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Covering letters Guidelines for covering letters

Guidelines for covering letters Only use A4 paper – anything else looks unprofessional Use the form of address stated in the advert, eg Miss/Mrs. If the advert asks you to reply to Susan Jones or Alan Smith, start your letter ‘Dear Susan’ or ‘Dear Alan …’ and address the envelope ‘Susan Jones’ or ‘Alan Smith’. If you don’t know the status of a woman, then you can use ‘Ms’. If the advert asks you to reply to Mrs or Miss Jones, do not address her as Ms. Always type/word process a covering letter unless specifically asked for hand-written Type or write on one side only – business letters never use the reverse of page

Guidelines for covering letters If you must handwrite, then make certain that your writing is legible and in straight lines Beg or borrow some thick, good quality paper. Paper weight should be 90 – 100 gm. Most photocopier paper is too thin at 80 gm. Students’ union shops usually sell good quality paper in small amounts Pick out of the job advertisement any key requirements and give evidence in your letter as to how you have obtained these Mention two or three transferable skills that you have, say why they will benefit the employer and how you developed them Tell the employer what contribution you can make to the team/role/department/ company

Guidelines for covering letters Sound positive – you should aim to get the employer interested enough to want to meet you Keep the letter to one side of A4 only You can repeat information which is in your CV – it serves to emphasize your point but keep it concise Consider cross-referencing your letter to relevant detail in your CV Give some thought to the spacing of your letter – how it looks. Do not leave large areas of white space or squeeze up the last few lines

Guidelines for covering letters Use business-sized envelopes in white or a colour to match your paper The correct way to write an address on an envelope is to start halfway down and one third of the way across Use first-class mail If you do not use a postcode, your letter will need to have the code manually put onto your envelope (a series of tiny dots which is processed in the sorting office by an optical reader) and it is almost certain that the letter will be delayed

Writing Strategy Applying A ttention I nterest D esire A ction approach to covering letter

Some Do’s DO Address it to the correct person If you have contacted that person directly, start with a personal approach – further to our recent telephone conversation Ensure that you use your covering letter as a further opportunity to support your CV

Some Do’s Display background research (remember preparation in Stage 1) Show interest in the position use active lively language Make it as tailored as you can demonstrate your keenness to gain employment Use a professional business layout

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