Covering Letter
When you have identified potential employers you will need to send them a copy of your CV, this should be accompanied by a covering letter. This is your opportunity to grab the employer's attention and make a positive impression. However, if it's badly presented, you won't get very far. Covering letters need careful planning.
§ Write to a suitable named person; this may mean you have to phone the company to find the name of the person who deals with recruitment. Remember, you want your letter to land on the right desk. In large companies Personnel Officers are not always the best contacts, department heads and site managers may be more appropriate in some situations.
§ Whenever possible, your letter should be word-processed. If this is not possible, write clearly in black ink on good quality plain A4 paper.
§ Put your address and telephone number at the top right of the letter. The date, name and address of the organisation should be on the left hand side.
§ Keep paragraphs short and don't start every paragraph or sentence with 'I'. Use straightforward language - letters should be clear, concise and easy to read.
§ Your opening paragraph should explain why you are writing.
§ Follow this with one or two short paragraphs drawing attention to particular skills and experiences relevant to the employer's needs.
§ The concluding paragraph should indicate that you are available for interview or further discussion at any time. You might want to suggest positive follow up action on your part e.g. telephoning in a week's time.
§ When writing to a named contact, end your letter "Yours sincerely". If you have been unable to find a named contact, begin "Dear Sir/Madam" and end "Yours faithfully".
§ Under "Yours sincerely/faithfully" leave a space for your signature and print your name underneath.
§ Make sure the employer can contact you easily.
§ Always check your letter for spelling or grammatical errors, and ask someone to double-check it. If you find any mistakes, do it again - don't score out or use correction fluid.
§ Remember to keep copies of everything you send and note the date sent and any follow up action to be taken.
§ At the bottom of the letter put "CV Enc"