Cover Letter Guide

Cover letters are often overlooked by jobseekers, with some choosing to not send one at all.  It can seem tedious rewriting new cover letters for each job application, however a strong cover letter can really make you stand out amongst other candidates and get you to interview stage.

To help you get the most out of your Cover Letter, we have outlined a simple structure guide to make sure you include all the information the reader is looking for.

1. Who to address: One way to give off a good first impression, and show your interest in the role is addressing the letter to the hiring manager. However, there are some rules that follow this. If you are not one hundred percent sure if you have the correct name, or pronoun, don’t include it. Simply address it to whom you think the hiring manager would be, for example ‘Customer Services Hiring Manager’.

1. Introduction: Keep your introduction short, with the emphasis on why you are applying for the role. Make sure you include the job title you are applying for, as the reader may be looking at Cover Letters for multiple roles. You could also use the introduction to give detail on your biggest career accomplishment or giving detail as to how you added value to your previous company.

    

2. How your skills match the job: Don’t copy and paste or rewrite your CV. Use this opportunity to take the highlights of your CV and expand of those. Outline your qualifications and match these to the job description. If you are unsure on how to do this, pick out the top 3 qualities mentioned in the job description and give evidence of how you have achieved these in your career. For example:

    

   Job Description:

   General office administration: Duties include providing administrative support to the team including production and maintenance of reports and documents, dealing with general enquiries and scheduling meetings.

   Your Cover Letter:

   During my recent position as administrative assistant I provided invaluable support within document, reports and database management. Effective communication and organisational skills were essential to ensure scheduled meetings and projects ran efficiently. I also gained experienced dealing with general enquiries, making sure all correspondence met our SLA’s and adhered to the company’s goals and objectives.

    

3. Knowledge of the company: Use this paragraph to show the reader your knowledge of the company. Give your reasons for wanting to work for them specifically, but also why you would be a great asset to their team.

    

4. Call to action: The last paragraph should thank the reader for taking the time to read your cover letter, but also reinforce you are wanting to hear back from them. A simple “Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you to discuss my application further.” is both professional and to the point. Sign off “Yours sincerely” if you have addressed someone by name, and “Yours faithfully” if you are unsure of their name.

There you have it, a simple guide of how to structure your Cover Letter.