The importance of a great cover letter

Opinions are mixed as to how important a cover letter is when it comes to your job application.

I place a lot of emphasis on cover letters and use them to help me decide if I'll take your application further.

Your cover letter is an introduction to who you are and what skills you have to offer me.

Would you walk into my office and hand me your CV without saying hello, introducing yourself and explaining why you were there?  The same rules apply to sending me your CV.  I really dislike receiving emails with nothing more than a CV attachment.  I think it is rude and impersonal.

Particularly for any roles that revolve around communication (e.g. customer service, sales, marketing), this is your opportunity to show off your skills and it's also giving me an insight into your communication standards.

Your cover letter doesn't have to be long, but there are some key things I'm looking for:

1.  It should be warm, friendly and professional

2.  It should be easy to read with no spelling or grammatical errors (for more on this click here)

3.  It should be completely personalised for my company and the role I'm recruiting for

4.  It should explain why you want to work for my company and what skills you think you have to offer (if possible match these to what has been asked for in the job ad)

5.  Don't list your entire work history in your cover letter (I have your CV to look at!), but perhaps mention one or two jobs that you feel are relevant to the skills and experience I'm looking for

6.  It should either be addressed to me (if I have given my name in the job ad), or "To Whom it May Concern".  One thing that really frustrates me is receiving letters addressed to "Dear Sir" and it happens more than you'd think.  Never assume the gender of the recruiter (but that's a whole different blog post!)

7.  Don't assume that I'm going to want to interview you.  I really dislike sentences like "please contact me to set up a suitable time for an interview".  However, something along the lines of "If you would like to speak with me further about my application, please do not hesitate to contact me on [phone number]" is much more appealing to me

8.  Ensure your contact details are correctly listed!

As a final note, I totally understand that you may be applying for multiple roles at the same time. There is nothing wrong with using the same base template for your cover letter.  However, I don't want to read a generic sounding cover letter.  Make me feel like you've taken some time and effort to apply for my role and make sure you double check your letter before you send it to me.  I have received cover letters addressed to me, but applying for a role I've never heard of before.  Again that attention to detail is really important!  It may seem minor, but it will make me question your level of care if I were to hire you for my role.

Hope this helps!
Shannon :)

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If you have any specific questions regarding recruitment, applications, interviews or any other topics that you'd like me to write about, please feel free to let me know