I work for a publisher of history books, and spend a lot of my time researching and writing. I write...
I work for a publisher of history books, and spend a lot of my time researching and writing. I write in my spare time too - when I'm not travelling, hiking, camping, skiing or in the pub...
Member since:11.07.2000
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Writing a covering letter is one of the most important writing tasks that you will encounter in everyday life - it doesn’t matter how good your CV is if the prospective employer doesn’t get past your opening gambit. So it is definitely worth taking your time, composing something appropriate and checking it carefully - a bit of an investment of time at this stage could mean that next month you’re starting work at the job you’ve always wanted.
The content of your letter depends on whether it is speculative (you haven’t seen a specific vacancy advertised, but would like them to consider you anyway), or whether you are responding to an advert. If you are responding to an advert, many of the clues about what you should write will be there. If the company is advertising for ‘well-travelled, spanish speaking sales executives, with experience of using Word’ then you need to identify the parts of your CV that show that you are the right person and highlight them. That way they will know that you aren’t wasting their time and you have given some thought to your application.
So you might write: “I recently got back from four months travelling in South America, and am looking for a job that will allow me to use my language skills. I speak fluent Spanish and achieved a distinction in the oral examination for my honours degree. While at university I spent two summers working in the sales department of XXX and am keen to develop my career in this field. I am highly computer literate, having completed two training courses in the evenings while at college, and have particular experience of Word, Excel and Powerpoint.” Everything that you’ve mentioned is on your CV as well.
A word here about standard letters. By all means find a format that you are happy with, and use it repeatedly, but beware of sending out reams of identical letters. You are far likelier to get a positive response if you have tailored your letter to the specific post on offer. The same is true for speculative applications - research the company and find out what kind of job might exist for you, then write your letter accordingly.
It’s best to keep your letter to one side of typed A4 - employers will probably have loads of applications to consider, and they don’t want to have to spend too long making their initial assessment. Be brief but to the point. If they want to know more...they’ll invite you for interview!
Another good idea is to examine what you feel are your major selling points, whether they are in the job specification or not. For example, if you are dedicated, punctual and enthusiastic, or enjoy working in a small team, or anything that you think might swing it for you, round up with it at the end. Your final paragraph might read something like ‘I am enthusiastic, meticulous, and committed to a career in proof-reading. I hope that you will consider my application and look forward to hearing from you’...
A few do’s and don’ts:
DO type your letter using a word processor or computer. Only handwrite if specifically requested to do so. DO be sure to include all your contact details (even though they’re on your CV, put them on the letter as well). DO address the letter to the right person (from the advert, or if you are applying speculatively ring the switchboard and find out who to address it to.) DO check your letter carefully and get someone else to read it too - once you’ve looked at something more than a couple of times it becomes harder to spot errors) DO make sure you’ve included all the material in support of your application (CV, personality quiz). They will not bother sending it back telling you you’ve missed something out!
DONT waffle or be unnecessarily formal or wordy. Judge the tone of your letter from the tone of the advert. DONT Make yourself sound impossibly wonderful, or go overboard describing your achievements, impressive though they may be. Employers know that things that sound too good to be true often are.
Good luck!
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Excellent advice - reading an applicants cover letter can clearly illustrate the applicants ability to develop a feel for both the position and the company, A CV is usually well-developed and thus rehearsed, and therefore may in reality not tell you as much about the applicant as their letter. The letter can also give guidance on the applicant's ability to comprehend procedures (i.e. general layout, style of writing, grammatical and spelling ability) and for me, definitely creates an initial impression. Yes the CV is important too, but I always feel a good letter is paramount.
Sue
BustyBabe 24.05.2001 15:19
Thanks great advice will use some of those tips in future.
vicki
May 17th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
