Covering Letters

Always include a covering letter if you are using a CV to apply for a job.

The CV tells the employer what you have done, but not why you believe you are suitable for the job, why you want to work in this area or for this particular organisation. The CV is the product, the covering letter is the marketing.

Applications talks and DVDs | Covering letter guide

Listen to our talks and DVDs on writing CVs and covering letters. You should also make use of our covering letter guide.

Do

• Use one side of white A4 paper.
• If possible, address it to a person by name - just call the organisation and ask, if it's not clear elsewhere.
• Word process your letter unless you are asked to send it handwritten.
• Set out your letter as a formal business letter. If you are not sure how to do this, look at the examples available to download.
• Check for spelling or grammatical errors.
• Use the same font as your CV so that they look consistent.
• Deal with a problem area if you feel that it needs to be raised, for example, a retaken year or a health problem. Try to be brief and positive and don't draw attention to something which is minor. If in doubt come and talk to a Careers Adviser.

Don't

• Waffle. Make the employer want to read your CV.
• Be overly humourous or too informal - you want to be taken seriously.
• Underplay your skills or make negative comments about yourself.

Email applications

If you are sending your CV as an email attachment then you should also attach your covering letter rather than type it into the body of the email message. The format of an email can change drastically depending on the system used by the employer and may not look the same when it arrives or be easy to read.

Finally

Have a look at our examples of a covering letter, available to download on the right hand menu. Once you have a few ideas, use the covering letter guide to draft your own.

Tailor your covering letter to each application and try to highlight skills and experience that are relevant to the employer. Don't just create a standard covering letter or copy from the examples as it will appear rather bland and not do the job of making your application stand out.

Once you have produced a draft of your CV and covering letter, come to the Careers Service and get it checked by one of our members of staff (make sure you bring a paper copy). An appointment can be booked up to one week in advance by calling into the Careers Service at 388 Glossop Road, or phoning 0114 2220910.