However well qualified the applicant, only a good, well presented Curriculum Vitae or CV will win a job interview – and a good CV may go unread by employers or HR managers because of a badly written CV covering letter. Make sure your covering letter gives your resume a fair chance.
Presentation and Style of the Covering Letter
A good covering letter should:
- Conform to a standard business letter format.
- Be presented on good quality A4 paper, and be no more than one page long.
- Be grammatical, correctly spelled, if possible typed, and with no typing errors or corrections.
- Be written in a style to match the style, vocabulary and level of formality of the job announcement or notification.
- Be addressed by name if possible to the person inviting applications, using a formal title unless the job announcement gives a clear indication for a less formal address.
- If you cannot type it or get a friend to do so, the letter should be neatly handwritten, in ink rather than biro.
Content of the Covering Letter
The content of the letter should:
- Indicate clearly the specific appointment you are applying for.
- Be tailored specifically to that appointment. A generalised letter suggests carelessness or lack of interest.
- Draw attention to the particular points in your CV which you believe make you a good applicant for the post.
- Express your enthusiasm for the post, and what you believe you can bring to it.
- State you readiness to provide further information and to attend an interview, with any restrictions on your availability.
Sample Letter Template (See Illustration below for formatted sample)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
123 Fore Street, (Note 1)
Newtown,
ZZ99 9XX
10 Aug 2010 (Note 2)
Mr Andrew Goodjob, (Note 3)
HR Director,
Wiggins Flatwater,
Wiggins House,
133-137 Main Street,
Docklands,
XX99 9ZZ.
Dear Mr Goodjob, (Note 4)
PROJECT MANAGER (Note 5)
Your Reference HRWF 301
I should like very much to apply for the post of Project Manager for this exciting and challenging project, and attach my CV.
As you will see, I have extensive experience as a Project Manager at a senior level, with a very successful record of bringing in large and complex projects on time and on, or under, budget. In addition to this broader project management experience, I believe that I can make a particularly effective contribution to the successful expansion of Wiggins Flatwater into this new market as a result of:
- The extensive contacts I developed in this area during my employment with Jones and Jones.
- My familiarity with the new technology involved, gained during my recent MSc course at Topsham University.
I hope very much for the opportunity to meet you soon, and to discuss the exciting possibilities presented by this imaginative project, in which I should very much like to participate, and help to bring to an early and successful conclusion.
Please let me know if there is any further information which you would like. I am available at any time over the next three weeks as shown on my CV.
Yours sincerely,(Note 6)
James B. Smith BA, MSc
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Notes to Covering Letter
- Note 1. Your address, right justified.
- Note 2. The date the letter is signed and posted, right justified.
- Note 3. The full title name, appointment and address of the person calling for applications. Only use a less formal form of address if clearly indicated by the tone of the advertisement or announcement. Left justified.
- Note 4. Formal greeting unless an informal approach is clearly indicated by the tone of the advertisement or announcement. Left justified.
- Note 5. The title of the appointment applied for, and any reference, in bold upper case and centred.
- Note 6. Formal signing off with your name and title and any appropriate qualifications.
Conclusion
A badly presented covering letter can kill a good CV. Compose yours carefully.
Advice on Writing Your CV
- format for a general purpose CV
- format for a school-leaver's CV
- format for a first post-university CV
Sources
UK Government careers advice website - Lifetracks.
Tony Allen - In 2004 I began my "fourth career" as a freelance writer. In my first career, after training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, I ...
