What is a Cover Letter?
A cover letter is often also referred to as a “Written Application” or in government, “Responding to Selection Criteria”. A cover letter is a brief document that accompanies your resume when you apply for a vacant position. It is often the first point of contact you have with a potential employer, hiring manager or recruiter and is a golden opportunity to make a positive first impression. While your resume represents your career story, including your key skills, professional experience and education; your cover letter compliments your resume and makes the vital connection between the company and position you are applying for, why you are a good match and what unique value you can add.
What to include in your Cover Letter?
Firstly, include your name, phone number and email address at the top of the cover letter.
Mention the date, and details of the position you are interested in and a reference number for the role if there is one, as well as where you saw the job listing. If there is a name or title included in the advertisement, address the letter to this person. For example, “Dear Ms Smith” or if there isn’t a name, “Dear Hiring Manager”.
Example:
Susanna Perkins
SusannaP@gmail.com / 0440 000 999
2 April 2024
Dear Mr Mohammed,
I wish to apply for the Project Manager (Ref3465) position in your team that was advertised on SEEK on 20 March 2024.
To demonstrate your genuine interest in the company and what they do, do some research. Review their website, news articles and latest social media posts, and note any changes in the industry or the business such as new products or challenges they face. This indicates what is currently important to the organisation and will give you a lead on the tone of voice to use in your cover letter and the points you should include. In a sentence or two, articulate how the industry, company, culture and values or products and services resonate and align with your personal passions, career interests and skills.
Combine this with a strong, attention-grabbing opening statement that introduces you and provides a very brief summary of your relevant experience and qualifications. Think about two or three key highlights in your career and mention these in a way that reflects your ability to perform the role you are applying for.
Review all the information provided in the job advertisement and position description, gaining as much insight as possible into what the role’s accountabilities entail and what the key requirements are for success. Include some of these relevant requirements in your summary, specifically indicating which of them are your key strengths.
Example:
I was excited to see that Company ABC is hiring a Project Manager highly skilled at orchestrating complex construction projects and aligning divergent resources. The large FUTSII building that Company ABC has recently completed ahead of schedule is of particular interest to me because it aligns very closely with my own project management approach.
I am a professional Project Manager with a Civil Engineering degree and over 7 years’ of experience in this field. I have the skills and knowledge to be able to achieve the outcomes of the advertised position, including having used the Waterfall methodology to expertly manage all my projects. The position requirements mentioned in the position description align well with my strengths, including the ability to successfully manage staff through periods of change, generate meaningful management reports, conduct risk analyses and solve complex problems, while ensuring customer satisfaction.
The next 2-3 paragraphs (determined by the guidance provided regarding the overall length of the cover letter) can be used to provide evidence of your success by matching your skills and experience with what’s listed in the position description as key requirements. Support this with relevant examples of your past achievements to demonstrate you have what the employer is looking for. Use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses. Describe not only what you did, but how you applied your capabilities and why you approached tasks or problems in the way you did. It is also an opportunity to include the outcomes you achieved or the impact your actions had. This gives the reader insight into your strengths and the value you can add to their organisation. Include examples especially if you have been asked to address selection criteria, but if you take the opportunity to provide examples of your work to demonstrate your success even when not asked to do so, it will set you apart from other applicants.
Example:
A recent example of where I utilised my exceptional planning skills to ensure success on a project is when I was leading a team responsible for renovating an office building. The project had a tight deadline, and any delays would impact the overall schedule. My challenge was to ensure the timely completion of the project while managing all aspects, including procurement, budget, resource allocation and stakeholder communication.
I collaborated with the extended team to create a comprehensive project plan. I closely monitored all the allocated resources and anticipated peak workloads and potential bottlenecks.
Regular check-ins and implementing contingency plans when there were challenges, ensured that the project remained on track. I maintained open communication with my multi-disciplinary team, the client, architects, and subcontractors and this allowed unforeseen issues to be resolved promptly.
As a result, the project was completed two weeks ahead of schedule and the client was highly satisfied. My excellent planning ensured smooth execution and minimised disruptions.
To finish off the cover letter, politely express your gratitude for the opportunity to apply and indicate your desire to discuss the role in more detail at an interview.
If sending via email, mention any attachments (e.g., resume, portfolio) that are included with the cover letter.
Other tips:
Follow the instructions provided in the job advertisement, and any guidance regarding what to include, how long the cover letter should be, how to submit it, and what other documents to attach.
A well-written cover letter can demonstrate your excellent written communication skills, especially if this is key to the role.
Match the language used in the job advertisement and on the company website. For example, if the company refers to “client service”, use that term in your letter, rather than “customer service”.
If there are specific questions, answer these.
Be concise and use a professional tone and writing style.
Use a suitable font and font size (10-12). Use appropriate margins, spacing, and headings to make your cover letter easy to scan and read.
Avoid using any jargon or acronyms.
Double-check all spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Save the cover letter document in a common format like docx or PDF, with a professional document name.
While it can be time-consuming to write a new cover letter for every application, it is a very important personal introduction and prompts the reader’s interest to find out more about you and should encourage them to review your resume and hopefully invite you for an interview. Do not be tempted to submit an abbreviated or poor-quality cover letter. Spend the time, make an effort, and pay careful attention to the information you include, as it will have an immeasurable positive impact on your success in the recruitment process.
If you need further assistance with your resume and cover letter, please reach out to JJ Talent Solutions. We will be happy to assist you.
