Cover letters are the first chance you get to stand out to your potential employer.
The sole point of a cover letter is to draw attention to your resume, which holds all of your relevant information, experience and skills.
In four or five paragraphs, you should be able to show competent language skills, that you’d be suitable for the role in terms of your skills and experience, and that you have a strong interest in the position.
In these paragraphs, include a couple of achievements: I did this and created that.
Many clients ask for a generic cover letter. That’s fine but it must be tailored to the organisation and job you’re applying to.
There is no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ cover letter.
Explain why you have applied for this job, what appeals to you about the role and why you want to work for this organisation but make sure you don’t repeat the information on your resume.
The style of the cover letter will depend on the person and the industry, but keep it professional.
It’s best to address the letter to a named person, eg, Mr Anderson.
LinkedIn is usually a good place to search, or call the organisation and ask for the correct name.
If you can’t find out their name, Dear HR Manager is OK.
And if a job ad doesn’t specifically ask for a cover letter, write a short email introductory email.
A cover email is what you’d say to the recipient if you had the chance to hand over your resume in person.
When writing the cover letter, design a clear layout that makes it easy to read. Avoid using graphics or quirky fonts.
This isn’t just about making the right impression on hiring managers – the automated scanning systems used byapplicant tracking systems can struggle with unusual fonts.
A good cover letter should make potential employers pick up your resume.