What to Write in Your Cover Letter
Do your research
What content do you need?
How to structure your cover letter
Top tips to help you stand out from the crowd
Research:
Take your time with your research, this is the key to the lock on how you structure your cover letter. Think about what the company does, their ethics and skills they desire. Break down the Job Descriptions and Person Specification to give you a guide on making your cover letter relevant. Then you can clearly identify how your skills and abilities match what the employer is looking for.
Top tip! Research is good preparation for a possible interview, so we recommend jotting down some notes so you can recap on these later. It will also help you think about how your personality will fit in and get a feel of the working environment.
Content & structure:
Introduction- This is the first impression of you, so try and make it concise and professional. We would say to introduce yourself and why you are writing, it makes it personable and sets you apart from other candidates. You could mention where you saw the job advertisement, this gives feedback on what advertisements for the job are working best for the employer.
Why you applied for this job- Here is the perfect opportunity to tailor the letter to the company. Explain your interest and why you would like to work for them, (it’s important your cover letter doesn’t look like you have sent out the same copy to numerous other job applications). Look back at your research, what unique points does the company have? Don’t repeat what is said but change the wording so it demonstrates an understanding of them. This could be the paragraph which wins you an interview, so word carefully!
Why you- A cover letter is a great way to go beyond the CV and show you are the most suitable candidate for the job. Take the opportunity here to sell yourself, explain why you’re well suited to the position. think about your relevant skills, experiences and knowledge, how do they match the job description? Focus on accomplishments and transferable skills relevant to the role and duties. Remember that the person reading your cover letter doesn’t know you, so you will need to go into detail to become creditable.
Top tip! Back up what you can do with examples such as ‘I have a passion for helping others, which is demonstrated by my charity work’
Conclusion- We would recommend keeping the conclusion short but sweet. Show your desire for the role one more time and end it with something formal and professional such as ‘looking forward to hearing from you’.
Top tips!
If you know who to address don’t be afraid to say their name rather than sir/madam
Double check your grammar
Make sure it flows, use short sentences and paragraph your cover letter into sections.
Don’t use ‘I’ too much, yes, it’s about you but you can use other conjunctions such as ‘Me, Myself’
Evidence your work, show enthusiasm and interested.
All the best for your interview from the team at Lighthouse Personnel Ltd!
What content do you need?
How to structure your cover letter
Top tips to help you stand out from the crowd
Research:
Take your time with your research, this is the key to the lock on how you structure your cover letter. Think about what the company does, their ethics and skills they desire. Break down the Job Descriptions and Person Specification to give you a guide on making your cover letter relevant. Then you can clearly identify how your skills and abilities match what the employer is looking for.
Top tip! Research is good preparation for a possible interview, so we recommend jotting down some notes so you can recap on these later. It will also help you think about how your personality will fit in and get a feel of the working environment.
Content & structure:
Introduction- This is the first impression of you, so try and make it concise and professional. We would say to introduce yourself and why you are writing, it makes it personable and sets you apart from other candidates. You could mention where you saw the job advertisement, this gives feedback on what advertisements for the job are working best for the employer.
Why you applied for this job- Here is the perfect opportunity to tailor the letter to the company. Explain your interest and why you would like to work for them, (it’s important your cover letter doesn’t look like you have sent out the same copy to numerous other job applications). Look back at your research, what unique points does the company have? Don’t repeat what is said but change the wording so it demonstrates an understanding of them. This could be the paragraph which wins you an interview, so word carefully!
Why you- A cover letter is a great way to go beyond the CV and show you are the most suitable candidate for the job. Take the opportunity here to sell yourself, explain why you’re well suited to the position. think about your relevant skills, experiences and knowledge, how do they match the job description? Focus on accomplishments and transferable skills relevant to the role and duties. Remember that the person reading your cover letter doesn’t know you, so you will need to go into detail to become creditable.
Top tip! Back up what you can do with examples such as ‘I have a passion for helping others, which is demonstrated by my charity work’
Conclusion- We would recommend keeping the conclusion short but sweet. Show your desire for the role one more time and end it with something formal and professional such as ‘looking forward to hearing from you’.
Top tips!
If you know who to address don’t be afraid to say their name rather than sir/madam
Double check your grammar
Make sure it flows, use short sentences and paragraph your cover letter into sections.
Don’t use ‘I’ too much, yes, it’s about you but you can use other conjunctions such as ‘Me, Myself’
Evidence your work, show enthusiasm and interested.
All the best for your interview from the team at Lighthouse Personnel Ltd!