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THE COVER LETTER
Cover letters are important as they provide a potential employer with an insight into you as a potential employee and your motivation for a specific role.
The cover letter is an essential part of your application and is seen by many employers as being as important as a CV or Application Form. It is a means by which you are able to introduce yourself and generate interest in the skills and experience you have to offer.
A cover letter should:
· Be approximately one page in length.
· Be addressed to the appropriate person.
· Be written with a positive, “can do” attitude.
· Clearly state how you fit the job.
· Conclude with a positive, enthusiastic close.
· Be carefully checked for errors in grammar, spelling and typing.
· Be typed and well presented on plain A4 paper.
A cover letter can often provide greater insight into your reasons for applying for the position than the resume alone.
What to Include
Application letters introduce you and your CV to a recruitment consultant or potential employer. Such a letter should contain three distinct parts:
· Introduction: Why you are writing?
· Statement: What you have to offer?
· Conclusion: When is it going to happen?
Why You Are Writing?
The first section should clearly state the reasons why you are making contact.
Adverts
If responding to an advert, it is crucial to state the source (newspaper name, Internet or other); the date it was advertised, and job and reference number, if provided.
Examples of the first paragraph in a letter of application are:
'In response to our recent conversation, I would like to express my interest in the position of Structural Architect that was advertised on your Internet site on 13 May 2007.'
The purpose of this first paragraph is to clearly put you in the running for the job you have applied for. Busy recruiters handle a number of positions with similar titles at the same time, and advertise these on similar dates. The first paragraph should put you in with a fighting chance of the job by at least getting your application into the right pile.
Before responding to advertisements, you should, if appropriate, contact the owners of the job or the recruiters managing the recruitment assignment. Written advertisements give you a clear indication of whether you should be making personal contact or whether the employers or recruitment firm would initially prefer an email or hard copy of the application.
Personal Contacts
If you are writing to an individual, you should indicate the source of where or who you got their name from and you need to indicate the help, advice or information you are seeking from them:
'Your name was given to me by Fred Smith as somebody who may be able to help me find information about Far East and Chinese import/export markets.'
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What You Have To Offer
The second section of your letter should clarify what you have to offer and why you are the appropriate person for this particular job.
Advert
When preparing to write the second section, you should read the advertisement carefully and identify the selection criteria for the role. You should also be guided by conversations that you have had with recruitment consultants or company recruiters so that you clearly understand what skills they think are important to the role. They often give you extra clues that are not in the advertised media.
How you express this section is up to you. For example, you might be more comfortable with a succinct approach:
'I believe I am ideally suited to this role because I have over 15 years experience in sales, have the suitable qualifications and have managed accounts in excess of Kshs. X etc.'
Or you may prefer a bullet-point format, for example:
'I believe I am ideally suited to this role because:
· I have 15 years experience in sales
· I have suitable qualifications in sales and marketing
· I have managed accounts well in excess of Kshs.X'
Personal Contacts
The second section of a personal or networking contact should relate to the skills, experience or aspirations that relate to the information you require:
'Enclosed is my CV from which you can see that I have gained a lot of experience providing import/export services to China. Fred Smith told me that your company specialises in providing services to South American countries, and I was wondering if you have ever thought of expanding into the Far East/Chinese markets?'
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When Is It Going To Happen
When concluding your letter, express your interest in the job and provide any particular contact details that you feel are important, for example:
'I look forward to discussing this application with you in the near future. I can be contacted on XXX (mobile number).'
Another example might be:
'I would welcome the opportunity of discussing this application with you in greater detail in the near future, and will be available for interview at a mutually convenient time.'
If the role you are applying for requires you to be proactive and chase things up, another conclusion to your letter could be:
'I will call you next week to confirm you have received my details and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about my suitability for the role.'
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