The covering letter that you diligently send to a prospective employer to search out your student job or graduate job with your CV is arguably just as important as the CV itself. It's a perfect opportunity for you to expand upon the skills and experiences that are highlighted in your CV whilst also letting you to show a bit of your personality. There are two main types of cover letter which can be used to accompany CVs - Advert Response and Speculative - and we will run through both in full.
More often than not, when applying for a student or graduate job, covering letters should be no longer than one page, unless you have been given clear recommendations to the contrary. It is important that they be written concisely and articulately. Don't be in a hurry over them; do not rush. It is also vital to check that there are no spelling or grammatical errors as this is very possibly the employer's first impression of you. Be sure that it is a positive one. Presentation is clearly of the utmost important and, again unless specified, letters should always be typed and laser-printed onto high quality paper.
Advert Response: It is advisable to guarantee that you do match any imperative criteria specified in the job advert before you send in your application. For example, if a job advert specifies that the applicant must have ten years experience in marketing, and you have only two years experience, there is doubtless very little point in your applying for the student or graduate job. However, there are some circumstances in which some degree of flexibility may apply. An example of this could be if the job requires an "excellent working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite" and, although you have no practical understanding it its application, you have recently completed the CLAIT qualification so do have a good theoretical knowledge.
The first part should be quite brief and simply detail in which you saw the advert and on what date. In the main body of the letter you should then go on to highlight your skills and experience more fully. If certain criteria are mentioned in the advert, you should ideally try to explain exactly how you match these - with brief but relevant examples that make obvious your suitability. Also, say why you want to work for that organisation in particular, referring to any research that you have carried out on the company to emphasise that you understand them and their line of business.
The final paragraph should really conclude with any other information solicited in the advert such as salary and availability for interview. And before you send it off, do read through the advert once more to ensure that you have fully satisfied their criteria, keeping an understanding of the specified deadline.
Speculative: The main content of a speculative letter follows very similar lines to the advert response type, but make sure once again to tailor the letter towards the organisation in question. The way you open and close the letter will of course also need to be different.
Even if you are not replying to an advertisement, you must try to address the letter to a specific person rather than just revealing "Dear Sir/Madam". You may well need to contact the organisation by phone in advance to find out the name of an relevant contact but it has been shown that letters addressed to a specific person do get better results. Once again, conduct some basic research into the company so that you can highlight the particular skills and competencies you have which are of relevance to the company.
More often than not, when applying for a student or graduate job, covering letters should be no longer than one page, unless you have been given clear recommendations to the contrary. It is important that they be written concisely and articulately. Don't be in a hurry over them; do not rush. It is also vital to check that there are no spelling or grammatical errors as this is very possibly the employer's first impression of you. Be sure that it is a positive one. Presentation is clearly of the utmost important and, again unless specified, letters should always be typed and laser-printed onto high quality paper.
Advert Response: It is advisable to guarantee that you do match any imperative criteria specified in the job advert before you send in your application. For example, if a job advert specifies that the applicant must have ten years experience in marketing, and you have only two years experience, there is doubtless very little point in your applying for the student or graduate job. However, there are some circumstances in which some degree of flexibility may apply. An example of this could be if the job requires an "excellent working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite" and, although you have no practical understanding it its application, you have recently completed the CLAIT qualification so do have a good theoretical knowledge.
The first part should be quite brief and simply detail in which you saw the advert and on what date. In the main body of the letter you should then go on to highlight your skills and experience more fully. If certain criteria are mentioned in the advert, you should ideally try to explain exactly how you match these - with brief but relevant examples that make obvious your suitability. Also, say why you want to work for that organisation in particular, referring to any research that you have carried out on the company to emphasise that you understand them and their line of business.
The final paragraph should really conclude with any other information solicited in the advert such as salary and availability for interview. And before you send it off, do read through the advert once more to ensure that you have fully satisfied their criteria, keeping an understanding of the specified deadline.
Speculative: The main content of a speculative letter follows very similar lines to the advert response type, but make sure once again to tailor the letter towards the organisation in question. The way you open and close the letter will of course also need to be different.
Even if you are not replying to an advertisement, you must try to address the letter to a specific person rather than just revealing "Dear Sir/Madam". You may well need to contact the organisation by phone in advance to find out the name of an relevant contact but it has been shown that letters addressed to a specific person do get better results. Once again, conduct some basic research into the company so that you can highlight the particular skills and competencies you have which are of relevance to the company.
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