Advice for writing a cover letter

A well-written cover letter will increase the likelihood of being called back to undertake a job interview. It doesn’t matter if you are a recent graduate or have no prior work experience, a good cover letter is essential to successfully securing employment. This essential step of the job search process allows you to present yourself on a personal level to a potential employer.

The best cover letters are well-structured and touch upon each of the essential sections highlighted in the cover letter structure section. To write these sections well, however, you must take note of the following advice.

Tips to writing a good cover letter

These tips will help you to write a cover letter, whether it’s for a specific job offer or for a speculative application. Moreover, if you are looking for work abroad, you can consult Jobler’s specific countries section to know the special requirements that you should take into account depending on the country in which you are looking for work.

• Research the company as much as possible; what they do, what human resources policies they have, how they organise their work, if they stand out in any particular job sector or if they have been in the news recently for any reason. Use this information to your advantage in the cover letter because it will demonstrate your keen interest in the organisation to which you’re applying.
• Highlight the most important part of your CV, making sure it is related to the job position. Remember, the cover letter has a limited length, you don’t want to waste space with irrelevant information.
• The language of the cover letter should be direct, clear and concise. You can use your own person jargon but be careful. You do not know the person who you are sending the cover letter to so you should use a formal tone.
• Do not make spelling mistakes. Many candidates are automatically rejected due to a badly written cover letter or through spelling mistakes. Check your cover letter as many times as is necessary and make sure there are no errors!
• Be creative and original. Imagine how many candidates potential employers have to review for every job application process. Try to stand out from the first paragraph. If your letter is too similar to the rest of candidates you will not stand out.
• Present yourself as someone who can offer unique services to the company. Try not to seem desperate even though you may be. One must give the image of a professional in every sense.
• Do no forget to sign the cover letter with your full name.
• When it comes to sending it over the internet, always send the cover letter in PDF format. Not all computers have the same versions of Microsoft Word, Pages or Open Office.
• Regarding the style of the cover letter, it is better to be formal than informal. The difference is mainly in the form in which you address the reader. An informal cover letter provides a feeling of closeness, but is not regarded highly by employers. To know the style that you should use, you must research the company, it’s culture, and it’s human resources policies.

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