A covering letter simply states the most important aspects of your previous experience, explains why you are suitable for the post and draws attention to your most pertinent qualifications and skills contained in your resume. You should never mention things in your covering letter which are not already in your resume. Your resume or your curriculum vitae (CV), is the list of your qualifications, skills, experience and training. If you are applying to a job you normally would send your CV to the employer. When doing so you should always include a covering letter.

Often employers have to sort through hundreds of applications for any given post. It is only those applications which really shine that will even get the applicant through to the interview stage. Many will not even receive a response. Shoddy, scruffy applications with spelling mistakes will be the very first to hit the waste paper basket so make sure you are not one of these. Illegible writing is another mistake which interviewers will not tolerate and will also be quickly discarded.

A good example for a covering letter is one which is printed and signed on good quality paper with correct spelling and which, in a few short paragraphs, draws attention to the applicants most relevant skills, experience and qualifications. Of course the CV or resume should also be neat, well presented and printed out on good quality paper. You should be applying a position to which you are qualified for and if you are not, an explanation of this should be included within your accompanying letter. If for example you are looking for a change in direction in your career then you should present your relevant experience in your CV and mention reasons for your application. Talk about what skills you have learned in other roles which have given you the experience and skills to deal with relevant situations and scenarios in the role to which you are applying.

You should also mention why you specifically want to apply for the position and what you personally can bring to the role; not just in terms of your qualifications but also mention characteristics and traits which make you most suitable.

It is often these small details which set you aside from the others who are applying for the same job. It is this edge which is often needed in the application process, especially in today’s competitive job market.

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