Career advice – Covering Letters

A covering letter offers you a direct opportunity to introduce yourself to the recruiters. A good covering letter includes branding and selling yourself to make you stand out from the crowd of applications and obtain an interview chance. Therefore it is important to send a Covering letter together with the resume (CV) when applying for jobs.

There are several elements to be included in the covering letter.

  • Your full Contact information.
  • Personal Statements
  • Your Career to date
  • Your Key Skills and Strength
  • Your Ambitions
  • The benefits that you can bring to the company

Points to note

  • Maximum 1 page
  • Clear and direct message
  • Do not copy the content from your resume
  • Ensure your contact methods are valid
  • Be professional – cross-check the grammar and choice of words before submission

Below is a reference format to be used when writing a covering letter.


Indent Right
Your Name
Your Address

Indent Left
Company Contacts (Full name if known)
Company Address


Date:

Dear Sir or Madam: Or Dear Mr or Mrs Surname,

  • Paragraph 1 – Introduce yourself and Reasons for applying
  • Paragraph 2 – Experience you gain from other positions (Remarkable Examples)
  • Paragraph 3 – Skills you can bring and How you can benefit the company
  • Paragraph 4 – What you understand and like about the company
  • Paragraph 5 – Your ambition
  • Paragraph 6 – End of letter

Yours sincerely (If you added their name) /
Yours faithfully (If you addressed it to Sir or Madam)

Your Full Name