Career Tips

Cover letters that work!

Fri, 09 Oct 2009

Unless you’re handing your resume or curriculam vitae (CV) to a prospective employer straight from your printer, you’ll need to attach a covering letter to it. This crucial document acts as an introduction to both you and your CV. It summarises why you’re sending your CV as well as why you’re qualified to be considered for the job.

Because the CV covering letter plays such an important role, it’s critical that you keep the following thoughts in mind as you put it together.

Introduce yourself

Think back to Business Letter Writing 101 when starting your covering letter, because you’ll be using a formal tone to introduce yourself and lay out your intentions.

Even if you know the recipient well you should maintain an air of formality — "Dear Mr. Jones' instead of "Dear Bob'. Though it’s tempting to be more casual, the covering letter won’t necessarily only be seen by your buddy, so you need to be businesslike in your approach.

After your greeting you’ll need to remind your recipient as to why you’re sending him or her your CV in the first place. No need to be wordy; a simple sentence or two will suffice. Try something like:

As a professional customer sales representative seeking a managerial position, I noticed with interest your recent job posting…

Remember to be succinct. Chances are that the person(s) receiving your cover letter has many others to sift through as well, so the faster you can get to the point the better.

Sell yourself

After your intro, your CV covering letter should launch into a full-scale description of your qualifications. Basically, this is a sales document and should be organised as such.

If you’re sending your CV in response to a job advertisement, scan the posting with a fine-toothed comb for "keywords'. For instance, if the company is looking for an "experienced computer programmer', use that exact same phrase to describe yourself. And if the organisation requires that applicants have over five years of hands-on supervisory background, make sure you note that fact in your covering letter.

Many people want to make their covering letters too weighty, but it’s always better to write a few paragraphs which highlight your achievements and qualifications. After all, this isn’t your CV itself, it’s just the gateway to your CV.

Wrap it up

One of the biggest errors even savvy individuals make is not sending their CV covering letters properly. A huge mistake often seen is the lack of any contact information. For some reason, plenty of job seekers assume that because their contact information is available on their CVs they don’t need to put it on the covering letter as well. However, if the covering letter and the CV are somehow separated it’s critical that both documents list ways to get in touch with you.

Another mistake made on some covering letters is the omission of two very important words: "Thank you'. It’s just common courtesy to show your appreciation, and even if it feels trite, make sure you let your recipient know that you appreciate their time.

Finally, your CV covering letter signature should be signed in simple black or blue ink. This isn’t the time to pull out that favourite purple pen with glitter.

The Big Picture

As mentioned above, the CV covering letter needs to be powerful and simple. It also should be readable, so handwritten covering letters are unacceptable. Similarly, sloppy formatting (such as one big paragraph instead of "block style' or indented, shorter paragraphs) will only tell your reader that you don’t know how to correspond in a professional manner.

You also need to give serious consideration to the tone of your letter. While it’s fine to be informative, you don’t want to seem overly friendly or inexperienced. Thus, you should never begin your covering letter with phrases such as "Hi!', "Hope you’re well' or "My name is Joe Smith and I’m looking for a job'. Sentences like these won’t position you in a favourable light.

As for logos and graphics, it’s best to leave them out of your covering letter (one exception is if you have a personal logo.) And make sure your font isn’t too wacky: script may look fancy, but it screams "novice job hunter' to the person reading your letter. Instead, stick with a business-like font such as Times New Roman or Arial in no less than 11 points.

Your CV covering letter paper doesn’t need to be super-expensive, though many swear by linen or cotton blend sheets. What’s more important is that it’s a light colour (preferable white or eggshell) and doesn’t have any designs that could detract from your communique.

Remember, your covering letter is an advertisement for your CV. If you keep in mind that it’s only a doorway you’ll be able to create a professional document that is grammatically sound and attractively presented. Good luck on your job hunting endeavours and enjoy the process of finding your next employer!