Some employers place great importance on this letter, so it's important to make sure that it is a good representation of you. Here are some tips on how you might do that.
- Ensure that your first paragraph presents you in a positive way, explaining why you're writing to them and a quick explanation of why you are a good candidate. If this paragraph bores them, it sets a bad precedent for the rest of your writing.
- Make sure that it doesn't just repeat your CV. Your cover letter should be a boiled down version of your CV, giving the key themes in a much shorter format.
- Tell the reader why you particularly want to work for their company. What interests you in them? Show some background knowledge.
- When presenting your strengths, give quality examples, but make sure you keep them short, rather than explaining in depth.
- Keep it brief; in a survey of US employers, 46% preferred a half page cover letter, whilst a further 24% wanted it to be as short as possible. You don't want to bore your potential employer.
- If it's a specific role you're applying for, make sure that you highlight that you meet all the stated requirements.
- Mention when you would be available to start work, as well as any dates you might not be free to have an interview on; you don't want to have to respond to an invite to interview that you won't be able to make it!
- Check your spelling and grammar both with your computer's software and by hand; Spellcheck will not pick up mistakes where the typo is another word with a different meaning.
References
Jobs.ac.uk (2007, June) Top ten tips for writing cover letters. Retrieved 1 December 2014, from: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/cv-templates/577/top-ten-tips-for-writing-cover-letters/
Kent University (n.d.) How to write a successful covering letter. Retrieved 1 December 2014, from: http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/coveringletters.htm
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