The reason why many people fail to get the job of their dreams might shock you…
It’s very simple actually. Half of this group of individuals submit unsightly cover letters with their CVs, believing that the latter is what truly counts. And the other half? They don’t bother sending in the letter at all.
Career counselors and recruitment managers would agree on the importance of a cover letter in submitting a job application. This letter is the flesh to the bones of your CV. It’s what can make or break you as an intelligent, qualified candidate, and employers are able to tell how fluent you are in communicating and if you actually know what job you’re applying for.
With all these in mind, we’re sure you understand why it’s important to send a nicely written cover letter. These few tips provided by the University of Kent’s Career Counselling unit should help to get you on the road to success:
INTRODUCTION
A. Do some research to find out who exactly receives job applications and address it to him or her with “
Dear….”
B. If you don’t know who to address the letter to in particular:
To whom this may concern…
OR
Dear Sir/Madam
BODY
Paragraph 1:State the job you’re applying for, where you found out about it (e.g. newspaper, Jobberman post, etc) and when you’re available to start work.
Paragraph 2: State why you’re interested in the job and why you want to work at that company.
Paragraph 3: Summarise your strengths and how they would benefit the organisation. You should also relate your skills to the competencies required for that job.
Paragraph 4: Thank the employer and say you look forward to hearing from them soon.
CLOSING
Option 1 (If you wrote
Dear Mr. .. or Mrs….. at the beginning of your letter)
Yours sincerely
OR
Option 2 (If you wrote
Dear Sir/Madam)
Yours faithfully
IMPORTANT RULES TO NOTE BEFORE YOU SUBMIT
- Proofread multiple times for spelling and grammatical errors. Leaving a day or two in between both proofreads is a more effective way of spotting the errors. Get a second set of eyes to help you if you can.
- Make sure your letter’s length is between half to a full A4 page. No recruiter would like anything longer or shorter, trust us.
- If you’re sending your cover letter in an email, insert it in the main body of the email and include your CV as an attachment. Do not forget to include Please find my CV attached in your letter
We wish you all the best!
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This article was first published on 28th July 2015
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Ify Halim is a Writer and media enthusiast based in Lagos. She enjoys writing self-help/inspirational articles with published work in UYD Magazine, Edufrica, Our Stories Inc. and The Keele Concourse. She currently works at ConnectNigeria.com, Nigeria’s Information Portal. Follow her on Twitter @MissHalim or visit her online space at ifyhalim.wordpress.com
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