Tips For Writing A Good Cover Letter

Writing a good cover letter can mean the difference between getting and not getting an interview. Companies usually receive a high volume of CVs for each job vacancy and having a good cover letter can help the candidate stand out from the crowd. These tips should help a candidate form the outline of their cover letter.
How to Begin a Cover Letter
The cover letter should begin with “Dear.” To begin with, try to find out who to address the letter to. This is usually the person who will be conducting the interview. The job description may state who to address applications to, or a clue might be given in the email address that the application needs to be sent to.
Ensure that the cover letter directly corresponds to the specific job and don’t just use the same letter for each different job application. Writing a cover letter that stands out to the individual company shows that an effort has been made rather than just reeling off a non-specific letter, and proves that this is a role the candidate is keen to get instead of one of many applications.
Paragraphs should be kept to a limit of about five lines. The interviewer wants to read clear, concise information rather than wade through pages of rambling text. Use the content of the cover letter as an opportunity to explain why they should choose this person to interview over anybody else. Match the typeface and size to that of the accompanying CV.
Matching the Job Description
The job description should state the qualities that they are looking for in a candidate, and this gives an opportunity to let them know that the candidate meets the criteria. It is best to back up these statements with examples – if they ask for someone who can prioritise their workload, state that this is a skill and use an example to prove this.
Make sure to highlight any achievements or qualifications that are relevant to the position. Even if this is included in the CV it is a good idea to mention the most important parts, as it is the cover letter that will be read first. Instead of simply repeating the CV, draw attention to it “As you will see from my enclosed CV, I have a certificate in.”
Research the Company
Do some research – find out plenty of information about the company and make reference to it in the cover letter. For example, the candidate should point out that they are particularly interested in working for them because of their strong reputation of leaders in their particular field, or because they’ve been awarded for their training schemes for their staff. This shows that the candidate knows what kind of business they are applying for and that they have put the effort in to do some research.
Ending the Cover Letter
The cover letter should be ended by stating when the candidate is available for interview – try to be as flexible as possible. For example, “I am available for interview at a few days notice.”
The letter should be ended with “Yours Sincerely,” and signed off with a full name rather than just a first name. Finally, proof read to make sure that no mistakes have been made. Get someone else to read through it incase they spot anything that might have been missed. If the cover letter is unimpressive, then the chances of the CV being read are minimised.
The above information should help a prospective candidate to form a strong cover letter. There are plenty of books written on the subject of writing effective CVs and cover letters which can offer additional advice. With a good cover letter and CV, it shouldn’t be long before an interview is offered.

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