Writing an eye-catching cover letter is as important as submitting a strong C.V.

The challenge sometimes can lie in understanding how to create a cover letter that enhances your resume and draws attention to all of the most relevant elements of skill and experience you are going to bring to the job. 

To help you in succeeding in this crucial task for job-hunting we’ve put together a failsafe approach that is going to help you structure the perfect cover letter.

But wait! Before we get into it, we should quickly clarify what a cover letter is and why it matters.

What Is a Cover Letter and Why It Matters

A cover letter is a very important supporting document to your job application. If you put yourself in the shoes of your recruiter you’ll find that at times a C.V. is hard to navigate. 

Applicants want to fully showcase the extent of their professional experience, but due to the sheer amount of information, it may be difficult to understand what are the candidate’s goals and personal aspirations. 

In other words, sometimes it’s difficult to even understand why the candidate applied for the job.

A cover letter is a supporting document that allows a candidate to tie together the most relevant experiences, complementing the curricular information with the intangible elements connected to personal ambitions and aspirational career choices.

A cover letter does not duplicate the information contained in the resume, but it tries to enhance it by making it relevant to the recruiter. 

One of the challenges is creating an engaging document that is short and to the point. Most cover letters don’t exceed 500 words. With such a limited word count it’s important to write it with a clear game plan. 

Now that we’ve clarified why your cover letter matters, it’s time to look into how to write a really good one, by using our 3-step approach. 

With no further ado, let’s dive right into it!

#1 What You Have Done

The starting point of a strong resume is discussing your background and why you feel like you are qualified for the position. 

A good way to start a cover letter – once you’ve written the introductory courtesy greetings – is to start laying the foundations of your application by going over your education and previous work experience. 

You can use your degree pathway or any other relevant job or internship experience to present your personal journey throughout the fashion industry.  

This is very important because, given the aspirational nature of fashion, recruiters want to see an actual commitment to the industry. 

In this sense, having attended a fashion business school can be a very strong element in your application. At the same time, fashion can still connect with many other types of educational journeys that span across academia. 

For instance, if you want to make the case that you study anthropology to pursue fashion, that’s totally ok, and the cover letter will allow you to explain the trajectory of your education.

At the same time, even if you may have a very prestigious track record, there is also a need to substantiate that educational background with present-day evidence. 

That’s why the next section of your cover letter will cover your situation at the moment.  

#2 What You Are Doing

In this second section of your cover letter, what you want to do is focus on the present. 

In some cases, you may be unemployed, and that may lead you to downplay this section of the cover letter. 

That’s not necessary. 

You can still participate in the industry at some level. For instance, you can discuss your engagement with the area of your work, talk about how you’re keeping up with the pace of the industry. 

You can also talk about not-for-profit or pro-bono work you may be doing in your spare time, you may be discussing why you are re-positioning yourself so that you can find a more fulfilling career.

In case you are working with another company, you can talk about the experience you’ve built as well as touch upon why you’d like to change employer and why the new company may be a better suit for your career. 

The point of this section is to show your active engagement in the industry and the value of your network and experiences. 

At the same time, you may want to emphasize why you are applying for the job, and that’s something that can be done very effectively by talking about what you are planning on doing if you got the job. 

That’s what we’re going to discuss next.

#3 What You Are Planning on Doing

This section is the last and to some extent the most important of your cover letter.

In the third section of your cover letter, you want to show your proactiveness and willingness to contribute to the success of the company. 

In this section you want to indicate some of the activities and initiatives you would see yourself pursuing as part of your role, even suggesting some practical examples. 

This section can really make your application stand out if you’re able to provide some suggestions that display your understanding of the industry and your ability to identify some of the challenges that the business may be faced with, in the near future. 

If you’re able to ignite curiosity and interest in your profile, an employer will want to hear more about your ideas and as a result, he\she will have to call you in for an interview. 

If that was the case, then your cover letter will have single-handedly landed your interview.

Great! Now that we’ve touched upon all relevant steps, it’s time to draw our conclusive remarks.

Conclusions

There you have it! In this post, we’ve discussed how to write a successful cover letter to accompany your C.V. 

As we’ve discussed a cover letter is a very important supporting document that you should invest time in writing as well as possible. 

If you can use the same C.V. to apply for similar jobs, it’s likely that for each application you may need to write a unique cover letter, making sure you are making it interesting and relevant for the specific job and company you are applying for. 

This entails a huge time investment, but it is worth it as it really allows you to maximize the chances of being contacted by the company and landing an interview. 

Moreover, considering the huge amount of applications some companies may be receiving, a well-written cover letter can really make your candidature stand out. 

If you’re interested in reading more about career tips and advice in the fashion industry, don’t hesitate to explore our blog, where you’ll find a wealth of information on conducting business in the fashion industry. Enjoy!