Covering letter help?
Discussion
I am in the process of starting to apply for jobs.
I understand the importance of a good covering letter but am struggling to come up with sometng decent.
Having landed a job straight from university onto a grad scheme I have never actually gone through this process before so don't really know where to begin.
I understand a covering letter should be tailored to a job or company- what do you do If you are applying through agencies and do not know the actual company. It then becomes across as generic.
How long should it be and what should it cover?
Any pointers would really help. I dont want to use examples found in google as I'm sure thousands of people are using these.
The type of job I am looking for is professional but will still be a junior role as it will be my second job out of uni.
Ca
I understand the importance of a good covering letter but am struggling to come up with sometng decent.
Having landed a job straight from university onto a grad scheme I have never actually gone through this process before so don't really know where to begin.
I understand a covering letter should be tailored to a job or company- what do you do If you are applying through agencies and do not know the actual company. It then becomes across as generic.
How long should it be and what should it cover?
Any pointers would really help. I dont want to use examples found in google as I'm sure thousands of people are using these.
The type of job I am looking for is professional but will still be a junior role as it will be my second job out of uni.
Ca
Edited by fizz47 on Sunday 30th October 11:44
Firstly, your CV has to be top notch, outcomes based and in standard format. Assume that your CV is out of date if you're not reviewing it monthly and have not benchmarked it with best out there. Happy to have a quick scan if that would be helpful.
Assuming your CV is the best it can be and can stand on its own, a covering letter, if needed (not all employers or agencies require them) is simply a scene setter and something to whet the appetite of the reader. You're trying to entice them to read your CV and not discard it. It should therefore be concise (one short paragraph max, otherwise it starts looking like your CV), polite, show your key strengths/competencies (with a little humility thrown in) and why you want the role. It's a similar principle to the 'elevator pitch', where you have the time between floors 1 and 2 to tell the CEO, who is stood next to you, why he should hire you. Good luck!
Assuming your CV is the best it can be and can stand on its own, a covering letter, if needed (not all employers or agencies require them) is simply a scene setter and something to whet the appetite of the reader. You're trying to entice them to read your CV and not discard it. It should therefore be concise (one short paragraph max, otherwise it starts looking like your CV), polite, show your key strengths/competencies (with a little humility thrown in) and why you want the role. It's a similar principle to the 'elevator pitch', where you have the time between floors 1 and 2 to tell the CEO, who is stood next to you, why he should hire you. Good luck!
rog007 said:
Firstly, your CV has to be top notch, outcomes based and in standard format. Assume that your CV is out of date if you're not reviewing it monthly and have not benchmarked it with best out there. Happy to have a quick scan if that would be helpful.
Assuming your CV is the best it can be and can stand on its own, a covering letter, if needed (not all employers or agencies require them) is simply a scene setter and something to whet the appetite of the reader. You're trying to entice them to read your CV and not discard it. It should therefore be concise (one short paragraph max, otherwise it starts looking like your CV), polite, show your key strengths/competencies (with a little humility thrown in) and why you want the role. It's a similar principle to the 'elevator pitch', where you have the time between floors 1 and 2 to tell the CEO, who is stood next to you, why he should hire you. Good luck!
Would it be ok if I PM you my CV?Assuming your CV is the best it can be and can stand on its own, a covering letter, if needed (not all employers or agencies require them) is simply a scene setter and something to whet the appetite of the reader. You're trying to entice them to read your CV and not discard it. It should therefore be concise (one short paragraph max, otherwise it starts looking like your CV), polite, show your key strengths/competencies (with a little humility thrown in) and why you want the role. It's a similar principle to the 'elevator pitch', where you have the time between floors 1 and 2 to tell the CEO, who is stood next to you, why he should hire you. Good luck!
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