Yes, you need a good cover letter in SAP.
There are many articles on the internet about cover letters being redundant or not being read in general, BUT…. SAP is not a general market. SAP candidates benefits from cover letters.
The main reason is that while a CV shows your skills, the cover letter makes you human:
- Opportunity to add in some personality
- Proves you’ve read the requirements
- Is the ‘elevator pitch’ before the ‘presentation’
- Is how to present information that didn’t make it into the CV
- Shows you have gone to that extra effort
- Demonstrates that you can write – a key skill in consulting
Hiring managers will generally process applications that do include a cover letter, before they look at ones that don’t, because they make your application more complete.
A good cover letter is one that can be easily tailored to specific opportunities, especially when the application process involves answering specific selection criteria or set questions.
The most important things to base your cover letter on are:
- Format – use the same styling as your CV, right down to the font, header/footer, naming convention etc, BUT write in 1st person instead of in 3rd
- Prose – conversational. The CV is the list, the cover letter is the narrative. Use prose that would sound normal if you were speaking it, rather than writing.
- Structure – follow the templates provided, which includes the date, audience, role, subject title, intro, summary, closing and remarks.
- Length – one page, with lots of white space (unless they state otherwise)
- Content – express your interest and why you are suitable, include some relevant examples, put in current availability and anything extra like security clearances.
A great practice is to have a core or master version Cover Letter, which you then make a copy of to tailor to specific opportunities. Name them with purpose:
- Structure: FirstName_LastName_RoleTitle_DocumentType
- Example: Joe_Bloggs_SAPProjectManager_CoverLetter
Remember, a great Cover Letter shouldn’t be “fluff” or filler. It’s a chance to convince the reader to think well of your CV, by helping them see how your existing skills suit their current and future requirements.
You can access proven SAP-specific Cover Letter templates and checklists through your profile.
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Insights from this article:
- Having a cover letter gives you an advantage over those not having one
- Make it personal and tailored to the role you are going for
- A cover letter’s job is to make the reader want to read your CV