Thank you for joining the Craft Beverage Jobs community. My goal with this guide is to help you land your next dream job within the craft beverage industry.
I have been fortunate enough to have been involved in craft beverage since 2007 when I first began working for Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon Vineyard. My experience up to that point was OK, but not highly relevant to the position I was applying for. My cover letter landed me a coveted interview, which led to a job offer.
Over the years I have developed a formula for writing cover letters (and proposal letters) that has won me many interviews and contracts. I have shared this formula with friends, who have then applied its tips to their own cover letters with great success. I am now sharing these tips with you.
One of the most rewarding things for me has been hearing from these friends who have landed an interview for a dream position. If you apply these tips and feel like they’ve helped you, I’d love to hear from you! Conversely, if I am missing an important tip you feel should be included in this guide, let me know too!
Let’s dive in!
Cover Letter Basics
If you google “Cover Letter tips”, there is no shortage of resources written to help the job seeker. Most articles share similar information, and for good reason – the tips they share are important!
Here are a few cover letter standards:
- Don’t repeat your resume – Reference and/or highlight 1-2 key aspects, yes.
- Keep your cover letter short – less than 1 page.
- Sell yourself – it’s OK to toot your own horn!
- Personalize your cover letter – show the prospective employer you’re applying for their specific position.
- Edit – double, triple check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
Cover Letter Structure
Whether you are applying via an online form or mailing your application, cover letters should have a bit of structure to them. A structured cover letter leads to interviews whereas cover letters without structure tend to confuse prospective employers and turns them off.
Structure does the following:
- It introduces you to the employer
- It pitches you to the employer
- It convinces the employer that you may be a good fit
- It invites the employer to consider you for the job
We’ll break each area down further, but every cover letter you write should have the following components:
- ID Your cover letter
- Headline (optional)
- Opening Paragraph
- Body
- Closing Paragraph
Note: Structure is not the same as being formal, and being formal is not the same as being professional. You can have a well structured cover letter without being overly formal, and you don’t have to be formal in your approach to come across as professional.
A cover letter is a chance for a prospective employer to get a sense of who you are. Let them in by sharing a bit of your personality here while also considering the position you are applying for and the culture of the company you’re applying with. You can use your voice and the tone you take in your cover letter to communicate that you’re a good fit.
ID Your Cover Letter
You should include some key identifying marks at the top of your cover letter. This is so the employer can quickly reference who you are and what position you’re applying for.
You don’t have to make this formal or go overboard with addresses, but you should include at minimum the following information:
- Your Full Name
- Your Email Address
- Your Phone Number
- The Company Name
- The Position you’re applying for
Note: If you decide to use a creative font or two in your cover letter (or resumé), make sure you chose one that is legible and easy to read.
Headline (Optional)
Adding a headline to your cover letter is a great way to grab the employer’s attention right from the start. If you can craft a compelling headline, then I encourage you to add one to your cover letter.
Headlines are used in journalism, on blogs, and in email marketing. In its simplest form, a headline is a title – a succinct sentence used to describe what’s to be expected in the body of the article and/or email. In its most powerful form, a headline convinces someone to take the time to read whats being offered and can help sell someone on the content of what is presented.
I list a headline as optional because they’re not common (or expected) in cover letters, and should only be used if you’re confident your headline is being used in its most powerful form – and not just as a title.
One way a job seeker can add a headline to their cover letter is to leverage their most outstanding achievements and incorporate them into a headline.
Examples:
“Winemaker with 10 wines over 92 points seeks opportunity with {Name of Brand}”
“I Grew a Wine Club from 50 to 2000 Members in 24 Months. Let Me Help You Reach Your DTC Goals”
If you don’t have outstanding achievements to highlight, but want to grab the attention of the hiring manager, a headline can help communicate confidence – a good thing to have if you lack experience or a track record.
Examples:
“I’m Resourceful and Driven, and Eager to Find an Internship that I can Run With”
“I Have 1000 friends on UnTapped and A Knack for Sales. Let Me Sell Your Beer”
Again, headlines are optional. If you use a headline, make sure you also back up your headline within the body of your cover letter.
Opening Paragraph
The opening paragraph of your cover letter is its most important part, and there is a lot that rides on these few, critical sentences. Your opening paragraph is your introduction, it’s your pitch, and it’s the key tool you have in making sure that the rest of your cover letter and resumé are read by your prospective employer.
An opening paragraph should only be between 3-5 sentences long, and should NOT start with “My name is ________, and I would like to submit my resume to ___________”.
If you start your cover letter with a headline, the first sentence of your opening paragraph should pickup where your headline left off. If you didn’t start with a headline, the opening sentence of this 1st paragraph should substitute for one in many ways.
Example:
{Insert referral name} suggested I may be a good fit for the {insert name of position} with {insert company name} because of my {list specific skill/experience}. Upon review of the job description, I believe that my experience, along with my {list character trait}, make me uniquely qualified for this position. I am a dedicated and driven person, and I am confident I would exceed expectations and quickly become an asset to {insert company name}.
