Well, cover letters can make a big difference and since you are here, it is likely that you at least have some inkling of the same. Whether you are a police officer or a firefighter or security guard or crime scenes investigations officer or any other criminal justice or such official, your effort is going to be focused on getting your dream job so you can help the maximum people out there.
So let's talk about cover letters now! 👇
Importance of a cover letter
Well we keep saying cover letters are important, but why?
First and most important reason is the keywords! Your professional resume will be scanned by the ATS and your cover letter will be a part of your job application which means your cover letter will pass through the ATS as well!
And that is a great opportunity to add more keywords and ensure that your job application along with the resume and cover letter gets shortlisted by beating the ATS.
Now the second reason is even more important. Your professional resume will have all the details about your experience, skills and knowledge along with education and any other extra relevant information. However, all of this will be in a purely formal tone in the most concise manner possible, perhaps not even full sentences throughout your resume- because that is the format and standards of a professional resume.
Cover letter gives you a bit of leniency and lets you get a bit informal. You can talk about all that you wrote in your resume in a bit of an informal tone, with more context and details. You can also talk about your inspiration, your journey and career and your personal interest for the role.
And all of this will make a huge difference because you will be able to get through the recruiter and convince them enough to get you a job interview.
How to write a criminologist cover letter?
This is the layout for a criminal justice cover letter 👇
Sender & Recipient Details
Like any other letter, your criminal justice cover letter should begin with the sender and recipient details including their names, addresses, position and organization. They should be written in proper format on the right sides and chronology.
Personalized Address
The address should be personalized. You can look up the name of the recruiter and their background. Then use their name to directly address them so that the letter is personalized and more effective.
Introductory opening
The opening of the letter should be introductory, you should talk about your total years of experience, field of expertise, where you are from, your education and knowledge base- in a superficial manner instead of going into details.
Your profile
After the opening, in the next paragraph, you need to go into details of the same points you covered in the paragraph above. Talk about your experiences and past jobs, your skills and how you developed them, your education and so on. You should also talk about how you got inspired for this field and profession, how you reached the point in the present and how your journey has been and where it started, how passionate you are about this job and profession and so on.
Reiteration of interest/ Your pitch
Next paragraph should be all about how you stand out, why you should be hired and how much of an interest you have in the opportunity. You should consider it your pitch for the candidacy for that position. You need to reflect how deeply passionate you are and how dedicated you will be if you were to get the opportunity.
Closing
At last the closing paragraph should be written. When writing the closing paragraph, you should showcase the gratitude for the time and consideration the recruiter is giving to your job application. You should also provide some reassurance that you will give your best if given a shot at the opportunity and you will not let them down. And then, you should add your name and signature.
And that's it! That's your cover letter! You can also add any rewards or awards or achievements and recognitions or anything else that may be notable and interesting!
Keywords
You might have heard of applicant tracking systems or the ATS or AI driven software that the hiring manager uses to scan and filter the job applications they receive. You have to beat the ATS in order to get a job interview. The way to do that is to include important keywords related to your role, industry, job description, potential employers and everything related on your resume as well as your criminal justice cover letter.
In addition to the list of keywords we have provided below, you should also check out multiple job descriptions as they will have the exact keywords for your role and the keywords that the recruiter will be prioritizing.
- Criminal justice system
- Criminal justice
- Job interview
- Forensic science
- Bachelor's degree
- Solve crimes
- Law enforcement agencies
- Crime scenes
- Analyzing evidence
- Collecting evidence
- Detailed reports
- Proven track record
- Securing employment
- Conducting investigations
- Data analysis
- Crime scene
- Name criminologist
- Writing
- Skills
- Evidence
- Position
- Forward
- Career
- Crime
- Consideration
- Law enforcement
- Ability
- Qualifications
- Sincerely
- Interest
- Criminology
- Society
- Justice
- Company
- Investigations
- Crimes
- Reports
- Written
- Describing
- Create
- Four years (or however many years of experience you have)
- Hearing
- Mention
- Organization
- Discuss
Conclusion
In conclusion, your cover letter should be a balanced blend of formal and informal letters focused on your pitch for getting hired with the details of your profile such as your experience, skills and even education and knowledge.
We have a great collection of cover letters and templates in addition to resume examples and templates, you must check it out! Good luck with the job search!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How should I address the recruiter in my criminologist cover letter?
A personalized address can go a long way. When you are writing a cover letter, you should look up the hiring managers and use their name for the address in your criminologist cover letter or criminal justice cover letter. Hiring managers would not spend more than a few seconds or at most a few minutes because they receive many cover letters as well.
How long should my criminologist cover letter be?
A standard cover letter is usually no longer than 1 page. Your professional criminologist cover letter should be 1 page long as well. Try not to exceed the limit and expand to 2 pages because that might seem boring to the recruiter because most hiring managers would prefer to take a glance at the cover letter because they have to take a look at many resumes as well.
Which points should I include in my criminologist cover letter?
The cover letter should include personalized address to the recruiter, the details of your career such as the total years of experience, variety of experience, fields of expertise, your education, your knowledge base, your skills and other relevant information from your profile as a criminal justice or crime scene investigator or forensic science professional or probation officer or criminologist of any kind in any role.
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