In most cases, the cover letter is your first contact with potential employers. Use this opportunity to make a strong and convincing impression, otherwise you may not get the attention you want.
Before writing, ask yourself why you are the right person for the job.
- Which of your qualities might be essential for the job?
- What contributions can you make to the company?
In your cover letter, emphasise why you are the ideal candidate for the position.
Structure and Content
- Introduction
Mention where you found out about the job offer and show interest in the position. - Details
Give reasons for your application: Why are you the ideal candidate? What relevant qualifications, experiences do you have? (Important: refer to the requirements given in the job description.) - Conclusion
Demonstrate your interest in the position once more.
Important Tenses
- Present Perfect / Simple Past (for experiences gained)
- Simple Present (for general information)
Note
Even if there are hundreds of experiences that you wish to emphasise on, keep your cover letter short (no longer than 1 page). Employers usually have to read lots of applications and usually cannot afford spending all day reading lengthy cover letters.
When writing a cover letter, keep to following rules:
- Write an interesting cover letter that impresses the employer.
- Emphasise on qualifications and experiences that are relevant for the job. Explain why you are the right person for the job.
- Avoid negative statements (e.g. I have no / very view experiences ...).
Use a nice letterhead for your cover letter. Check your word processor for templates on formal letters.
Structure
- Sender's Address in a Cover Letter
- Date in a Cover Letter
- Recipient's Address in a Cover Letter
- Salutation in a Cover Letter
- Subject Line in a Cover Letter
- Body of a Cover Letter
- Greeting in a Cover Letter
- Enclosure in a Cover Letter