Writing a cover letter

We’ve all been through the excruciating torture that writing a cover letter entails. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s spent hours writing my CV only to rush my cover letter with unfortunate results – trust me, nobody wants to hire a copy editor who leaves spelling mistakes in their applications!

Writing a bad cover letter is like spending hours preparing to give a perfect interview then turning up late, in a tracksuit, chewing gum. It’s your prospective employer’s first impression of you and so you need to get it word perfect.

Here’s a ‘do as I say not as I do’ guide to writing a great covering letter:

• Check your spelling and grammar. And then get someone else to check just to be sure. Even if your job doesn’t involve much writing, obvious mistakes make you look lazy and uninterested in the job. Make sure you’ve included the right contact details too!
• Keep it short. It’s only an introduction to your CV, try not to duplicate too much of the information. It’s usually best to stick to the four paragraph rule: why you’re applying; what you do now; why they should employ you; close and request a meeting.
• Tailor it to the company. Regular recruiters will be able to tell if you’ve just sent them a generic cover letter and it kind of stamps on the part of your letter where you emphasise how much you want to work for that particular company.
• Try to find out who will be reading your application and address it to them. This gives your application a personal feel.
• Pick out specific traits or skills that requested in the advert and give examples of how you demonstrate these.
• Keep the tone upbeat. Even if you hate your job and you can’t wait to get out - keep the moaning for when you're at the pub with your friends.

And that’s all there is to it - so get writing!

Comments

[BELABES YAZID]

MANY THANKS MHAIRI
THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I FIND IN RITINNG COVER LETTER OR LETRE DE MOTIVATION I DO MORE THAN MISTAK AND ITS VERY IMPRTANT TO RIGHT A COVER LETER IN GOOD WAY SO THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I REPIT IT TO FIND A JOB I SUPERVISOR IN qhse health safety environement
many tanks and i enjoy withe your letter but you are best than me because english is the third language in my contry