Essential Cover Letter Guidelines. Dispel Myths and Stand Out
Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2025 3:24 am
As traditional as it might sound, cover letters are often still an important part of securing your next job. Whilst it may no longer be delivered in a hard copy format, a cover letter, whether it is sent by email or uploaded to the online application area, is still a vital way of making your application stand out.
So you might ask, ‘How do I write an effective cover letter?’ Well if you Google that, you may end up with some questionable ideas. So, here are some myths you need to ignore followed by some advice.
Myth number 1: Your cover letter is more tailored to the job role than the CV
I find it unbelievable that anyone would suggest that either of these things could be less afghanistan phone number library than completely tailored to the job. Do both things really well, otherwise, why are you bothering?
Neither is more important than the other is. Your cover letter should effectively summarise why you are the right candidate for the job. Make sure you don’t hinder its effectiveness by combining it with a poorly written, generic CV.
Myth number 2: The cover letter can be used to expand on your CV
Easy maths here people:
It makes sense that a CV = 2 pages and a cover letter = 1 page with the address and sign off consuming some of the pages. You don’t have a lot of room to expand on anything. You could jeopardise the focus of the letter. If it didn’t fit in the CV, it’s probably not important enough to go in your letter.
So you might ask, ‘How do I write an effective cover letter?’ Well if you Google that, you may end up with some questionable ideas. So, here are some myths you need to ignore followed by some advice.
Myth number 1: Your cover letter is more tailored to the job role than the CV
I find it unbelievable that anyone would suggest that either of these things could be less afghanistan phone number library than completely tailored to the job. Do both things really well, otherwise, why are you bothering?
Neither is more important than the other is. Your cover letter should effectively summarise why you are the right candidate for the job. Make sure you don’t hinder its effectiveness by combining it with a poorly written, generic CV.
Myth number 2: The cover letter can be used to expand on your CV
Easy maths here people:
It makes sense that a CV = 2 pages and a cover letter = 1 page with the address and sign off consuming some of the pages. You don’t have a lot of room to expand on anything. You could jeopardise the focus of the letter. If it didn’t fit in the CV, it’s probably not important enough to go in your letter.