It is often the most agonized part of the application process, yet arguably the most important ­— the cover letter.

“The cover letter allows job candidates to really sell themselves for a specific position, to tell their story in more detail and explain how they’re uniquely qualified for the specific position in more detail than what (they) can put on a resume,” said Jennifer Neef, associate director of the Career Center.

Because the cover letter is such an important part of the application process, there is often confusion on what to do and what not to do.

To help you figure this out, we complied below a list of the do’s and don’ts of a successful cover letter.

Do get it reviewed

In the case of cover letters, the more people you have review it, the better it will be. The Career Center is a great resource for students who feel they need to get their cover letters looked at by experts.

“We do resume and cover letter reviews every day here on a drop-in basis,” Neef said. “We can help students think through how all (the) experiences on (their) resume relates to the job, and how (they can) articulate that in a cover letter.”

Students should have their cover letter reviewed at least twice, once by a Career Services employee and once by somebody else, Neef said.

Reviewers should have a copy of the job description at hand, so that they can make sure the cover letter complies with the description.

“Certainly we have expertise and trained people specifically to cover letters, but there are lots of other people — friends, peers — that can look at cover letters for grammar (and) spelling (mistakes),” Neef said.

Do get the grammar right

Not only does a cover letter have to be concise, include strong language and have no spelling errors, it also has to have perfect grammar.

Neef explained that students often get confused with what verb tense to use in their cover letter.

“We see a lot of cover letters that include language like ‘I would be’ or, ‘I have had experience’ rather than saying ‘I am experienced in,’” Neef said. “As it relates to writing style and grammar, (cover letters) should be written in the active verb tense, instead of passive.”

The active verb tense will make one’s writing much stronger and claims more confident.

“(This) can be uncomfortable for students because (they want to) be humble, but you really have to go out an sell yourself,” Neef said.

Do it if it’s required, don’t if it’s not

This may seem like a no-brainer, but applicants who are very passionate about a job may feel obligated to include a cover letter even if it isn’t required. However, Neef stressed the importance of following directions.

“If the ‘how to apply’ instructions don’t include, ‘You must submit a cover letter,’ sometimes it’s best not to include the cover letter,” Neef said. “Do exactly what the job announcement is telling you.”

Don’t reuse cover letters

The resume is a document that is easy to have ready-to-go, whereas a cover letter is something that needs to be written specific for each and every job.

“One thing job applicants should always do is make sure that they have a new cover letter for every job that they are applying for,” Neef said. “The cover letter should be unique and customized for each job description.”

Neef said that one way to make a cover letter specific to a job is to include key words used in the job description that relate to the roles and responsibilities of the job.

“Students (should) be able to focus in on what the employer really wants, and be able to talk about how their experiences have made them a uniquely qualified candidate,” Neef said.

Taylor Conway, junior in Business and Career Services Paraprofessional, said another tip for personalizing your cover letter is to add the job recruiter’s name, instead of including something like “to whom is may concern.”

“On your cover letter, you should go out of your way to try to find out who is hiring that position,” Conway said. “By taking that extra step it shows that you are invested in the company, you want to work there, and you’re not just sending the same cover letter to every company.”

Don’t wait until the last minute

The fact of the matter is, the cover letter is hard work, so throwing it together last minute may result in an ineffective cover letter.

“Don’t expect that the cover letter is easy to write,” Reef said. “They can be very challenging. It doesn’t matter how much experience a professional or student has — a well-written cover letter takes some time and reflection.”

Morgan can be reached at [email protected].