Write a great covering letter

A great covering letter can differentiate your CV from the countless others that pass across employer's desks, making your application stand out.

When responding to an advertised job vacancy, whether via letter, email or fax, you should always include a covering letter with your CV. Treat it as a vital part of your personal marketing literature, which merits attention and consideration.

A covering letter introduces you and your CV and is your first chance to make a good impression on your potential employer. Aim to make it entice the reader to take those few extra minutes to consider you against other applicants. Your CV should not be sent without one!

Basic Guidelines

While we cannot give you a prescriptive formula for writing a covering letter, as they should be personalised not standard documents, following some basic guidelines should help ensure you receive a positive response from your initial contact.

Appearance and layout

Handwritten or typed cover letters can be equally acceptable and opinion is divided on this issue. Increasingly, however, recruiters are asking that applicants email their details.

Whatever the method of your application, ensure your letter is neatly and clearly presented on paper of a similar size and quality to your CV. Check and check again for grammatical and spelling errors. Handwriting should be neat and legible. Emails should be written in a common font with standard formatting and should emulate a handwritten letter in terms of style.

Content

The content of your covering letter should be brief and structured, avoiding lengthy repetition of information covered in your CV.

Your letter should address the relevant contact, whose name often appears in the job advert. Avoid Sir or Madam if possible.
If you are replying to an advert, say so. Mention job title, any reference number and where and when you saw it.
In some cases, an advert will indicate a more substantial letter is required. Always follow a specific instruction and include any information that is specifically requested, such as current salary.
Briefly outline your current situation and why you are seeking change. Include current or last job, qualifications and professional and academic training, tailoring your information to make it as relevant as possible to the organisation or job applied for.
Ensure the letter flows freely however and does not slavishly match every point on the job description. The reader should be left with an overall impression that you are a potentially valuable addition to the workforce.
Negative information of any sort should be avoided in your covering letter as well as CV.
Tell the potential employer a little about themselves to demonstrate you have properly read the advert and that you have done some research into the organisation. Also, state why you are interested in them as an employer
You need to succinctly emphasize why an employer may want to meet and employ you. Highlight your transferable skills, achievements and versatility; what you can contribute and what makes you different. Mention personality traits relevant to the role applied for, taking care not to appear too subjective.
Close your letter with a polite expression of interest in further dialogue with the recruiter. Do mention that you would like the opportunity to discuss your suitability further at an interview and that you await a response in due course.