Crafted a killer CV? Now look carefully at your covering letter.
The Financial Times yesterday set out useful guidelines for writing a good covering letter - advice that we at Lexington Gray have been giving our candidates for some time.
All too often candidates regard a covering letter as a pro forma adjunct to their CV. However, failing to give it proper consideration and attention may result in the CV not even being read.
The covering letter is likely to be the first thing that any prospective employer sees of you. The whole point of the covering letter is to get you to the interview so it is important to stand out from the crowd. A well thought out covering letter can make the difference between being shortlisted and being dropped.
Your letter should target the job that you are applying for and it is very important that you do some research on the company, the role and on how you meet their requirements. Bear in mind that the reader will be asking themselves why they should employ you. Your covering letter should give them the answer to this question. It is a sales letter that is selling your skills and talents and should summarise why you should be interviewed. If possible, you should give examples of projects where you have added value for employers and link your experience to the role being advertised.
Many people find it hard to sell themselves. If you're one of them, a useful tip is to start by writing your letter in the third person and write about your skills and attributes as if you were writing a report for the hiring manager on someone else with exactly your skills and experience. Once you feel that you have presented the best case possible for that person to get the job you can review the letter and edit it to refer to yourself. It is fine to mention your interests and to show a bit of your personality but this should not be the main point of your covering letter.
Never use sample covering letters from the internet or use the same covering letter for all applications. Your letter should sound individually crafted for the role and the company that you are applying for. Clichés are best avoided as they will add little to your application and will not help to differentiate you from the other applicants. After all, isn't everyone a 'team player' with 'lots to offer' and 'a proven track record’?
Ensure that your letter is clear, accurate, well written and with an appropriate tone. Make sure that you check spelling and punctuation carefully. Do not rely on the computer spellchecker. Your covering letter is not only an introduction to your CV but also a demonstration to your prospective employer of your communication skills and your attention to detail.
Keep it short and to the point. It should be no more than one page and with a fair amount of white space. Employers don't devote much time to first-round applications and long letters run the risk of not being read. If anything takes too long to explain, leave it out. Humour is also best avoided - you may get away with humour or clever remarks verbally in an interview when the right tone of voice and body language can give your comment context. However, the printed word is more easily misconstrued and may result in the reader forming the wrong impression with disastrous consequences.
If you are applying online the rules are essentially the same BUT it is important to consider that many companies use sophisticated software to search for key words in covering e-mails. Think carefully about words that are relevant to the job you are applying for and use them more than once.
If you've followed the advice above, you now have a great covering letter to go with your killer CV. All I need to do now is wish you luck with your interview!
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