Covering Letters
A covering letter is another opportunity to sell yourself, so resist the temptation not to bother. Your CV is a factual account of yourself, but the covering letter provides you with the space to show your passion and interest and to create more of a connection with the recruiter. A covering letter should not be more than one side of A4.
The purpose of a covering letter is to:
- Introduce yourself
- Identify whether you are making a speculative approach or are writing in response to a job advertisement
- Act as a signpost to your CV or application form and is normally read first
- Briefly highlight your suitability for the role
- Identify your key motivations for both the role and the organisation
- Convey any practical details regarding availability for interview
If you are writing a speculative application you should:
- Say why you are writing and what kind of work you are seeking.
- Outline your qualifications and what you have to offer relevant to the role you seek. But be selective. A few, higher impact points, backed up by evidence is what you should aim for.
- Convey your motivation for both the role and organisation as mentioned above.
- State your availability as mentioned above.
In response to an advertised vacancy create the covering letter as above, but instead include the job title and job reference and state where it was advertised.
Covering letter framework
Your covering letter should fall naturally into five key paragraphs. The middle three do not need to be in any particular order, but you will find that you will naturally start on one of the three and they will seem to naturally flow from the first. Make sure you keep each paragraph focused on the reason for that paragraph and you will retain clarity and keep it concise. You will need to include your address and contact details and their name and address and try to get the name of the person you are writing to, rather than relying on ‘Dear Sir/Madam’.
Paragraph one
Who are you? Why are your writing to them? What role interests you?
Paragraph two
What has motivated you to apply for this particular role? Choose your vocabulary carefully to ensure your words sound motivated and excited about the role. Make sure you don’t just repeat what they have told you about the role, this is your take on it, your perspective and your emotions.
Paragraph three
What has motivated you to apply to this particular organisation? This is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the organisation, but again, not to repeat it all back to them, but to give your angle, your take on the information you know. Select the right vocabulary to bring the letter to life. Avoid just talking about the company branding and marketing too. Research behind this into recent news, annual reports, other challenges they are facing, use any contacts you may have to show you are knowledgeable and look beyond the obvious. Giving examples of work you are aware of to epitomise why the organisation appeals to you can work well.
Paragraph four
Why are you a great candidate for the role? Provide a brief summary of your most relevant qualifications and experience with some interesting depth on just a few points to make the application more ‘colourful’. This has the added advantage of making you sound like someone who is technically knowledgeable about this kind of work.
Paragraph five
What do you want to happen next? A follow up meeting? A phone call? What is your availability? Finally, it is courteous to thank them for taking the time to consider your application.
Go for impact rather than coverage. Select your best selling points and the comments that can make clear points for you, rather than listing lots of information. Go for depth and detail on a few points rather than skim across a large number of issues. This will show you have genuine experience, that you understand the role and the organisation and that you are committed. Avoid stressing you are hardworking and honest. All employers assume this to be so.
