A Short Guide to Creating a Great Covering Letter - CareerAlley

A Short Guide to Creating a Great Covering Letter - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing. Benjamin Franklin This article was provided courtesy of Mildround.com Were often told how important it is to make sure our CV is up to scratch but its also incredibly important to make an effort to include a well-thought-out covering letter. Whether youre experienced in your field or just starting out and applying for internships, this is your opportunity to sell yourself to recruiters or employers so be sure to put sufficient time into your letter as well as your CV. Here are a few tips to get you started: Write a letter without fail Always write a cover letter, or at the very least a formal email, to introduce yourself and explain your suitability for the role even if the job ad doesnt specifically ask for one. This is your one chance to sell yourself and help to make your CV stand out from the crowd so dont pass it up. Stay serious Avoid the temptation to try and make a lasting impression by writing a quirky or amusing covering letter. Its impossible to know how receptive the person dealing with applications is to that kind of thing so its always best to play it safe. While it might work on rare occasions, for every interview you land by being wacky with your covering letter, youll likely miss out on tens of others. Cover all the bases Be sure to cover each of the person specification points outlined in the job ad, explaining why you tick each of the relevant boxes. If you dont have previous experience in some of the areas, be sure to give examples of experience you do have that you will be able to adapt and bring across to the new role. Also be concise; while you want to get across just how perfect you are for the role, you also dont want to bore potential employers. Keep it simple and save your best for the interview. Investigate the employer Do your research it always helps to demonstrate that you know about the company youre applying for a job with, and while youll want to save most of that for the interview, it cant harm to show that you have an active interest in the company when writing your covering letter. Explain why youre interested in the role, and more specifically, what attracts you to that particular company. Explore the final details Always address your letter to the relevant person many ads will tell you exactly who to address in your covering letter but if it isnt clear be sure to call up and find out. Not only does this show initiative, but putting the right persons name at the top of your letter also looks so much better than To whom it may concern or Dear Sir/Madam. Also sign off in the correct fashion if you have opened with the recipients name, finish with Yours sincerely. However, if you have begun with Dear Sir, then youll want to end the letter with Yours faithfully. Keep it fresh Write a new covering letter for each job application. As tempting as it might be to re-use a standard template for each new application, you wont be making the most of your chance to impress your prospective employer if you fail to tailor the letter to that specific position. And besides, if you send off a letter and forget to change the name/company from your last template then the place youre applying to will be on to you straight away and if they feel that youre too lazy to write a unique covering letter, theyre unlikely to see you as a viable candidate. Check it before sending Double check your letter for spelling and grammar mistakes. You want to give the best impression possible, so run a spell check and get somebody else to have a read through to make sure your words scan properly. Good luck in your search.Visit me on Facebook