Covering Letters

Why is it important?

Whilst your CV states the facts of your employment history, your covering letter allows you to expand on them and give the recruiter a better idea of who you are as a person. It is your personal introduction to your potential new employer and should entice them to look at your CV.

What should it contain?

You should set it out as a business letter with your address on the right, theirs on the left, the date and, a quick explanation of what the letter is for (for example: Re: IT Architect vacancy). Ideally it should have around four paragraphs.

First paragraph

Use this to introduce yourself, tell them the position that you’re applying for and where you saw the job advertised. This paragraph should end on a high by stating in a nutshell why you are interested in the role and/or company and what you have to offer.

If you are making a speculative application, make sure you let them know why you want to work for them – show them that you understand who they are as a company.

Second and third paragraphs

Use this to highlight the strongest points of your CV that would help you in the role. For example, if the job description requires experience in the development of a certain type of IT database, make sure you tell them about your experience here. Include the results of your work: was it delivered on time and to budget? What were the performance gains?

If this is a speculative application, highlight the skills, achievements and experience which you believe makes you a good fit for the organisation.

Fourth paragraph

Make sure you finish on a positive note by thanking them for their time and let them know of your flexibility regarding interview dates. If you are feeling really confident and proactive, let them know of a date when you will contact them to follow up on your application.

Finally, as with your CV, ensure that your spelling and grammar are 100 per cent correct.

How long should it be?

As with your CV, your covering letter is likely to be read by a recruiter who has little time, so it needs to be less than a page of A4 unless you are instructed to the contrary. Keep to the four paragraphs listed above and use no more than seven sentences in each.

What sort of writing style should I use?

You need to ensure that you send a professional, formal business letter. Be careful not to use old-fashioned more formal words that you wouldn’t in real-life, such as “perusal” or “furtherance”. You should also avoid humour as it is very hard to pull off – be positive about yourself but don’t go all out to make the recruiter laugh, the vacancy isn’t for an office clown.

What they need and what you can offer

Try not to fall into the trap of starting most sentences with “I” or “my”. Don’t forget that you are meant to be responding to what they need – use the letter as an opportunity to prove that you are the answer to their needs.

In short, the recruiter will be interested in what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. To do this, respond to skills required in the advert or job description and also demonstrate knowledge of the company and the challenges they are likely to face operating in their market.

Who should I address it to?

If you can, find out who will be reading through the applications and include their name (ensure you get the correct gender/married title too). This looks a lot more professional and shows that you have strong attention to detail. When you know the name of the person that you are sending the letter to, finish it with “yours sincerely”. If you’re unsure who to address it to, start the letter with “dear Sir/Madam” and finish it with “yours faithfully”.

A common mistake is to capitalise “sincerely” or “faithfully”. Don’t do this – they should be lowercase.

What about electronic applications?

Many people seem unsure of the etiquette of writing cover letters electronically when they are asked to e-mail a CV, but as more and more job applications are being handled in this way it is important to know.

Unless asked to, you don’t need to attach your covering letter as a separate document. Simply put your covering letter into the e-mail body following the rules above. There is no need to add the address of the company or your address, so it should begin “Dear….” and finish with “Yours…"

What about speculative applications?

If you are sending off a speculative application you still need to follow the rules above.

1. Find out the name of the person who would deal with your application. Try to avoid just using their job title as apart from showing a lack of effort your letter is also unlikely to reach its intended recipient before being intercepted by someone else first.
2. Research the company and their market so you can highlight how you would be a ‘good fit’ within the organisation. You need to sell yourself!

Speculative applications will involve a lot of effort, but with the upside that you might catch a recruiter just as they decide they need to hire someone and be the first on their list or, your CV will be put on file and you will be contacted when a position becomes available.