The above paragraph may seem a bit “over the top”, but it’s a winning opening paragraph – especially if you insert personal touches to make it your own.
Let me break it down:
- {Insert referral name} – If you have a contact at the company you can use, use them, and quickly identify them in your cover letter.
- {insert name of position} & {insert company name} – by referencing the position and company, you show the prospective employer that you’re speaking to them about this specific opportunity.
- {list specific skill/experience} – What specific skill and/or experience sets you apart from other candidates. This can be something you have listed on your resumé.
- {list character trait} – What is it about YOU that makes you a standout? A generic character trait could be your “work ethic”; something compelling could be your “willingness to learn and to grow”.
- The last sentence shows confidence, and suggests how the company would benefit by hiring you – as opposed to expressing how the position will benefit you.
Note: Only address your cover letter to someone if you specifically know who will be reading it. Otherwise, do not bother with “Greetings”, or “To Whom it May Concern”, which are pointless and impersonal.
Body
The second (and optional third) paragraph of your cover letter is called the Body. This is where you briefly explain your situation and where you convince the prospective employer that you’re the right guy or gal for the job.
The content of your body paragraphs should be very specific and relatable to the position that you are applying for. If you have a lot of experience, you may want to highlight the top 2 or 3 skills and/or achievements off of your resume and expand on them. If you don’t have a lot of experience, help the employer understand how your past connects you to this position and what your goals are by taking this job.
Example #1
For the last seven years I have successfully used Social Media to grow both sales & brand awareness:
- I initiated a national campaign on Facebook that resulted in 10,000 new email subscribers over 6 months
- I used Twitter to connect with beer lovers in Chicago, resulting in 1000 ticket sales to our various beermaker dinners.
Example #2
For the last seven years I have worked as an assistant brewer and have been involved with all aspects of craft beer production. My ten year plan is to open my own brewery, and my current goal is to learn as much as possible on the sales and distribution side as I can by working as a Brand Manager.
It’s important to note that having a ton of experience doesn’t always make you the best candidate. Clearly communicating your career goals can set you up to get hired. In many cases, it communicates a willingness to learn and the willingness to hustle — traits that veteran employees don’t always possess.
Closing Paragraph
Your closing paragraph should be short and sweet. If how you’ve written your cover letter so far warrants a conclusion to tie everything together, this is where you do it.
The closing paragraph is also where you invite the employer to initiate a conversation with you. All this requires is you asking for an interview.
Example
I hope that the above points, as well as the list of skills and experience detailed on my resumé, adequately show that I am uniquely qualified for this position, and I hope that I have been able to express my genuine interest in working with {insert company name} as {insert position name}.
May we set up a time for us to meet and discuss this position and how I may fit into it?
Closing Sentences – A Dash of Humility
Cover letters that perform well tend to all have one thing in common – the writer is somewhat shameless in their self promotion. In order to stand out in this busy and competitive world, one needs to be willing to sell themselves. It shows confidence, hustle, and courage. Don’t be afraid to do this crucial part.
That said, I always like to add a little humility to the conclusion of my cover letters. Believe me, this gets noticed. Nearly all responses from prospective employers and/or clients I have reached out to via a cover letter have referenced my closing last sentence.
Example
I have no doubt that you are receiving an overwhelming response to this unique opportunity, and I wish you luck in your search. I want to thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Those two sentences don’t seem like a lot, but they are. In my experience, it has connected me with the hiring manager in a way that separates me from my competition, and it’s because I relate to the job that they have to do in hiring someone.
Cover Letter Extras
Now you know how to write an irresistible cover letter, which means you’re now one step closer to landing a dream job within the Craft Beverage industry!
Congratulations!
Before I let you go, here are a few pro tips that I recommend you use the next time you apply for a job.
- Hyperlink anything in your cover letter or resumé that is connected to a website. For example, on your resumé when you list your previous experience, link the name of your previous employers to their websites.
- Subject Line of Email – Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes for a few minutes. They’re likely to be bombarded with applications. Help them find you easier by clearly stating your name and the position you are applying for in the subject line of your email application. This can be simply: “Resumé for {Your Name} Re: {Name of Position}”
- Video – Along with a cover letter headline, this too is optional, buy why not send a link to a private 2 minute youtube video where you personally address the company and express your interest in the specific position? Guaranteed few to no other applicants are doing this, and if you want to give yourself a little advantage to getting an interview, this could easily do it.
- Social Media – If a prospective employer asks you for your Facebook password, I would suggest running fast in the opposite direction. That said, it’s probable that a prospective employer will google your name and/or look you up on social networks. Make their job easier by including links to your social profiles in your resumé if you have them.
- Read Application Instructions Carefully – Sometimes these are obvious and sometimes hard to spot, but a vetting tool that many employers use is putting specific instructions into the job announcement. These may be something like “only attach resumé as a PDF” or instructing applicants to put something very specific (like a certain word) in the subject line of the email. Most of these are deliberate on the employer’s part to see who is paying attention. You may have the best resumé and cover letter, but failing to follow specific instructions will likely mean your application is trashed.