Covering letter

A covering letter introduces you and summarises why you are the best person for a job.

With your covering letter, you aim to interest the employer enough to read your application thoroughly and give you an interview.

Why should you write a covering letter?

A covering letter is your chance to show your skills, highlight your selling points and answer an employer’s three main questions:

  • Can you do the job? Do you have the necessary qualifications, knowledge, skills, abilities and experience?
  • Will you do the job well? Are you dependable, self-motivated and enthusiastic?
  • Will you fit into the organisation? Are your values, image and goals a good match with the company’s? Will you get along well with clients and co-workers?

Address all the employer’s requirements as set out in the job advertisement. Leave no doubt that you are the right applicant for the job!

What will an employer look for first?

If a lot of people apply for the job you want, the employer may have only 30 seconds to decide whether to bother reading all of your application.

In that first half-minute, they are likely to want to find out:

  • whether you match the selection criteria
  • how well you communicate in writing
  • how well you structure written information
  • your experience, skills and qualifications
  • your level of professionalism
  • clues to your personality
  • how well you check for typing mistakes, formatting errors and wrong information
  • your grammar and spelling ability.

Some employers screen out applicants using this information alone, so take great care when you write your covering letter. Be prepared to write more than one draft, to get it right. Print it out and check it slowly and carefully when it is complete.

Keep your covering letter relevant

Always send a resume to fill out the information in your covering letter.

Sometimes you can use the same resume for different positions, but never use the same covering letter. Write a unique covering letter for each individual job and company for which you apply.

Focus on what you can offer the employer, not on what you want from the job. Highlight the selling points you have that are most relevant to the job. Indicate the mixture of skills, experience and enthusiasm you can contribute to the company.

For more information

For more tips on covering letters, look at: