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Please DonateCover Letter Tips
Why Do I Need a Cover Letter?
A cover letter allows you to introduce yourself and inform the employer why you’re applying for the job.
A CV is vital in demonstrating your skills and experience which allows an employer decide how compatible you are for the role but a covering letter is important because it gives you the opportunity to distinguish yourself from other applicants.
Our supported employment team can help you overcome any barriers you may have experienced in getting back into work, but why not take a look at our top cover letter writing tips to get you started and inspire you to make a start on that application, our employment team can support you with the rest!
Covering Letter Writing Tips
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- Personalise it to the business and job you’re applying for, tell them why you want to work for THEM, what achievements has the organisation made in last year or so that particularly inspired you to apply? Showing that you’ve researched the company reassures the hiring manager that you have a genuine interest and this will make you a lot more employable. If you know the name of the person recruiting for the position, address the letter to them rather than “Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Recruiter…”
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- Tell them what makes you different. Highlight your skills and talents to make it clear why you would be a good person to have on the team. Include any volunteering experience you may have or recent courses you’ve attended that you think the employer would be interested in, don’t worry if you don’t have either of these, our employment specialists can match you to a voluntary or work experience placement to boost your CV, you can get in touch with them at the bottom of this page.
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- Don’t include anything that puts you in a negative light, whilst it is key to be open and honest with your potential employers, they don’t need to know about any fall outs with colleagues at work or pending legal suits, they may fear a repeat performance if they decide to offer you the job.
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- Don’t just repeat your CV, a covering letter is to highlight the best parts of your experience and skills so that employers will go on to review your CV.
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- Give the employer a clear next step to take, tell them when you’re available for interview and the best times to contact you if they have any questions about your application.
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- Don’t forget to make reference to your CV and include it in your application.
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- Always check your spelling and grammar, ask a friend or one of our job mentors/specialists to look at your covering letter so you can be sure that your covering letter is the best it can be.
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- Don’t use any jargon or slang, if you’re applying for a role in an industry that’s new to you then recruiters won’t understand what you’re talking about and they won’t have time to ask about every abbreviation they find in all the applications they receive. For example, if you’re a Digital Marketer don’t use terms like “PPC”, explain what is it (pay per click) and why it’s relevant to the job role.
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- Address the gaps in your CV, employers will query any unexplained gaps, so be prepared to answer these questions ahead of time in your covering letter.
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- Take a look at our free Cover Letter template to get you started, or bring it with you when you meet with a Landau job coach or specialist and they can talk you through it and help make you shine to employers.
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- Need a CV and some advice on putting your best foot forward with employers? Have a look at our CV Writing Advice
Need to talk to a person?
Don’t worry our expert team of employment specialists are waiting to help you, they understand that you may have never had to write a covering letter or CV before, they help dozens of people just like you every day get into work.
Take the first step and get in touch today.
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