- It lets administrative staff know quickly what the correspondence is about
- It is often the first thing an employer reads
- It allows you to say why you are applying
- It sets the tone for the CV
- Write a new one for each application
- The addresses must be correct
- The date must be correct
- It shouldn't be more than 1 page long
- It should be as well laid out as your CV
- Do not state information in the covering letter which can be obtained from reading your CV (with the exception of your ‘unique selling points’ or whatever will catch their attention and encourage them to read the full CV).
Information to include
- Your name, address and phone number (with area code)
- The name of the person to whom you are writing (Get this from the job advertisement, or phone the company and ask who you should address the letter to)
- Their job title
- Their address
- The initial greeting (Dear Ms Smith or Dear Sir)
- The first sentence, which should state
-
- The job you are applying for
- Reference Number (if given)
- Where you saw the post advertised
- A couple of sentences that are catchy statements such as those competency statements (See below)
- A couple of sentences about why the employer/job is right for you
- A polite request for a reply
- Your signature and your name typed below it
Competency Statement
Your covering letter must include a couple of competency statements. You are picking up the attributes the employer thinks are important and addressing the two most important ones. You are making it easier for the employer to see the fit between you and the job. This shows that you have thought a bit more deeply about the job and how you would fit in well.- Pick up the key qualities that the employer is looking for from the job ad. E.g. Dynamic, Great communicator
- Go back through the templates of you and your achievements that you made in other modules of the CV, Interview & Application Mastery programme. How can you demonstrate these desired qualities?
- Read through what you’ve written carefully. Can you justify what you are claiming? If not, omit the statement – it is not acceptable to lie. Strengthen it with a concrete example.
Recruiters will be impressed if you have worked from nothing to success, have overcome a major challenge, achieved a goal, tried things, learned and improved, or have refocused and come back even stronger. Think through your stories very carefully to ensure that they increase the fit between you and the job.
PREP-START Method
Use the PREP-STAR method outlined below to tell a story of the two competencies.The PREP STAR formula for telling a story runs as follows:
Point – One of my real strengths lie in public speakingFor a covering letter the PREP-STAR competency should be slightly shorter than this. Remember some recruiters like to read the covering letter very quickly and may be put off by long essays (imagine if you had to read thousands of covering letters). Those who get the point that you want to hear across quickly are those who get invited to interview.
Reason – Because I always go the extra mile to motivate the audience
Evidence
Situation – For instance, two weeks ago I had to give a talk at our University Investment Society on a virtual trading game I have been using.
Task – I decided that my task was to motivate and create enough interest in trading that everybody was inspired to join the virtual trading room too.
Action – So I organised for one of the representatives from the virtual trading company to come and contribute to the talk.
Result – The result was that everybody who attended the meeting signed up for a virtual trading account and we now run a league competition.
Point – My public speaking has dramatically improved from the whole experience.
