The Perfect CV Covering Letter

Jobseekers are inundated with CV advice, but how do you create winning CV covering letters that boost your application and help secure an interview? Jobsite finds out.

There are hundreds of books and websites dedicated to CV advice, but very few offer more than a couple of paragraphs about writing exceptional CV covering letters. So how do you create a letter that stands out from the pile and helps win the all-important job interview?

According to recruiters offering CV advice, covering letters are still a key part of any employee’s application, and should not be left out even as we enter an increasingly informal age where many jobs are applied for by email. A CV covering letter is the first chance you have to impress – make sure that you take it.

Not only are covering letters considered essential by many employers, even if their job adverts don’t explicitly request one, they are also your chance to demonstrate your professionalism, ability to think originally and write succinctly. Unless the job advert specifically gives advice not to send a covering letter, you should include one no matter what format you send your application: post, online or fax.

However, a weak covering letter may hinder an application, so what are the key ingredients for success? A perfect CV covering letter should contain a heading and a first sentence that demonstrates to the employer that you have the skills and experience to do the advertised role. Avoid the use of clichés which are overused and sound insincere such as, ‘my last job empowered me…’. Equally, avoid exaggeration – you will need to support your claims at interview. Keep your CV covering letter to one side of A4 paper and make it easy for the reader to get in touch with you by providing clear contact details. Make sure you tell the employer what qualifies you for the job advertised and give concrete evidence. For example, ‘I increased sales by 14%’, rather than unsubstantiated value judgements such as, ‘I am a self-motivated sales executive’. This is good CV advice too: always back up your claims with evidence.

UK employers who offer covering letter advice tell us they like a professional approach – even those who recruit for creative industries. This means a single A4 covering letter on white paper, with the candidate’s address in the top right-hand corner, the date written out in full beneath that address with a line-space in between and the employer’s company and address written below this – set to the left. Don’t use coloured paper or lots of different fonts, both of which have been cited by employers as being immediately off-putting.

Find out as much in advance about the company and your recruiter, and tailor your CV covering letter to their preferences. The ideal starting point for writing a CV covering letter is to make sure you understand what your potential employer is looking for and tailor your response accordingly. Make sure your covering letter refers to the job in question, industry and company you’ll be working for, and explains why you’re suited to all three.

It sounds obvious, but it’s also vital to address your CV covering letter to the right person. Writing ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ shows you haven’t bothered to find out who you’re writing to. If the job advert doesn’t state who this is, ring the company and find out. Also, a common CV covering letter error is for applicants to write the wrong name for the recruiter, as they’ve applied en-masse to several different job adverts and left the name of a previous recruiter on the document.

Broadly speaking, a CV covering letter that wins interviews is one that’s had enough time spent on it to do it right. Employers like it when they feel you’ve taken time to write an original letter just for them.

Spending enough time on your covering letter also means thorough error checking. You should be spending at least half an hour, to an hour compiling, a good covering letter, with another ten or twenty minutes error checking. The latter is particularly important, as recruiters have told us even the smallest error makes an entire application immediately unappealing.

However, taking time doesn’t mean writing reams of text. It’s about quality, not quantity. Employers tell us time and time again that applicants should keep covering letters as short as possible – ideally two or three paragraphs. Not only will it please an employer who has to sift through piles of lengthier covering letters, it will also demonstrate your ability to prioritise and write succinctly.