Cover Letters

[cookiemonster]

I've just had my CV all sorted out (Ta much Rebel Ian) but I need a bit of help with a cover letter.

Does anyone have any good tips/examples that I can use as a cover letter please.

Thanks again.

 

[ASC1951]

The covering letter must be short and to the point - half a dozen sentences at the most. Whereas the CV is a more general document, the letter should say why you want the job and why you would be a good person to give it to.

Whatever you do, don't just repeat everyone else's cliches. Another letter bragging about being "a team player/self starter/highly motivated individual with a proven track record of achievement at the highest level" will rightly go straight in the bin.

IME you want something like "I would like to apply for your position of xxxx. As you can see from my enclosed CV, I have 3 years' experience as xxxx and two years experience as xxxx together with the relevant qualifications. I am attracted to the post because XYZ have a reputation as xxxx and I believe that this is a job which I can do and do well.

My contact details are in my CV and I can attend an interview at any time. I look forward to hearing from you."

 

[2Loose]

I'd write similar to Ac1951, but less well

Is a handwritten covering note still good form? I suspect that may have changed over recent years...

 

[ASC1951]

Is a handwritten covering note still good form? I suspect that may have changed over recent years...

No longer considered necessary; it's fine to print something off and give it a firm handwritten signature.

Oh, and something important. Do check the spelling and capital letters. In these days of spell checkers, a mis-spelled application shouts "I'm too lazy to read through this stuff before sending it."

 

[ttcycle]

Cookie - did you not get any joy from your old joke of an employer?

I'd disagree with the short and sweet version- the cover letter in my experience has been pretty similar to a personal statement of why you are suitable for the job-ie experience and evidence as well as why you want to work for the company. However, you have to be a strong writer to pull this off ie not waffly and to keep the reader engaged.

One question though, who is the employer as this will give you an indication of what they require- the secret is even with the CV to tailor it to every different employer ie playing to your skills and the specifications of the job/employer ethos.

I'm pretty good at this stuff so drop me a PM if you want a hand.

 

[ASC1951]

I'd disagree with the short and sweet version- the cover letter in my experience has been pretty similar to a personal statement of why you are suitable for the job-ie experience and evidence as well as why you want to work for the company.

.. the secret is even with the CV to tailor it to every different employer ie playing to your skills and the specifications of the job/employer ethos.

I suppose 'short and sweet' is relative. IME the CV should be one or two pages, definitely no more than three. The covering letter needs to be much shorter and certainly all on one page - it is there to get you an interview, not to answer everything you expect to be asked.

You didn't ask about the CV, but TTCycle is absolutely right. It may look like a generic document - perhaps it should - but you must always re-do it for every different application. There will be parts that you want to emphasise and non-relevant experience you might leave out, and that process does focus you on what the employer is looking for.

 

[NormanD]

"Oi gizza job, I can do that if you gizza job!" ... short n sweet and too the point

 

[swee'pea99]

As one who's received a fair few, let me just echo the point about spellchecking. And do read it through (maybe get someone else to as well?). And in a similar vein, if you can, use the person's name (do avoid 'Dear Sir/Madam' at all costs - better just to plunge straight in with no salutation at all) and make damn sure you spell it correctly. It may sound like the bleedin' obvious, but if my experience is anything to go by, a correct name and a corrected draft will put you in the top 25% straight off.

 

[Globalti]

Generally this kind of letter should have three paragraphs:

1 - Introduce.

2 - Describe the topic.

3 - Propose the solution or action you'd like to see.

End.

 

[wildjetskier]

Agreed. It takes but a minute to ring a company and ask the relevant persons name (if you don't have it of course), and to receive a letter with your name does go a long way. Some good advice here, and good luck

 

[SimonC]

I suppose 'short and sweet' is relative. IME the CV should be one or two pages, definitely no more than three. The covering letter needs to be much shorter and certainly all on one page - it is there to get you an interview, not to answer everything you expect to be asked.

You didn't ask about the CV, but TTCycle is absolutely right. It may look like a generic document - perhaps it should - but you must always re-do it for every different application. There will be parts that you want to emphasise and non-relevant experience you might leave out, and that process does focus you on what the employer is looking for.

Three page CV, straight in the bin, will be full of irrelevant sh1te, e.g "My hobbies are reading and socialising."

CV with different fonts, paragraphs not aligned, unequal spacings - all signs of sloppy work - to the bin.

Covering letter one page max, great example earlier in this thread I thought.

Any of that "team player" b0llox - to the bin.

Spelling or punctuation mistake - to the bin.

Good luck!