Cover Letter Tips
A cover letter is an important document to include in your job applications along with your CV.
Here are some of our tips to make sure your cover letter is the best it could be!
Tailor your cover letter to the job application
Employers want to read a cover letter that is relevant to their company and the job role they’re offering. It may be more time consuming to write a new cover letter for every application, however, it will give you a better chance to reach the next stage because you’re making it personal and fitting to the company.
Do your research
To help tailor the cover letter to the company, do your research on the company or organisation. Having a good understanding of the company will help you decide what to include and focus on.
Make sure you are familiar with what the company does, its target audience as well as what the role your applying for involves.
Format
Keep the cover letter concise and to the point. Do your checks for any spelling mistakes. Make sure the font you use is easy to read. Make the cover letter well presented by using paragraphs and sticking to a reasonable length; you don’t want to ramble too much and risk making the cover letter boring to read, aim for about half a side of a page (or one page maximum)
Structure
Firstly, you want to explain why you are getting in touch. You could include the name the cover letter is addressed to and let them know where you found the job you’re applying for.
Next, describe why you are suitable for the job. Let the employer know of any qualifications you have that are relevant to the role and the skills you can bring to the company that are required.
You then want to inform the employer what you can do for the company. Explain what you have previously done or are currently doing. This is where you want to expand on the points that are included in your CV.
Lastly, you want to include a quick summary of why you’re interested in the role and what you can bring to the company.
Expand on your CV
A cover letter is there to let you explain more about your skills and experience that you have briefly touched on in your CV. You want to add a different perspective from your CV to show why your skills and experience are relevant to the job.
Use examples
When talking about your skills and experience, you need to use examples to demonstrate what you can do. Using examples gives the employer a better understanding of you and your work. Even if you don’t have significant work experience