You’ve spent all that time honing your CV and making it as appealing as possible to potential employers. Now, your final task is to ensure you don’t fall at the first hurdle with a poorly written cover letter.
Your covering letter can help you stand out from the crowd of applicants that are all desperate for the same position. Here are a few tips to make your voice louder than anyone else’s.
1. Always send one, even if you’re not asked to. Write a letter that entices them to read your CV and shows that the skills you possess relate to the job you’re applying for. It shows your potential employers your enthusiasm too!
2. Don’t waffle! Make sure the cover letter you provide is short and relevant, employers don’t have much time to start with so you need to write something short, snappy and straight to the point. They’ll appreciate the time saved.
3. Do not re-write the whole of your CV. Each piece of writing has its own purpose and if you copy what you’ve already written, it’ll look as if you’re lacking in creativity or originality so make sure your cover letter is inspiring and different.
4. Choose you words wisely. Use dynamic verbs to illustrate your skills and evidence them appropriately. For example verbs such as coordinate, delegate etc. work really well.
5. The letter and writing should reflect your personality.
It gives your CV a complementing character, allowing your potential employers a glance at what you’re really like.
It should be enthusiastic and driven, giving them the best possible impression you can of yourself.
6. Always refer back to the company that you’re applying to.
You want to impress them with the wealth of knowledge you have and how your skills will complement their company. Don’t hold back and keep everything positive!
7. Read and read again. To make sure there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes. You don’t want to make yourself look incompetent by having mistakes within your writing.
8. Always finish with a signature. A piece of old fashioned convention goes a long way with potential employers, especially in the digital age we live in. Again, it personalises the letter itself.
This article first appeared in The Pitman Training Magazine, which features a great deal of articles, hints & tips etc.
You can read the magazine online by clicking this link:
Read The Pitman Training Magazine Online
