57.1% of professionals rank a CV cover letter as a vital part of the job application process so this is why you need to submit a CV cover letter.

I know you will have spent a long time carefully refining your CV so now you can extract relevant key information about your skills and experience which relate to the role for which you are applying.  The CV cover letter is a snap shot of your CV and if carefully written, it will make recruiters want to know more about you.  That said, just like your CV needs tailoring to each role you apply for, so must the cover letter be tailored.

If you are uncertain how to go about writing a CV cover letter, following is a toolkit to take you through the process and how to tailor it for each job.

Research first

The chances are you will already have carried out your research about the hiring company to confirm your skills and experience meet the job criteria and that the business culture and ethos is aligned to the style you perform well in.  The likelihood is you will also have considered their competitors, their place in the market and looked at their social media pages and sites such as Glassdoor or LinkedIn for comments, endorsements, criticisms.  Trying to establish a company’s future goals and objectives is not always easy unless a recruitment specialist is handling the process on your behalf in which case they should have done their due diligence and determined this for their candidates – if they have not, then you should ask them to because it should affect your decision making process.  Finally you want to establish who to submit your CV and cover letter to and more importantly, who will actually read these documents?  Human Resources, the line manager, the company owner or director, the recruiter?  Tailoring your letter accordingly shows you have taken the time and by taking the time means you care.

Simple Format

By following the a simple format you can tailor your letter to every role you apply ensuring it’s relevant to the company and job in question.  The cover letter should say:

• Why the position is of interest to you
• Explain your appropriate key skills and experience relevant to the role
• Why your skills and experience will benefit the company
• Ask for an interview

How to construct your cover letter

Most letters are sent electronically rather than as hard copies these days however the layout should remain in traditional cover letter format as though you were posting it.  Point to note however, do ensure your email address is a sensible one including your name, avoid anything stupid like partygirl@outlook.com  or studmuffin@hotmail.com you will not be taken seriously.

The layout of your letter should look like this:

[Your address Line 1]

[Address Line 2]

[Address Line 3]

[Phone Number] and [email address]

[Name of person you are addressing the letter to]

[Name of company]

[Company address line 1]

[Company address line 2]

[Date]

Dear [Name] (Avoid using just the person’s Christian name, use their surname.  If this is not provided then look up the website for personnel information or try calling the company to obtain their full name – it is better etiquette and more formal).

First paragraph

This should be brief and comprise only of 3 things – why you are sending the letter, include the name of the position you are applying to and how you heard about the role; e.g. “I am writing in application of [job title] following your advert on [include job site] and I enclose my CV for your consideration’.

Second paragraph

This includes your relevant key skills and experience which relate to the role you are applying for and this is where you can expand more on your CV providing further information on specific achievements and why these can benefit the hiring company.  Utilise the job description to reflect the hiring company’s requirements against your skills and experience. 

Third paragraph

Time to shine and demonstrate your knowledge of the company and its business sector, revealing why you would love to work for them and saying how you can help add value to the business and how your core values are aligned to theirs.

Fourth paragraph

Call to action – say you look forward to hearing from them in due course and confirm you would love an opportunity to meet with them for interview so you can further demonstrate your capabilities.  Thank them for making the time to read your letter and CV then finish with Yours sincerely if you have addressed the letter to them in person, or Yours faithfully if you have had to use Dear Sir or Madam and provide your first and second name.  If you want to call the company to follow your application up then give a day and approximate time so they know your intentions.

Sending your application via online

Your cover letter won’t need changing in its format but you will need to save it as a .PDF file extension.  This way your formatting will be saved and secure and nobody can tamper with it.  Avoid using Windows.docx or Mac .pages file extensions as not all computers can read or download these and you don’t want all your time and hard work to not get through the ether.  Stick to .PDF and you won’t go wrong.

If applying via email you may need to amend the cover letter slightly so in the subject bar of the email you may need to include the job title and a job reference number (if there is one) e.g. Application for [job title] [job ref number] [your name].

Next, take out the part of your letter showing date, addresses and signature – unless you have signed and scanned your cover letter. 

If you are applying via a job board you may need to edit your cover letter as you might be limited to a certain number of words in the application box.  You could therefore say:

Dear [insert name] (try to avoid ‘hi’ it’s a bit too informal at first instance).

I would like to apply for the vacancy you have advertised for the role of [job title].

Your opportunity is of great interest to me as I am currently working for [insert your employer name] as [insert your job title] and I am responsible for [insert your relevant skills which relate to the job you are applying].  I am keen to progress my career and take on more challenges in a new business environment and I am confident my experience and knowledge of your sector meet your requirements.

I am available for interview at [insert your availability] and I look forward to hearing from you very soon.

Thank you for considering my application.

Kind regards

Your name

Your mobile and or home phone numbers

Your email address

How long should a cover letter be?

Approximately half a page to a full page of A4 sized paper (or on screen, one page) – less is more – keep it relevant and on point, do not waffle.  Do not regurgitate your entire CV.  Recruiters and hiring managers are very busy people with hundreds of applications to review every day.  Anything more than 1 page will probably not get read.

How to make a speculative approach without a specific job advert

If you are using your initiative and applying to a company without knowing if they are currently hiring and there is no job description for you to respond to, you will need to approach your cover letter differently.  You will still need to use the same format as the original cover letter but unless you have a known email address it will be hard for you to send the letter electronically as often companies will not give out email addresses over the phone but there might be one on their company website so it’s worth checking.  You could also try reaching out to the relevant person on LinkedIn – so check out the company’s LinkedIn page.  Regardless, you will need a name of the best person to send your letter to so that means calling the company up and asking who you can submit your CV to.

In your first paragraph explain why you are approaching the company out of the blue, maybe a friend has recommended them as an excellent employer in which case provide your friend’s name in the cover letter and state the type of work you are looking for.

The second paragraph should highlight your key skills and experience – give a few specific examples of your achievements and successes – hiring companies and recruiters don’t just want to read a job description, they want to know where you have been successful in your current business and what you can potentially bring to their organisation.  This will require you to research the company to show you understand their market.

Finally, repeat your keen interest in their company and say you believe your skills and experience could be a great fit for their organisation.  End the letter with thanking them for making time to consider your application then put in a call to action – say you look forward to hearing from them in the near future and confirm that you are happy for them to retain your details in the event of future opportunities arising. 

Each letter you send needs to be specific to the company and person to whom you are writing.  Never regurgitate the same letter twice and double check for any grammatical, language or typo errors before you submit it.  Do not forget to include your name, mobile and or landline numbers, email address and home address.

If you stick to these points you won’t go wrong but the letter has to be personable and relatable to you.