Covering Letter Guide

When responding to an advertised job you should always include a covering letter and should treat this as a vital part of your personal marketing literature. The cover letter should also be designed specifically for each Job application.

The cover letter should complement, not duplicate your CV and its purpose is to interpret a factual CV and add a personal touch. A cover letter is often your earliest written contact with a potential employer, creating that critical first impression.

Effective cover letters explain the reasons for your interest in the specific organisation and identify your most relevant skills or experiences (directly related to the job specification or job advertisement). They should express a high level of interest and knowledge about the position.

How to format your cover letter and some basic guidelines to help ensure you receive a positive response from your initial contact:

---

General appearance:

Ensure your letter is neatly and clearly presented with no grammatical or spelling errors. When you are E-mailing a response, the email should be written in a similar style to the letter with the letter and CV attached.

---

Content:

Your cover letter should be brief and structured. Try to avoid lengthy repetition of information covered in your CV.

• Address the letter to the relevant contact whose name appears in the job advert.
• When replying to specific advert, say so. Mention the job title, reference number and where and when you saw it.
• Always follow a specific instruction and include any information if it is particularly requested as in some cases an advert may request further information.
• Briefly outline your current situation and why you are looking for a change.  Make it as relevant as possible to the organisation or job applied for highlighting and specific qualifications or experience they are looking for.