The Filmore CV
Professional CV Writers

Cover Letters And How To Write Them

How you introduce yourself and the strength of your writing skills means the difference between getting an interview, or a trip to the "deleted items" bin.

The cover letter is your potential employer's first introduction to your personality. This is every bit as important as the skills and experience you list on your CV. First impressions count, so your Cover Letter has to make an impact.

To make your Cover Letter stand out, consider the following points:

1. Write and/or email to a named person

Letters addressed "To Whom It May Concern" at best demonstrates that you have little knowledge or interest in the company. Telephone the company, check their website, and find out who specifically is going to read your application or who will make the decision to interview candidates. Make sure you get the right spelling of their name and confirm their title.  Make sure you get the email address that corresponds to that person and make sure that the address is correct.

2.   Use your connections

If you know people who work at a place where you would like to work, get a referral.  Open your Cover Letter with something on the lines of "I am a friend of Jane Smith who works in your ???? Department and I would like to offer you my skills and career experience. I am very interested in joining as (name of role)”.   The person reading the message will be more interested in you since Jane Smith has made a recommendation.  He or she will also be likely to take your application more seriously than usual.  

3.  Don’t waffle

Keep your letter brief and to the point.  Describe your most recent career achievement and how you think it relates to the job you want.  Include new information about yourself, don’t copy and paste from your CV.  Originality counts and you need to create the right impression.

4.  Remember to keep your objective in sight

Refer to the job you want; tell them why you think you would be a welcome and strong addition to their organisation.  The reason for good research on the company pays off as you demonstrate your understanding of how you can help them.

5.  Finishing your Cover Letter

Request the employer to call or email you, instead of writing that you'll follow up with them. You still need to follow up to make sure they have in fact received your Cover Letter and CV, however, eagerness usually makes a good impression.  By following up, you are displaying some more of your communication skills as well as your organisational abilities.

6.  ALWAYS read back over what you've written!

There is nothing worse than not checking what you’ve written to (a) make sure it’s grammatically correct and (b) for spelling and punctuation.  Don’t rely on your spell checker, some incorrectly spelled words are still recognised words.  If you are applying for more than one job, it’s easy to send the wrong Cover Letter and not proof read the Double-check the letter before you send it. When you're applying for multiple jobs, it's easy to send the wrong cover letter, or not proof the company name.  Also make sure you have addressed the letter to the right person.  

And last but not least, don’t forget to enclose/attach your CV, you would be amazed at the number of job applications that arrive without their respective attachments!!