Lots of people panic when they’re asked to send a covering letter with their CV. What goes in it? Which skills and experience should be included? How to avoid repeating what’s in the CV? How long should it be? Follow our tips to writing the perfect covering letter.

A covering letter together with a well-written CV really is your chance to sell yourself  to employers. A good covering letter will show that you’ve done your research, you know what the job involves and that you’ve understood what the employer’s looking for. To create a good first impression, make sure your covering letter:

• is well written
• doesn’t contain any spelling mistakes or bad grammar
• supports what’s in your CV

Covering letters – what you need to know

• Make sure your covering letter is short and to the point.
• Unless a handwritten cover letter has been asked for use a computer as it makes it easier to make any changes or corrections before you send it.
• Highlight your most relevant skills and achievements.
• Make specific reference to the employer – don’t send out identical covering letters with no organisation details.
• Use the right language and tone, and the same font and text size as on your CV.
• Always check for spelling and grammatical errors.
• Address your letter to the person named in the advert, if there is one. If there isn’t, find out the name of the recruiter or the head of the department you want to work for.

Make sure to:

• spell any names correctly and address them with their preferred title, whether it’s Dr, Mr, Mrs, or Ms
  explain why you’re writing
• be clear about what you’re applying for by including the full title of the job, the reference number, and where you saw it advertised
• research the company and the job to find out the main skills the employer is looking for
• give evidence to show that you have the right personal qualities, experience, qualifications, and skills for the role
• include real examples of when you’ve used these skills, and highlight any major achievements, like completing training courses
• present your skills in a way that shows how giving you the job will benefit the organisation
• show how keen you are to get this job and work for this employer. Many employers skim-read covering letters, so the opening paragraph is your opportunity to impress them with how much you know about their work.
• explain why you believe you’re the right person for the company, and what makes you highly motivated to work for them.
• show you’re familiar with their products and services, and recent news about them. You could also explain that you’re enthusiastic about working for them because you share their work values, culture and style.

Identify what’s unique about you

Be positive about who you are and what you have to offer, like your ability to learn quickly, your experience, or your ideas, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Highlight to the employer what special skills, knowledge or expertise you can bring.

Promote your transferable skills

Everyone has skills they can promote. Think about a paid job, voluntary work, work experience or a project at college you’ve been involved in and the job you’re applying for, and try to identify the skills you have for it. For example, working to deadlines, working in a team or individually.

Sign off

Lastly, finish your letter by bringing it all together. You should:

• invite the employer to get more details about you from your attached or enclosed CV
• say you’re looking forward to hearing from them, if you’re replying to an advertised vacancy
• say you’ll wait for their call, or that you’ll contact them in a week or two, if you’re applying on the off-chance of a job
• explain how you’d like to be contacted, for example by phone, email or post, and make sure your contact details are correct on your covering letter and CV

[with thanks to The National Careers Service]