Cover letter guide
Wednesday 1 February 2006
If you're applying for a job, you'll need to write a cover letter to go with your CV.
Here's our quick guide to making that first impression count.
Type test
Unless the job ad tells you otherwise, your cover letter should be typed. If you do write it by hand, make sure that your handwriting is super-neat and there aren't any mistakes or crossings out.
Don't use any fancy fonts; keep it simple. Times New Roman or Arial should do the trick.
The long and short of it
There's usually no need to go over one side of A4 paper. Any longer and the reader might lose interest before they get to the end.
Make it personal
Make sure that you start the letter by addressing it to the person who'll be reading it. Try and avoid 'To whom it may concern'.
Make sure you put the address of where you're sending it at the top of the letter.
If the job ad doesn't say who the letter should be addressed to, try and find out. Give the company a call and they should be able to help you. If you really can't get a name, use 'Dear Sir or Madam'.
What's your point?
Some of the main points you should include in your letter:
Intro
State what position you are applying for and say why you're the best person for the job. Make sure that you say in your letter where you heard about the job; it can help whoever's sorting the incoming mail to redirect your letter.
Next paragraph
You should write about any experience you might have that's relevant to the job you're going for. Although this information will be on your CV, there's no harm in drawing attention to any points you think are important.
If you don't have any experience, say what good qualities you can bring to the company. This is your chance to really sell yourself and make the reader want to look closely at your CV.
Do a bit of research on the company and mention anything you've found out about them that might be relevant to your application.
And finally
Wrap things up by requesting an interview at the reader's convenience and thank them for their consideration.
End the letter with 'Yours sincerely' if you know the recipient's name, or 'Yours faithfully' if you kicked off with 'Dear Sir or Madam'.
While you wait
Note down somewhere the date that you sent the letter and if you haven't hard anything after a week or two, give the company a call to check that they got your letter and CV.
There's no reason why you can't apply for other jobs while you're waiting to hear. A positive reply might come through the post when you least expect it.
