1. Firstly all the standard things; date, your name and contact details and the title and address of the company (see below). Remember to alter your cover letter for each job that you apply for. A cover letter addressed to the wrong company is worse than no cover letter at all! Also, if your address reflects that you live in another city, or country, than that of where the job is that you're applying for then be explicit about your reasons for moving, when you plan to move and when you're available for an interview.
20 June 2011
John Smith
123 Ryde Road, Bundoora VIC 3083
P: 02 9875 6437
M: 0456 784 364
E: j.smith@gmail.com
HARTING Pty Ltd
ATTN: Jennifer Campbell
Human Resources Manager
Suite 11 / 2 Enterprise Drive
Bundoora VIC 3083
2. Next, do your best to address the letter to someone. If you are responding to an advertisement and they include their name (or an email, for example jennifer@....com.au) then acknowledge this and include their name in your letter. This will show the reader that the letter is intended just for them and that they are not the victim of a mass, impersonal email that has been received by another 100 people. It also shows that you are interested in this particular company and this specific position, employers will appreciate this.
3. If you are responding to an advertisement use that as a starting point for your letter.
Ref: Field Sales Engineer
I wish to apply for the position of a Field Sales Engineer with Harting, as advertised on HomepageDAILY Jobs.
This paragraph can be finished with a summarized statement of the purpose of your letter.
I am excited to have the opportunity of working with a market leading company like Harting and to......
4. Then you may wish to provide the employer with a brief description of your current situation with your employment or education.
Currently I am in my final year of undertaking a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics) with the University of New South Wales. Some of the subjects that this course comprises of include......
5. Often in job advertisements the employer will include a description of the duties within the position and/or the attributes that the ideal candidate will possess. Consider these and select one which you feel suits you best. Discuss this and provide an example of when you have shown this attribute.
In previous working roles I have demonstrated I am reliable and have strong communication skills. In my position as Client Administrator with "...... " a major responsibility within my role was to deal with any difficulties clients were experiencing. Customers often complemented me on my ability to meet their needs and thanked me for my efforts to go beyond the call of duty. I feel these attributes would add value to your company.
This will show the employer that you have thoroughly considered what they included in their advertisement and identifies why you are a suitable candidate for the role being offered.
6. Finally you should finish your cover letter by thanking them for reading your application and encouraging them to contact you for further information.
Thank you for considering my application, please find enclosed a copy of my resume. I look forward to meeting you and providing further information in an interview.
This shows that you are grateful for their time and confident that you have the attributes necessary for fulfilling the role effectively.
Now it's your turn to start typing! To get started it may help to look at specific advertisements so you can write your cover letters with specific positions in mind, www.homepagedailyjobs.com has some great jobs up at the moment. Once you have done that you can return to this page next week for our top tips for perfecting your resume.
Happy job hunting!
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