Free Advice on Covering Letters

Keep it brief

A covering letter should not be complicated. In fact the shorter your covering letter is the better it will be. It is certainly not necessary to go into details and repeat information which is included in your CV.

Purpose of a covering letter

The purpose of a covering letter is to deliver your CV. When considering applications the prospective employer will have only a very limited time to consider each one. You will have done all you can to acquire an excellent CV so don’t waste your opportunity by repeating all the information in the covering letter.

Presentation

There is nothing wrong with a neatly handwritten letter, but this will depend upon the type of job you are applying for. It may be that you would like to demonstrate that you have neat handwriting. This can be a considerable asset in some jobs. On the other hand, if the job has to do with computers, then a Word-processed document would probably be better.

How to address the letter

Be careful that you address the letter exactly as it appears in the advertisement. Although many of the conventions in letter writing are now considered to be old fashioned, you should be careful that you demonstrate good manners. For example, do not address somebody that you don’t know by their first name, unless you have been invited to do so.

Layout

Put your contact details on the top right hand corner, or across the centre of the page. Below this you should put the address of the person you have been instructed to contact with ‘For the attention of ….’ if appropriate. The heading of the letter should be the job description and details of where you saw it advertised. At the end of the covering letter it is better to put ‘yours sincerely’ followed by your own name.

What to say

This will vary from one case to another, but remember it is not necessary to repeat the information in your CV. Beware of making your covering letter look as though it is a duplicated letter which has been sent for a number of jobs. Include anything which is relevant to this particular job application and which is not included in your CV. It is also a good idea to put in something which describes why you are particularly attracted to the job on offer.

Finally

Read the letter through very carefully. Check for spelling mistakes, or ask somebody else to do so if you are unsure and don’t forget to enclose your CV. A stamped addressed envelope for the benefit of their reply may also be a good idea.

Covering letter Writing Service

We provide a covering letter writing service as an add-on add-on to our professional CV Writing service. This is priced at £15.00 and is available by special request. Please contact us for more information.

Our Services

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