A cover letter is sent alongside your CV and highlights how your skills, experience and achievements relate to the role you are applying for, creating a strong first impression for recruiters and hiring managers, showcasing why they should interview you for the role.
This blog post provides cover letter writing help if you choose to write your own cover letter rather than having one written for you as part of a CV writing service.
Do I need to write a cover letter?
Whilst almost every role asks for a CV, not all roles request a cover letter, however it usually a good idea to send one anyway.
You may choose to write a brief email outlining your experience and interest in the role, or you can include a cover letter as a separate attachment.
What should I include?
Your cover letter needs to concisely set out how you meet the criteria in the job description, so it needs to be tailored to each role.
- Begin by stating which role you are applying for and state where you heard about the role, mentioning which website you saw the advertisement on, or who referred you to the role.
- Introduce yourself and summarise your relevant experience in a few sentences.
- Include more information and examples of your relevant skills/experience/key achievements relating to this role. A good opening sentence is “Whilst working at…” My current role (job title) at (company name) involves…” This may be in one, two or three paragraphs.
- Final Paragraph: State why you are interested in this role. Conclude with: “I look forward to hearing from you soon.” “Yours sincerely” if you know the name of the hiring manager, or “Yours faithfully” if you don’t know their name.
Cover Letter Writing Tips
Format your cover letter professionally as a formal business letter. If you have used a CV style with a header, you can use the same header for your cover letter. Alternatively, use a standard business font such as Ariel, Times New Roman, Calibri in 10-12pt.
Greet the hiring manager professionally, if you know their name “Dear Kelly,” or “Dear Sir/Madam” / “Dear Hiring Manager” if you do not know their name.
If your cover letter is part of an online application, you do not need to include details like your name and contact details, which are included elsewhere in your application.
Unless specified in the recruitment advertisement, there is no required length for a cover letter, so focus on the most important duties from the job description. Include one or two examples and your key achievements related to the role. It is likely to be between half a side and one side of A4.
Run a spelling and grammar check, then print your cover letter out and carefully proofread it. It is far easier to do this on paper than on a screen. Check it flows well, there are no spelling or grammatical or factual errors.
Save each cover letter, so you can amend this for similar roles in the future.
Next steps
Do you need professional assistance in writing a stand-out cover letter, or CV? I offer CV writing help including a CV writing service, as well as interview skills coaching and career coaching sessions – please don’t hesitate to contact me.
