A cover letter should be concise, engaging, compelling and convincing. If an employer requests a cover letter then it’s very important that you provide one; it’s your opportunity to make a brilliant first impression. These resources offer some helpful guidance on how to craft the perfect cover letter.

A cover letter is a document that accompanies your CV when applying for a job. It’s often the first thing a potential employer sees so it’s your opportunity to make a brilliant first impression, go into a bit more detail about relevant experience and sell yourself as the right person for the position you’re applying for. Some employers may accept a video as an alternative to a cover letter, but the same principles apply.

Step One

Start by doing your research about the organisation and the job you’re applying for. This will help you create a cover letter that is appropriate and showcases your skills and experience. Use the organisation’s website, social media and other media sources like newspapers or trade press to find out as much about them as possible.

Step Two

Most job descriptions will contain a ‘person specification’ describing the ideal candidate and listing the essential and desirable skills required for the role. Your cover letter is your opportunity to demonstrate how you meet these criteria. For each of the skills required, make a mind map or list projects, work experience, interests, or responsibilities that provide evidence of your ability.

Step Three

Think about the story you would like to tell and what you can bring to this role and the company (rather than what you hope they will do for you). Is your passion for working in this area something that you’ve wanted to do since you were a child? Do you love this company and its products? Are you passionate about joining an organisation committed to making a change?

• Who is the letter for? Try to avoid addressing the letter ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ if you can. If there is no one named on the job description do some research using the company website or LinkedIn to try and identify who is recruiting and address the letter correctly.
• Make sure your name and contact details are clearly visible.
• Think about the layout – unless an employer has specifically requested otherwise, a cover letter should fit onto one side of A4 and be clear and easy to read.
• Start your letter with a strong opening paragraph that introduces you, what you could bring to the role and your story.
• Follow this with three to five brief paragraphs that highlight key skills or experience that you can bring, using the mind maps you created when preparing. You could use the STAR method (see Top tip below) to help structure these paragraphs.
• End with a closing paragraph that summarises what you have to offer and reminds the reader of your story. Focus on the skills you have; don’t apologise for skills you don’t have.
• Check your spelling and grammar – remember, attention to detail is very important.
• Get someone else to proofread your cover letter. Ask them if they think it accurately represents you.
• Save your cover letter as a PDF when sending it digitally, and send it as an attachment, rather than in the body of an email. This will ensure that it looks exactly as you’d like, no matter who opens the document.
• Double-check your cover letter for content, spelling, grammar and layout one last time before you send it.

The STAR method is a way of structuring examples of your experience in a cover letter that clearly demonstrates the impact of your work. The following example might be used to back up a statement like, ‘I have excellent organisational and problem-solving skills’:

• SITUATION: I was a supervisor in a coffee shop.
• TASK: At busy times, the coffee shop often looked messy and potential customers would leave if they couldn’t see somewhere to sit.
• ACTION: I broke down the cleaning into a clear schedule and allocated different team members responsibility for different areas and cleaning tasks.
• RESULT: The coffee shop was much cleaner and more welcoming for customers, workload was shared and all staff members understood their responsibilities. There was a 7% increase in sales.

Copy: Anne Langford and Simon Pollard