're fixing for dinner that night. Most employers prefer to see a cover letter that reads no more than two paragraphs long.
Get Noticed
Incorporate phrases that will “get you noticed” by a potential employer to avoid seeing your cover letter tossed aside before it's even been read for five minutes. List how you're indispensable to the company by relating your achievements in sentences that begin with “My team and I resolved a difficult patient problem by” and go on to list how you helped the patient who may, otherwise, may not have gotten through their ordeal. Following this practice will aid you as you navigate through your healthcare job search.
There is no “I” in “Team”
Highlight your willingness to work with others because healthcare companies rarely have positions open where you work without the aid of a team. Everyone from doctors to office staff consults with each other for the end goal of taking care of patients and making sure the facility runs smoothly. Include examples where you displayed team spirit such as group hobbies, volunteer efforts and past military experiences.
Do What You Say
Add in a call to action at the end of your cover letter and make plans to hold yourself to it. For example, if you end your letter with a statement such as “I look forward to talking with you next Tuesday at 3 p.m.,” and you don't follow through, the employer is sure to toss your letter into the waste basket. Following through on your cover letter in the beginning shows you have the ability to carry out personal tasks, which in the employers eyes, leads to you following through on company goals.
Don’t Jump Ahead
Refrain from asking about salary information unless the company requests it because doing so appears tacky on your part to potential employers. Wait until later to enquire about how much you're going to make because you may find that the healthcare company gives you the first amount to negotiate with.
Proofread, Proofread, Proofread
Pick over your cover letter and resume with a fine tooth comb to make sure it is free of errors. Check for run on sentences, typos and false information. Typos say that you won't take the time to delve deep enough into a problem in order to fix it with accuracy. Going the extra distance to make sure your cover letter and resume stands out makes all the difference as you carry out your healthcare job search because, before long, you'll find an employer who wants to learn more about you.