Writing a cover letter for a job application

If you’re writing a cover letter for the first time, writing all this might seem pretty tough. After all, you’re probably not a professional writer. Once you’ve written the last paragraph, you might be thinking - I’m a shoo-in for the job! What else do I need to write? I’ll just wrap up the cover letter and hit that sweet SEND button. But first things first - before you even write anything, you need to learn what the most important requirements for the role are. So, open up the job ad and identify which of the responsibilities are the most critical.

Write

Do not merely duplicate your resume. Cover letters are an opportunity to interpret your resume to show how your experience is relevant to the position. Use the letter to describe a particular experience in depth or to gather all of your experience that demonstrates a single skill into one paragraph.Effective cover letters are written in a professional and personable style. Make sure your writing is polished and respectful, but don’t be afraid to let your voice shrine through.

Think of a cover letter as a marketing tool, one that allows you to market yourself as the ideal candidate using persuasive information, background, and details that may not appear in your resume. The prose of a cover letter (in contrast to the bullet points of a resume) provides the employer with an impression of your personality, encouraging the employer to look at and consider your resume further. In addition to acting as a marketing tool, cover letters also provide a writing sample. Have attention to detail. Scrutinise the job advertisement and ensure the details are exactly mirrored in your resume. For example, if job applications are to be sent to ‘Stephanie Green, HR Manager’, ensure that Stephanie’s name and title are on your cover letter and the spelling is exact. If the job title that you are applying for is ‘Administration Assistant’, ensure that you don’t write ‘Administration Coordinator’. (Source: www.roberthalf.co.nz)