Covering Letters

When sending your CV or application form to a potential employer, it is really important that it is accompanied by a particularly strong covering letter which allows you to expand further on particular skills and experiences while also bringing out aspects of your personality that you perhaps couldn’t emphasise in the CV or application form.

The presentation of the letter is almost as important as the content so it should be typed on high-quality paper, unless you are specifically requested to submit a handwritten letter.

There are two main types of cover letter: those written in response to an advertised vacancy; and those written as a speculative approach to companies that you are particularly interested in working for.

Advert response letter

Before responding to an advert, it is important to first ensure that you match the essential criteria for the role. There is really very little point applying for a job if you simply do not have the required qualifications and experience; this is a waste of your own time and the employer’s time. However, you may feel that it is still worth applying for a position if you only just fall short of the criteria. For example, you may have three years experience in sales management when the advert states that four years are required. You can use your covering letter to emphasise the value of the experience you do have and your willingness to undertake additional training, and thus you may find that you are still considered for the position.

When preparing an advert response letter, it is important that you address it accurately and ensure that it is marked for the attention of the person named in the advert if applicable. Include the job title and any reference numbers given so that the employer can quickly identify which position you are applying for.

The letter should begin with a brief explanation of where and when you saw the position advertised followed by a description of your specific skills and experiences in some detail. Ideally, you should tailor your experiences to any essential criteria mentioned in the advert while emphasising your suitability for the position.  It is important to specify why you want to work for the company so you will find it useful to do some research in order to demonstrate an understanding of what the company does.

If the advert requires that you provide information on your current or expected salary, this should be included at the end of the letter along with information on your availability for employment and interview.  Always read the letter carefully before sending it off to make sure that you have adequately fulfilled the criteria.

Speculative letter

The main body of the speculative letter, i.e. the paragraphs containing information on your specific skills and experiences, can be the same as that of an advert response letter and should, once again, be tailored to the specific company.  It is really the introduction to the letter and the closing statement that will vary as you are asking the company to consider you for a position that they have not advertised.

Ideally, you should still address the letter to a named person; try phoning the company first to find out who you should address speculative approaches to. Your research of the company should help you to ascertain exactly what type of person the company employs so that you can mention how you match these requirements.

Knowing that a company is not actually advertising a role at the moment could mean that your chances of securing employment with them immediately are rather slim. However, you may want to mention in the letter that you would like to be considered for future suitable vacancies.

Top tips

A cover letter is actually a very important document and, therefore, should be carefully prepared.  Always print the letter off first, even if your intention is to email it to the employer, and make sure that there are no formatting, spelling or grammatical errors.  Read through each sentence carefully to make sure that you are happy with the wording and make absolutely certain that you are offering the skills and experience that the company is looking for.