Candidates

Cover Letter Tips

Do not underestimate the importance of a cover letter! Their purpose is to encourage the employer to read your CV and they can make a huge difference. Some employers may not even make it past the cover letter if they are dealing with a large number of applicants!

Cover letters should ideally be specifically tailored to the job which you are applying for. However this can be hugely time consuming, especially if you are applying for numerous jobs. If this is the case and you are unable to write a new cover letter each time then it is important to make sure that the cover letter is at least tailored to suit the industry.

State the title of the job and the reference number if there is one. The letter should begin 'Dear Sir or Madam' if you do not know the name of the person you are addressing, or 'Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms' followed by their surname if their name has been made available.

You should then use your skills, personal attributes and previous experience to explain why you are the right candidate for the job. You may well end up repeating information from your CV but this does not matter. If you capture your potential employer's attention they can read on and gain more detailed knowledge of you as a candidate in order to make their decision on whether or not to contact you for interview!

Click here for our guide to writing your CV.

To download our CV template, click here (MS Word document).

Click here for our interview tips.