Writing Covering Letters

Covering LettersKeep your covering letter relevant • Write a unique covering letter for each individual job and company for

which you apply• Always send a resume with your covering letter

Why should you write a covering letter? In a covering letter, you get to show an employer your skills, highlight your

selling points, and answer the three main questions they want answered:• Can you do the job? • Will you do the job well? • Will you fit into the organisation? Address all the employer’s needs, in the order they occur in the job

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Covering Letters

What will an employer look for first? • your level of professionalism• clues to your personality• how well you communicate in writing• how good your grammar, spelling and

punctuation are• how carefully you check for typing mistakes

and formatting errors

Types of Covering Letters

Cold-call or canvassing letter• You write this type of letter to an employer to

express your interest in working for their company, in a specific area, now or in the future.

• Before you write a canvassing letter, you should have researched the company thoroughly.

Types of Covering Letters

Advertisement response letter • When you write a letter responding to an

advertised position, use it to highlight the specific skills and requirements you have that the employer wants.

Types of Covering Letters

Online letter • An online letter is usually briefer than a

written one, but it’s still long enough to include your top two or three selling points.

• Use shorter paragraphs than you would in a printed letter, or put your points in bullet lists.

• Using all upper case in e-mail is a form of shouting, and is usually considered rude.

Fonts for Covering Letters & Resumes

• Times New Roman• Palatino• Garamond• Arial• Verdana• Tahoma• Lucida Sans• Font size - no smaller than 10 no bigger than 14

Letter Writing TipsUse positive words and phrases such as:• I have• I can• I am able to• I am capable of• I am experienced in…

Don’t use words that make it seem as if you aren’t confident. For example:• I am FAIRLY experienced in…• I have SOME knowledge of…• Although I have LIMITED work experience…• While I DON’T HAVE FORMAL QUALIFICATIONS in this area…• I BELIEVE I WOULD BE capable of…