Cover Letter 101
Nowadays, a lot of the jobs in London (and elsewhere for that matter) that you’ll find advertised through the likes of reed.co.uk ask for two things: a cover letter, and your CV. It seems that the age of application forms is largely behind us, which is good, because they’re a nightmare, but bad because with so much competition for every role, impressing with just your cover letter and your CV can be a challenge.
Many people think that the CV is the most important part, but they’re wrong. Nearly every candidate nowadays has a well-written CV, and broadly speaking most people will have similar experiences. Your cover letter is an opportunity to show off your personality, and that’s, ultimately, what you’ll be hired for.
Personalisation
Just like a CV your cover letter should be rewritten for every single job application, whilst you can get away with tweaking your CV to highlight your competencies for that particular job, your cover letter should be completely rewritten. Look through the advertisement carefully and make sure you hit all the major points.
Spelling and Grammar
Make sure that you check the letter at least 700 times, there is no excuse for spelling and grammar errors, particularly with computer spell checks and if your letter is littered with errors, you’ll be straight on the rubbish heap.
Be Genuine
Why do you want the job? And what will you bring to it? These are the key questions for a cover letter, just like an interview. If you don’t want the job, and you can’t lie about it, then you’re in trouble from word go. Avoid buzzwords like ‘passion’ and ‘enthusiasm’ and write simply what you think. It’s a good opportunity because…
Concision
No more than one page, preferably no more than four paragraphs, be clear, straightforward and don’t feel the need to qualify every statement. If you’re ambitious and you see the job as a great opportunity to advance your career in xyz, then say so, there’s no harm in making it apparent from the outset.
Fluffy Words
Avoid sentences starting with “I believe” and “I think”, you don’t believe you’re brilliant, you are brilliant, so say so (although, probably not as directly as that). Conviction is all important, have faith in yourself.
And finally…
Don’t just write your cover letter on the basis of the advertisement, do some research on the company and find something that you particularly like (or that they go out of their way to advertise) and mention it. Show the reader that you’ve gone to the effort to find out a little more about what they do. Most importantly, if the advertisement says ‘make your applications to Wendy’ then start your letter with “Dear Wendy,” or “Dear Ms”, “To whom it may concern” is a horrible way to start a cover letter and will immediately get thrown in the trash.
Good luck!
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