Accountant Cover Letters 101

So you've got the basics down for writing a cover letter that shines. Address the hiring manager directly (name is spelled right, of course), have a gripping opening sentence, be direct and straight-to-the-point, basically market yourself so that you stand a cut above the rest in that pile of application letters for a job that many people want. You could even add those famous last words in the form of a postscript, really get your foot in the door. Simple enough, right? Something that'll get you an interview, stat. Well, not if you're an accountant applying for a position in an accounting firm. If you're writing an accountant cover letter, it'll need a little more work and some strategy to get your foot in the door.

The thing is, while you shouldn't be sending exactly the same cover letter to different companies, cover letters all generally say the same thing. Accountants should be more specific when applying for, say, a managerial or sales position. Application letters are usually screened by the human resources staff of that specific company. It's another hurdle before your letter actually gets to the hiring manager, responsible for conducting interviews that could land you the job. Now, people from the human resources department are obviously not accountants. They have no idea what kind of skills are required for accountants they're hiring. That's why they are given a list of specific skills needed for a certain position. They'll be checking the skills you've cited in your cover letter against that list.

Now, if your cover letter wasn't pre-screened by the human resources department, stating experience with "all kinds of auditing," an accountant would've approved. But the human resources department wouldn't know that if it weren't in the list. They'd dunk the mail right in the trash and you wouldn't have a chance with their hiring manager. Maybe the accounting firm was looking for a more specific skill, such as "non-profit auditing." The gameplan here is to be more specific when stating your skills in the cover letter.

Don't turn your cover letter into a resume. Do not include a laundry list of skills; maintain brevity in your cover letter. It does not need to take guesswork to write down the skills; if you are applying because you saw an ad for a job opening, do your best to infer from the ad what that company needs. It always helps for the accountant cover letter AND the possible job interview to do a little research on the company as well. You might even have a contact from that certain company, which will definitely boost your chances.

Cover letters aren't much different from each other, and each cover letter's purpose is the same: to get that interview, which will hopefully get you the job. That's the bottom line. So use that cover letter to show the company you're applying for how much they need you. It helps to list your specific skills and abilities in bullet form. Incorporate pizzazz into your opening lines and you'll have their attention from the get-go.

Following these tips should give you a higher response rate to your applications, and hopefully, a job that suits you.

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