Elements of a good cover letter
The most important thing to remember - A cover letter gives a first impression of you.
It will give an employer or recruitment consultant hints about your communication and language skills. Plus, the style will be an insight into your personality and professionalism. It may also be an indicator of how serious you are about working for this organisation.
Remember that employers and recruiters are reading through many resumes for a single position, so the cover letter is an opportunity to stand out before they look for more details.
If you are emailing a CV make sure your cover letter is also saved as the first page of your attachment. This ensures it stays with your CV and provides a quick reference to who you are.
Areas to include in your letter:
Keep your letter brief – no longer than 1 page. Make sure you choose positive language and use bullet points where applicable, so that the important parts are easy to get to. Spelling and grammar are important. Ask a friend to help proof read your letter.
There are four main areas to cover:
- The formalities.
Outline who you are, why you are writing and which position you are applying for. This should include where you saw the position advertised or how you heard about it. Be sure to include any reference numbers to the job so it is easy to associate your application with the correct position.
- Why You.
Here you need to sell your relevant skills and experience. Match these to the requirements of the job advertisement. Think about how your current skills could transfer to a new organisation.
- Why this Organisation.
An employer will want to know why you are interested in this organisation. You will need to tailor your letter to cover specific areas you have researched about this company. Ideas include industry, style, products, culture, or size. If you are applying through a recruitment consultant chances are you will not know who the organisation is until the interview stage. So, you may want to add more weight to outlining your own skills and experience.
- The sign-off.
Generally "Yours sincerely" or "Best regards" are a professional way to sign-off, followed by your signature, and your name typed underneath.
Steps to a successful CV
Please
click here to download a Frog CV Template to help you
- Personal Contact Details - Make it easy.
Make it easy for an employer/recruiter to get hold of you during the day or evening. So include all phone numbers, a postal address and e-mail contact.
- Employment Summary - A brief history.
In a table or list give an overview of the organisations you have worked for, your position and the period employed. This is an employment summary at a glance. The details come later in the Employment Experience section (see below)
- Summary of Skills - Your skills to date.
For each main skill you possess, define it in 1-2 sentences. Then state your level of attainment. Try to order the skills to suit the position you are applying for. Or, if your application is general, place the highest level skills first. If a job requires technology experience outline it here with your level of attainment and a listing of the packages.
- Employment Experience - Show your skills and achievements.
Starting at the most recent, list your previous employers, dates employed, your role(s), and your key responsibilities (bullet form). Also list key projects and achievements. For most recent employers include an explanation of the organisation's size and business.
- Professional Development - Demonstrate your training and ability.
Beginning with the most recent, outline courses, certificates and degrees/papers you have attained. You may need to tailor these to the position you are applying for. If you have been in the workforce for 10 years or more, school qualifications probably aren't that relevant. Concentrate more on recent development.
Referees - Who to Pick?
Provide a minimum of 2-3 referees who can be contacted by phone. At least one previous employer should be included. If you have been out of the workforce for some time think about volunteer, school or club work that you have performed and could obtain a referee from.
Seek permission before you use someone as a referee and brief them on the type of role you are applying for.
Make sure you ask people who you can be confident will say positive things about your abilities, work habits and skills. If possible ask people who are good speakers and can add credibility.
If you are involved in sales work it can be of benefit to ask a client to act as a referee. This will give an employer an indication of your customer skills.
Interview Guidelines
Tips to help you be prepared!
Being interviewed for a new job can be a daunting experience for us all, however preparing for it as best you can will give you confidence and ensure that you can present yourself like the star you are!
Take the time to read through the following interview tips, take a few deep breaths and GOOD LUCK!
If you have any questions, please talk to us at Frog.
DO:
- Dress smartly – e.g. iron your shirt, wash your hair and clean your shoes.
- Remember, the interview is a professional business meeting, the interviewer will expect you to be dressed accordingly.
- Wear a personal deodorant. Being nervous can make you sweat just that little bit more.
- Be prepared! Make sure you know the name of the person you will be meeting, how to pronounce their name and their role in the organisation. When in doubt, ask us first!
- Have a firm handshake and make eye contact.
- Listen carefully to the questions and then take your time to answer – don’t feel rushed or you may give vague answers.
- Remember that the interviewer is not trying to trick you or trip you up – they have a vacancy they need filled and they will be using the interview as an information gathering exercise to find out if you are the right person for the job.
- Remember that the interview is also a two way process, take the opportunity when provided to ask the interviewer questions that will help you to decide whether the organisation is right for you.
- Be 100% honest! Never ever lie about your experience or skills.
- Be prepared to give examples of your experience and to expand in more details on your answers to some questions.
- Prepared for the Interviewer to ask you questions such as:
Why do you want to work for this company?
What did you do in your previous position?
Why did you leave your last position?
Give me some examples of the most difficult problems you encountered in your previous position, how did you resolve them?
What do you consider to be your strongest qualities?
What do you consider to be your biggest weaknesses?
- Thank the interviewer for their time!
DON’T:
- Be late! If you find you are running late, always call us at Frog and let us know, estimate when you expect you will arrive. To avoid these situations make sure you factor in things like:
1. traffic conditions
2. finding parking
3. paying for parking and allowing enough time
4. locating the building
5. if you get the bus, always get the earlier one
- Slouch, mumble or answer questions with only “yes” or “no”.
- Say anything negative about your previous employers.
- Eat, drink or smoke during the interview.
- Turn up to an interview smelling of cigarette smoke or overpowering perfumes.
- Have your mobile phone on or on silent mode.
