Are Cover Letters a Thing of the Past in Healthcare?
In today’s digital job market, it can seem like cover letters are unnecessary, or overkill. Why send a cover letter when you’ve already included your resume, which covers everything a hiring manager needs to know? If you have the skills and experience necessary to make a difference in healthcare, why bother with a cover letter at all?
The truth is that cover letters are by no means a thing of the past. They do serve a purpose – an important one. Here’s why you need to include a cover letter in your next healthcare job application:
Cover letters showcase your soft skills.
Your resume covers your hard skills – the technical skills you have that lets you improve lives every day. But any healthcare professional worth their salt knows that these skills are only half the battle. You need to have the right personality, the right character, to really make a difference in a healthcare setting. Not anyone can do this job, and your cover letter is the place to explain why you can.
Ensure that your cover letter showcases your soft skills as well as your technical ability. Explain how your natural empathy improves your bedside manner, how your multitasking skills help you facilitate better patient outcomes for your team, how your communication skills ensure mistakes aren’t made. This is what really sets you apart from the competition.
Cover levers convey your personality.
The way you write and structure your cover letter also helps to convey your personality as a nurse. Because healthcare organizations are looking for healthcare professionals who fit their culture, you want to come across as a competent, likeable, personable professional – not a robot. Let your natural style come through in your cover letter so the hiring manager can get a sense of who you are, not just what you can do.
Cover letters let you sell yourself.
Your resume isn’t a document that sells you to the employer. It simply lists your qualifications to get you in the door. Your cover letter is where you can go beyond that – it lets you explain why you’re a great fit for the role, what you can bring to the organization, and how you hope to grow and advance in your career moving forward.
Looking For Your Next Opportunity?
Ready to put your resume and cover letter to good use with a new job? Contact Medical Talent to speak directly with one of our skilled healthcare recruiters.