{"id":545,"date":"2018-03-05T10:31:35","date_gmt":"2018-03-05T10:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/?page_id=545"},"modified":"2022-12-14T16:13:53","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T16:13:53","slug":"covering-letter-useful-tips-and-hints","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/job-hunt\/job-hunting\/covering-letter-useful-tips-and-hints\/","title":{"rendered":"Covering letters: tips and hints"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>When applying for a job you want to make a great impact, with a stand out CV. But before employers even read your CV, they will generally be greeted with a covering letter. They are going to be reading your covering letter before your CV, so it\u2019s important to keep them interested from the first page. You typically only get 30 seconds to grab the attention of an employer! In order to make a good first impression, your covering letter needs to be well structured, grammatically correct and support your CV.<\/p>\n<p>Take a look at our useful tips for creating a successful letter below, and some links for further information.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Introduce yourself and inform the employer which vacancy you are applying for<\/strong><br \/>\nBegin with a clear indication of the job you\u2019re applying for and where you heard about it. If you have the name of a direct contact or referral, this is the place to mention it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Highlight your relevant skills and how they can be used in this role<\/strong><br \/>\nRelate your skills and experience to those outlined in the job description, making sure you tailor the covering letter for each application. Explain why you are applying for this particular role, at this specific company.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mention any additional skills over and above the job advert<\/strong><br \/>\nAdd any supporting information you feel is necessary, such as applied aspects of the role or what additional skills you can bring over and above the job specification.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personalise each letter<\/strong><br \/>\nTry to find out the name of the person responsible for recruiting the role and some key company information can also show that you\u2019ve done your research.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Research the company you are applying to<\/strong>, and include information about them in your covering letter, detailing what attracts you to work for them. This will demonstrate that you have taken the time to research their work, and you are enthusiastic to work for them, rather than just sending a generic letter.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep it clear and concise<\/strong><br \/>\nOne A4 page will be enough for a covering letter. you want to grab the employer\u2019s attention in the first few lines, as you would with your CV. However, don\u2019t rewrite your CV, just include key statements that will impress a prospective employer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spell Check<\/strong><br \/>\nEnsure your letter is free of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors! Employers may be put off if your application consists of lots of grammar mistakes, especially if the role requires attention to detail!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Contact Details<\/strong><br \/>\nWhere ever possible send your letter and CV to a named individual, rather than using sir\/madam. Research using websites or contact their HR department and get yourself a name of who to address your letter to.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you need further advice, or you would like a staff member to look over your covering letter, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/kent.us11.list-manage1.com\/track\/click?u=4b35c0e90c50871ba61982012&amp;id=72e3256f57&amp;e=b2bcfedbb2\">Careers and Employability Service<\/a>\u00a0Drop Ins (daily, 10.30am \u2013 12.30pm and 2pm \u2013 4pm in the Careers Building) are a great place to start, where qualified employability and careers advisers are on hand with support and advice.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Useful sites for further information:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/career-advice.jobs.ac.uk\/cv-and-cover-letter-advice\/cover-letters\/\">CV and cover letter advice<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jobs.ac.uk\/careers-advice\/cv-templates\/577\/top-ten-tips-for-writing-cover-letters\">Top ten tips for writing cover letters<\/a><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prospects.ac.uk\/careers-advice\/cvs-and-cover-letters\/cover-letters\">Cover letters advice from Prospects<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"kent-social-links\"><li><a href='http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/job-hunt\/job-hunting\/covering-letter-useful-tips-and-hints\/&amp;t=Covering letters: tips and hints' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-facebook' title='Share via Facebook'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='http:\/\/twitter.com\/home?status=Covering letters: tips and hints%20https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/job-hunt\/job-hunting\/covering-letter-useful-tips-and-hints\/' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-twitter' title='Share via Twitter'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='https:\/\/plus.google.com\/share?url=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/job-hunt\/job-hunting\/covering-letter-useful-tips-and-hints\/' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-google-plus' title='Share via Google Plus'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/job-hunt\/job-hunting\/covering-letter-useful-tips-and-hints\/&amp;title=Covering letters: tips and hints' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-linkedin' title='Share via Linked In'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='mailto:content=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/job-hunt\/job-hunting\/covering-letter-useful-tips-and-hints\/&amp;title=Covering letters: tips and hints' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-email' title='Share via Email'><\/i><\/a><\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When applying for a job you want to make a great impact, with a stand out CV. But before employers even read your CV, they &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/job-hunt\/job-hunting\/covering-letter-useful-tips-and-hints\/\">Read&nbsp;more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54698,"featured_media":0,"parent":532,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/545"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54698"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4442,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/545\/revisions\/4442"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/aspirations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}