Inspired Selection Tweet-ups
Topic One- The Covering Letter #inspiredtweetup
- We’re about to start our first ever live Covering Letter tweet-up, feel free to send us any questions!
- Good afternoon all! The next hour is dedicated to helping you guys when you’re writing covering letters for applications
- We’re going to start off with a bit of advice and some top tips before you even sit down to start writing
- First off – do your research! Have a look at the company you’re applying for first and establish why you want to work there
- The company will expect you to have researched them, include this in your covering letter – any recent news is always good!
- Next, look at the job advert and summarise how your skills and experience fit their requirements. Be clear and brief!
- Pick apart the job spec – make sure it’s relevant!
- Keep your covering letter one side long!
- Companies don’t want to see blocks of text – keep it clear, punchy and to the point
- Back to basics… check and check again that there are no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors
- Make sure you address your letter to the right person, if you’re working with an agency – ask them!
- One benefit of being represented by an agency is that you can ask for as much background info on the role as possible
- Check the deadline for apps, don’t leave it to the last minute – but at the same time, you don’t need to spend hours on it
- Give examples of how you have demonstrated the required skills and experience
- Make sure any skills or experience highlighted in your covering letter can be found on your CV
- Let your personality show through your writing style, but keep it professional!
- If your skills are a close but not a perfect match show how they would be transferable
- Basics: your opening statement should be the job title and company you are applying for – reinforcing your interest!
- Don’t use overcomplicated formatting and don’t use the US spellchecker!
- Any questions so far?
- Common mistakes: don’t repeat your CV – try to make it different and interesting
- Don’t make any negative comments about your current/previous employer as a reason for looking for a new role
- Get someone else to read over it before you send it – a fresh pair of eyes always helps!
- Now onto the structure, if you haven’t written many covering letters it might be something you find quite tricky…
- They can be daunting, but it’s all about making it tailored to you and the job you’re applying for
- Use a formal letter format, your job hunt is a serious matter!
- Use the first paragraph to explain why you’re interested in the position and that company – show you’ve done your research!
- Use a basic template but make sure every letter is different and tailored to the job you are applying for
- Second paragraph- explain your CV but don’t repeat it!
- Match your skills against the job spec – if they’re not relevant – don’t include them!
- Use the formula: skill/experience, where this is gained, relevance to the job
- Try to be concise – keep it to one side of A4, employers don’t want to read a rambling life story
- Finish the covering letter with a positive statement- reinforcing your interest in the role and the company
- A cover letter is a vital tool to make your application stand out from the pile
- A covering letter confirms your interest in the role & shows why you think you’re suitable
- Remember, a covering letter is your prime opportunity to sell yourself and gain an interview
- We hope you found that useful, please do email us any questions and sign up to our blog for details of the next one for anyone that came in at the end, a summary will be on our blog
- Our next tweet up will be all about how to write a great CV, there’ll be details of when and where on our blog and on here!
- Thanks to everyone that got involved, we’ve really enjoyed it..
- Sign up on our website to register with us http://www.inspiredselection.com/ Look forward to hearing from you!
Inspired Selection 