WRITING A COVER LETTER

WRITING A COVER LETTER

A cover letter should always be sent with your CV for formal job applications.

It should only be a few paragraphs long and should tell the employer why you are the right person for the job, briefly outline your most relevant skills and it may explain why you want to work for their company. It is your opportunity to let the employer know why they should pick you.

In your cover letter:

• Start the letter with your strongest selling point.
• Talk about the skills and experience you have that match what the employer is looking for in their job candidate. Don’t waste space in your cover letter talking about your experience as a Civil Engineer if you are going for a position as an Accounts Payable Clerk
• Get straight to the point. The person looking at your application will probably be very busy so they need to know what you have to offer right away. Start your letter with: “I have 8 years experience as an engineer…”. Do not start your letter with: “I am applying for this position because…”
• Do not oversell yourself – make sure the letter truthfully represents your skills and experience.
• Keep it brief. Your letter should only be a 3 paragraphs and must not be longer than one page.
• Keep sentences and paragraphs short and simple.
• Always use a computer. Anything else will look unprofessional and will reduce your chances of getting an interview.
• Check your letter for mistakes. Then have someone else check it. Then use the computer to check the spelling. Then check it again. A mistake in a cover letter sends a bad message to the employer about your skills and your attitude.
• Make sure you address the letter correctly if it is being sent and if you have the name of the person you are sending the letter to make sure you use it. Do not address the letter to Dear Sir/Madam if you know their name.
• Finish the letter positively and with a request to introduce yourself in person. “I believe I can make a valuable contribution to your company and would like the opportunity to meet with you in person. I look forward to hearing from you.”

REMEMBER:

• Do not create one cover letter to use for every job you apply for. If you are serious about getting an interview you should take the time to write a cover letter for each new job you apply for. Personalising your cover letters shows you are truly interested in the job being offered. The Internet is a great tool to use when you are writing cover letters because you can find out facts about the company or industry you are applying for and include it in the letter.
• You will be expected to send your cover letter and CV by email for some jobs. So be prepared to attach your cover letter and your CV to an email. Pay attention to whether the employer wants the cover letter in the body (the main part) of the email or as an attachment.

BUILDING A SELLING CV

BUILDING A SELLING CV

Your CV is your first introduction to employers, so it needs to make a great impression.

Your CV should show an employer that you have the skills for their job, it should detail relevant experience and qualifications, and it should explain your personal strengths.

It should also be laid out in a clear format and it must be free of mistakes.

INFORMATION YOUR CV SHOULD CONTAIN:

• Personal data – your name, address, contact phone number and email.
• Other data – you may also choose to include your residency status, driver’s license, but these are optional.
• Career objective – this is a statement about what you want to achieve through your work. This paragraph needs to be short and specific. You should include your career field and goals.
• Personal attributes – these are your personal traits and strengths that honestly describe you. Limit yourself to six broad traits and back them up with a short sentence that shows that quality. Your personal attributes will go towards helping your employer decide on your fit with their company – so be aware of what the employer is looking for and check that your attributes match what they want.
• Specific skills – these are your vocational and transferable skills. Transferable skills include: skills working with people, skills working with objects, skills working with information.
• Work history – list your most recent job first and work backwards. Write the title of the position you held, who it was with and put the date on the right hand side of the page. List the responsibilities of the role and the achievements you realised in the position – focus on the responsibilities and achievements that are relevant to the job you are applying for.
• Qualifications, education and training – list your highest qualification first, include the institute you graduated from and the year you graduated. Put any additional training and courses under a separate heading.
• Verbal referees – you should have verbal referees available on request. A referee is someone that can talk about your skills and abilities and your qualities as an employee – this is often a former employer and preferably should be in New Zealand. Before listing anyone as a referee, you must check they are happy to do this for you.

YOUR CV DOES NOT NEED TO CONTAIN:

• Marital status
• Gender
• Age/ Date of Birth
• Dependents (whether or not you have children)
• IRD number
• Salary