Four ingredients of an impactful cover letter
Category: Tips and Advice
Publish date: 29/11/2022
In today's job market, cover letters are often an essential aspect of any job application, and it's important that you don't shy away from job adverts that require one. After all, by providing a covering letter/email with your application, you're able to highlight the specific ways in which you align with the role/company in far more detail than your CV alone can. It's your opportunity to showcase your experience and illustrate why you're the best candidate for the job.
1. Personalised address line Always try and find out who will be receiving your application, and address them by name in your letter. This enables a better rapport to be established from the offset. If the recipient's details aren't provided on the job advert, you can always contact the organisation's HR department, or ask the recruitment agency (if the company is using one) for their name. Making this small effort could go a long way.
2. Explain why you are interested in the role What motivated you to write this application? The employer wants somebody who is genuinely interested in what they do and the role they are advertising, so think back to your Career Assessment activities and the Motivation at Work exercise for inspiration. If you’re able to talk about how the role and organisation aligns with your own personal values, that’s sure to go down well with any hiring manager!
3. Illustrate your knowledge of the industry Take the time to do some independent research on the company and industry they operate within. If there's anything in the news that is particularly relevant/has affected the company, be sure to mention it in your letter. This will show that you've taken an interest in the organisation and allow you to offer thoughts on how your experience and skills will enable you to make an impact.
4. Provide tangible examples By reading through the job advert, you should be able to identify the key areas of expertise/qualities the organisation is looking for in a candidate. You can then use this knowledge to tailor your cover letter and provide quantifiable results when detailing examples of your experience. Remember, much of your experience in the military is highly transferable, so try and think about how your expertise developed in Service relates to that listed on the job specification, and highlight how your actions benefitted others around you.
If you’re looking for support and guidance with writing a cover letter for any role you choose to pursue, your CTP Career Consultant will always be on-hand to help. Plus, you also have access to the Cover Letter builder in myCareerPath (under the Career Tools tab) to help get you started.