Covering Letters – A Step By Step Guide

Avoid the confusion!

When some people say ‘covering letter’, they don’t mean a covering letter at all, but a full letter of application.

A two or three page letter of application is a detailed piece of persuasive writing to convince an employer that you’re worth considering for the job, but it isn’t a covering letter.

A covering letter (U.S. ‘cover letter’) is a brief one-pager introducing another document that sits underneath it, most commonly your CV. Many employers will use it to decide whether to read your CV or file both quietly under W.P.B. (Waste Paper Bin). So covering letters are important.

When are covering letters REALLY important?

There are three situations when you use a covering letter:
· When returning an application form for an advertised post
· With a CV in response to an advertised post

In these two cases the covering letter may NOT be so important. All that’s required is a short couple of lines saying ‘Please find enclosed…’ and ‘I look forward to…’. It might not do any harm to add some detail but it probably won’t make much difference. The bottom line is that they’ve asked you to apply –- the door is partially open.

· With a CV when no post has been advertised

This is the crunch situation. CV plus covering letter is the main way of getting into companies who aren’t openly recruiting. But an employer has no reasons to be interested in your CV unless you provide some.

Getting Started – sample format

Here is what your letter’s going to look like:

Name,
Address,
Phone No.
Email

date

Dear ,

FOUR paragraphs of text

Yours sincerely,

DO make sure you get the name of the person to write to. Research shows that ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ is a turn off.

Now you’ve got started, each step is a paragraph of your letter… As you go through them keep to the point and don’t use flowery language.

Para 1

Write a short paragraph saying what (or who) has motivated you to write. Say what kind of work or placement you are looking for. The ‘who’ can be vital. If someone has suggested you apply, it amounts to a recommendation.

Para 2

Start a fresh paragraph explaining why you want to work there and the contribution you can offer. Base this on whatever you can find out about them. The key is to make what you say seem unique –- something they might need that not everyone else can offer.

Para 3

Here you refer to your attached CV, emphasising the two or three points that you think will interest the employer.

Para 4

Finish by saying that you would be pleased to attend an interview and (if appropriate) when. If it feels right, you can say instead that you will ring them on a specific date to ask for feedback on your CV.

Then all you need to do is check and sign your letter.

Colin Taylor
10/11/08

www.coltext.com

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