HOW TO WRITE A GOOD COVERING LETTER

Your covering letter is a potential employer’s first impression of you and can be a vital part of your application. A well-written letter entices the employer to read your CV. A poorly constructed letter may doom your CV to the ‘No Need to Read’ pile. The same can be said for a college or scholarship application that includes an introductory letter. Effective covering letters must give a brief, but clear, understanding of your qualifications, skill-set and experience. These will indicate what you can contribute to the organisation. (Your CV will provide any other necessary details.) Make sure you research your prospective employer. This will help you understand the kind of employee they are looking for.

10 tips for writing a good covering letter:

1. Address the letter to a specific person.
2. Always refer to the exact position you are applying for.
3. Refer to how you found the position.
4. Do not rehash your entire CV.
5. Make sure you include your qualifications.
6. Point out those skills which would add value to the organisation.
7. Point out your experience which qualifies you for the position.
8. Do not overuse the word ‘I’.
9. Your covering letter must be no longer than one page.
10. Avoid using emotive words such as ‘wonderful’, ‘great’ or ‘amazing’.

Do not say you’re: hard-working, a team-player, punctual, or you like working with people. These phrases are unnecessary.

Complete the following covering letter by filling in the gaps using some of the following words. You may have to change the words. For example ‘show’ may need to be changed to ‘showing’ or ‘shown’.

show    pursue    hesitate    fluent    deadline    available    include    ask    familiar    good    employ    hire    attach    advertise    apply    request    experience    pressure    happy    accessible    hear

Dear Mr Jones

I am writing to (1)………. for the position of Editorial Assistant which was (2)………. in the latest edition of The Brazil Times.

I am currently (3)……….by a Japanese Market Research company as a research assistant, but am keen to (4)……….a career in publishing, because I enjoy reading and write my own poetry.

As you will notice on the (5)……….CV, I graduated with a Master’s degree in Chinese Literature. At university I gained considerable (6)……….working on the student magazine, so I am (7)……….with editing techniques. I work well under (8)……….and can meet (9)………. . In addition, I speak English and German (10)……….   Please do not (11)……….to contact me if you require further information. I look forward to (12)……….from you.

Yours sincerely

Robert Marsh     

Email your list of words, (numbered 1 – 12) to [email protected] and I will send you the correct answers.