ASSIGNMENT

Assignment

Assignment

Cover letter writing

A covering letter supports your CV, and although your CV is a document that sells your skills, motivation and abilities, a covering letter:

explains why you want to work for a particular organisation

explains the abilities that you can bring to an organisation

demonstrates your knowledge or interest in an organisation

is a chance to go into more detail about information that doesn't fit into your CV

is a chance to explain personal circumstances or gaps in your employment or education (e.g. if you repeated a year at school due to a serious illness). Phrase these in a positive way explaining how you have overcome your hurdles (McLean 2004)

The importance of a covering letter

A covering letter together with your CV is your first chance to sell yourself to an employer, so it is important that you make a good impression! A covering letter sets the tone of an application to encourage an employer to continue reading your CV. (Nadler 1984)

Tips for writing a good covering letter

Include details you haven't mentioned in the application form or your CV like when you'd be available to start, what made you apply for the job and where you saw it advertised.

Keep your letter to one page and try not to ramble.

Try not to be too formal, but don't get too chatty. Try to get your personality to shine through if you can.

Unless you know the person well, do not use first names. If you don't know their name or are not sure about the spelling, ring up and ask. Starting your letter Dear Ms Smith looks so much better than Dear Sir/Madam.

Get to the point quickly and avoid waffling. The first paragraph should mention the job you're applying for and why you think you are right for it.

Your closing paragraph should be positive and confident, showing that you expect a response and advising them how you can be contacted. (Elwood 1996)

Reading job adverts

'Employers are hoping to attract the best possible applicants for their jobs and so the advertisement must make the work sound very interesting indeed,' says Alison Bird, Careers Adviser at Oxford University. 'However, the best recruiters will know that they must comply with government legislation so they cannot be too over-the-top. Sensible advertisers will make clear what their criteria are so that they are not swamped by under-qualified applicants.'

Tailoring

The more information you get from a job advert the more likely you are to get the job because you can tailor your CV and covering letter to the employer's specific needs.

'Your university careers service will be able to help you work through your application, paying particular attention to the selection criteria - essential and desirable - which you must address. They can help you to draft a covering letter which deals with the key points and this will improve your chances of getting an interview for your position,' says Alison. (McLean 2004)

Same difference

Some job adverts are written by outside agencies such as PR companies, this often means that they are general as they only know about the company what ...