You may have a brilliant CV, but an application without a captivating cover letter won’t get you far.

Your cover letter is your chance to expand on your CV and persuade the recruiter that you are the perfect person for a job.

Follow these tips to write a winning cover letter for any job application.

Do your research

If you know the company you are applying for make sure you do your homework and research the company and role thoroughly.

During your research, it is a good idea to focus on the following:

• What are the organisation’s mission and values? Do you believe in them?
• Who are the organisation’s target market?
• What is the history of the organisation?

A great cover letter is tailored to a specific job. Stand out from the crowd and impress the recruiter by showing your expertise and interest.

Personalise your cover letter

Don’t use your cover letter to restate the facts you mentioned in your CV – the recruiter will have just read your CV and will be looking for something extra. Instead use your cover letter as a tool to highlight and expand on two to four qualities and experiences relevant for the role. A good tip is to provide concrete examples and solid numbers wherever you can.

Don’t forget to state why you specifically would be the perfect person for this role, and ideally, why you are better suited than other applicants.

Keep it brief

In this case less is more. A cover letter should be concise and no longer than a page. Skip lengthy introductions, avoid waffling and use short and well-structured sentences.

Have a clear structure

Play safe and use a clear and conventional structure to avoid confusing the reader.

Our suggested structure could be the following:

Keep it neat

Finally, make sure you submit a cover letter which is professionally laid out and has no spelling mistakes. It is always a good idea to get a third-party person to triple check your cover letter for you before sending it off.

Source: Newscientis