Producing a cover letter for job applications

What is the purpose of a cover letter?

Whilst your CV offers a brief professional summary of your skills, experience and achievements, and is commonly used by recruiters to initially assess your suitability for a role, a cover letter has a slightly different focus and purpose.

The aim of a cover letter is to persuade an employer to consider your application, including your CV, so it is essential you make an impact with your content. Your letter will need to highlight why you are interested in the specific role, whilst also expressing why you are suitable for the position based on both the role description and person specification.

Do I need to include a cover letter for job applications?

Before spending precious time during your job search on developing a cover letter, double-check whether or not it is required by a prospective employer.

Consider the scenarios below:

• If the recruiter/employer has clearly indicated they want a cover letter to accompany your CV, then make sure you invest the time in producing tailored content based on the requirements of the position and the organisation.
• If the recruiter has indicated that a cover letter is optional – for example, if through an online application portal, there is the opportunity to upload a cover letter – this offers a further chance to share and showcase your achievements, skills, knowledge and experience. In this instance, ensure you provide a letter as supporting information.
• If there is no option to upload an attachment and/or the recruiter has not been explicit about providing a cover letter as part of the application process then avoid spending your valuable time on putting one together.

If in doubt, then reach out to the recruiter to clarify the application process and whether or not a cover letter is required.

Producing a convincing cover letter

To ensure you give yourself the best possible chance of getting through to the next stage of recruitment you need to produce a convincing cover letter that is targeted towards the employer and the job role, discussing how you will fit with the organisation. Access our step-by-step guide to producing a cover letter for further ideas about how to get started.

It is important to avoid simply repeating what is on your CV, but instead use this opportunity to highlight relevant information, with the opportunity to add detail and make a clear connection back to the role you are applying to.

Be confident in expressing to the employer how their organisation will benefit from employing you, clearly showcasing your knowledge and understanding of the information provided about the role, and the research you have carried out about the employer.

Stylistically, a cover letter should be no more than one side of A4, have clearly themed paragraphs that follow a logical structure and, wherever possible, should be addressed to a named individual. Find out more about how to write a flawless cover letter through our dedicated guide.

Further tips for writing a cover letter

With recruiters receiving multiple applications for each position, you will need to ensure your content makes a lasting impression for all of the right reasons.

Consider our tips to help you produce a successful application:

• Confidently identify your USPs – by highlighting what makes you different to other candidates you have more chance of standing out, and by discussing how these relate to the skills and experience requested in the person specification you are more likely to convince the reader of your suitability for the role.
• Variety is key – whilst it might be tempting to solely focus on your degree or on that summer internship you completed, it will be valuable to draw on different aspects of your education and experience to highlight to the recruiter the diversity of your background. Consider this when looking to theme your paragraphs.
• Back up your claims – the opportunity presented by a cover letter is to evidence both your interest in the role and organisation, as well as demonstrate your suitability alongside the information included as part of your CV. Make sure you include specific examples of how and when you have demonstrated your skills and abilities. This might include drawing on specific projects, tasks and/or initiatives you have worked on.
• Make sure it’s balanced – whilst it will be important to discuss your interest in the specific role, you will also want to indicate why you want to work with the specific employer. Consider the following:
  • What about their work culture appeals to you?
  • How do your values align with theirs and where have you demonstrated your commitment to these through your experience or personal life?
  • What development opportunities do they offer that align with your own career aspirations?
• Keep it formal – whilst it can be tempting when discussing personal experience to become more “chatty” with your tone, it is essential that you use professional and appropriate language throughout. Also consider the style and vocabulary used by the employer when advertising the role, in addition to reviewing their website to get a sense of what their expectations might be. This will help you work towards producing a letter that is in line with their approach.
• Keep a copy to hand – saving a copy of each tailored cover letter will be important, so that you can refer back to it in preparation for further stages of the recruitment process, including interviews.
• Consider your format – the presentation of your application, including your cover letter, needs to impress, as well as being accessible. Ensure you follow conventional letter formatting and that the document is as uncluttered as possible, using the same font as your CV.
• Check your content. Then check it again – make sure you allow yourself plenty of time ahead of the deadline to check your content for clarity, spelling and grammar. Attention to detail will be key and the quality of the letter you produce will be a good indicator to the employer of the standard of work you can provide in the future. When reviewing our own content we can often overlook the finer details, so make sure you call on friends or a family member to cast a second pair of eyes over your draft.

Overall, when producing a cover letter for job applications it is essential to keep in mind its purpose as part of the recruitment process. This will enable you to shape a convincing application, which clearly highlights both your motivation to secure the role and to work with the company, as well as reinforcing your suitability for the position.

How To Write A Flawless Cover Letter

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