Do recruiters read every word of your cover email or letter? Not unless you rope them in with a few must-read words at the beginning. In fact, you need an attention-grabber not only at the beginning of your cover letter to a recruiter, you need one at the beginning of every paragraph.
Cover Letter to a Recruiter That Works
Most recruiters scan through text quickly to see if they want to invest more time reading it start to finish. The typical reader (not a speed-reader) probably does what I do: read the first three or four words of a paragraph. If they grab me, I read more. If they don't, I'm on the next paragraph. This applies to blog posts, magazine articles, junk mail, and anything else I'm eager to check off my to-do list. And yes, a cover letter to a recruiter falls into the same category.
Recruiters need your help! They're really busy and they're scanning lots of emails every day. If you're the best fit for a job they represent, they want to know that. So design your cover email to make it easy for them to see your qualifications in just a few seconds.
An Attention-Grabber for Each Paragraph
Don't bury valuable information in the middle of a paragraph where it may never get found. If you do, it might not get read -- no matter how great a job candidate you are.
Three or four must-read words at the beginning of the first sentence of each paragraph will draw them in, make them want to read more, and get them interested in you. The rest of the paragraph needs only to support those three words.
The cover letter math: 4 x 3 = 12 (four paragraphs in a letter, three must-read words per paragraph; that's 12 words). Of course, this isn't a strict formula. You might have four great words instead of three to start a paragraph, or three paragraphs instead of four in your letter. You get my drift. If you can come up the 12 or so words that grab the reader, you're well on your way to having an effective cover letter.
Note, your 12 must-read words may not come to you before you write your letter. After you've completed your draft, then edit it so that each of your paragraphs starts with an attention grabber.
Case in point: Can you see how the first set of words in each paragraph of this post tickles interest for the rest of the paragraph? I made them bold to make my point but you don't have to use bold in your cover letter or email... unless you think it will make your letter even better.
