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Covering Letters

Download a pdf copy of our publication
'CVs and Covering Letters'

Why do you need to send a covering letter with your CV or application form? Because if you don’t, your application could end up in the bin! It’s true - whether writing in response to an advertisement or speculatively, an effective covering letter could make the difference between you getting an interview or a rejection. As a general rule a covering letter should always accompany your CV or application form e.g. if an advertisement asks for you to ‘apply in writing’ or to ‘send a CV’, you should submit a covering letter as well, unless you are explicitly asked not to do so.

The purpose of the covering letter is to get the reader interested to find out more about you by reading your CV or form. However a poor covering letter, or no covering letter, can mean that the reader simply does not look at your CV. So please don’t throw all your hard work away by attaching a poor covering letter - you only get one chance to make a good impression!

• What to include
• Layout
• Disclosing information
• Top tips
• Templates and Examples

What should be included in a covering letter?

Here are our suggestions on the content of a covering letter, although the order in which you present it is up to you. There are examples at the end of this section.

Setting the scene – who are you and why are you writing?

If writing in response to an advertised position make clear which position you are applying for and where/when you saw it advertised.

Example:

“I recently graduated with a BSc (Honours) Accountancy and Finance degree from the University of Bradford and wish to apply for the position of Trainee Accountant, post reference TA012, as advertised on your website on 2nd July 2011”.

If applying speculatively you need to specify the type of position you are looking for and when you are hoping to start:

Example:

“I am a final year BSc (Honours) Optometry student at the University of Bradford seeking a pre-registration opportunity to commence in July 2011”.

Or if you are sending this letter after having spoken to someone you could start with something like: “Further to my recent conversation with Tracy King at the Yorkshire Graduate Recruitment Fair on 7th June, I am pleased to enclose a copy of my CV, as she suggested”.

Why you?

If writing in response to an advertised position you need to demonstrate why YOU are the ideal candidate. To do this you should address the key requirements of the role by highlighting what relevant skills, qualities, qualifications and work experience you have to offer the organisation.

Example:

(If the advert specified someone with good influencing skills): “Last summer I worked for a market research company where on one Saturday I successfully persuaded over 40 shoppers to stop and answer questions relating to their buying habits, despite their initial reluctance”. Refer to your CV but don’t repeat the same sentences.

If applying speculatively be keen to explain what you can offer as opposed to what you can gain – and be positive and enthusiastic. Avoid common phrases such as ‘I believe I could gain valuable experience with your company’. Instead focus more on what you have to offer in terms of skills and experience:

Example:

“Having worked for a large supermarket chain during the last two years I have gained experience of dealing with and resolving customer queries and complaints. I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience and believe it would be beneficial to your organisation”.

Why them?

Whether writing in response to an advertised position or speculatively you will need to explain why you are interested in working for that organisation.What in particular attracts you to the organisation? What do you know about them and what projects or work is the organisation currently involved in? It is essential you show that you have carried out research and thought about why you are applying. We suggest you re-read the job advert and check out the website, company literature and any relevant articles/journals.

Avoid common phrases such as ‘I am applying to you as you are a large multinational company with a great reputation’. Instead explain what it is specifically about this organisation that makes you want to work for them.

Example:

“I am particularly interested in clinical trials as I am looking to embark on a career in pharmaceutical research and development, and am specifically interested in your organisation’s current research into drugs to fight cancer”.

Or if after speaking to someone from the organisation you were inspired to apply, you could mention it here:

Example:

“I recently met one of your representatives at a Careers Fair held at the University of Bradford on 7th June and became very interested in your organisation, particularly…”

How can I end the letter positively?

You should always finish your covering letters with a strong positive ending. If writing in response to an advertised position you could explain when you are available for interview or say that you are looking forward to hearing from them.

Example:

“I am particularly excited about this position and hope that you are interested in finding out more about my background. I am available for interview anytime”. You could provide details of how you can be contacted e.g. “If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me by telephone on 0777 123456. I am available anytime after 3pm”.

If applying speculatively you could ask for the opportunity to meet.

Example:

“I hope you will find my details of interest and should you feel there might be a suitable opening, now or in the future, I would be pleased to discuss this with you”.

Or if you are planning to follow up with a phone call you could say when you intend to phone e.g. “I hope you will find my CV of interest and I will call you to try to arrange a suitable time to speak with you next week”.

How should a covering letter be laid out?

Your covering letter should ideally be limited to one side of A4 with short paragraphs to make it easy to read. Covering letters should be laid out in a professional business style format i.e. start with your full address at the top, followed by the employers full address (and name where possible) and then the date.

You should also make sure you use the correct ending i.e. if writing to “Dear Sir / Madam”, end with “Yours faithfully”, if writing to “Mrs Smith”, end with “Yours sincerely”.

You may want to justify your paragraphs on the left and right to make it look tidy, but there is no need to indent paragraphs as this is considered quite old fashioned.

Your covering letter should have the same font size and typeface as your CV, and if posting, use the same quality and colour of paper for both your letter and CV – the two documents should look like a professional package.

Disclosing information

Sometimes you may want to use your covering letter as an opportunity to bring up something that you consider a negative. For example if you have lower results than the employer is looking for but you have a good reason why, (e.g. serious illness) you may want to mention this here. Or if you are an international student and you only have permission to work in the UK for a limited period of time, you may want to explain this:

Example:

"As an international student I can apply for permission to work in the UK for up to 2 years after graduation, under the UK Government Tier 1 – Post Study Work scheme (replaced the International Graduate Scheme). I am also aware that it may be possible for an employer to sponsor me under the Tier 2 - Skilled Workers with a Job Offer scheme (replacing the Work Permit Scheme). If you require further information please visit the website www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/"

Similarly there may be situations when you want to mention a disability although this could also be raised at a later date – the choice is yours. The main thing is that you present all information in a positive light. If you need any help with this please get in touch with us for further information.

Whatever happens you need to avoid negative phrases such as ‘Unfortunately I do not have any relevant experience’ instead bring out the positive – “Although I do not have the required 6 months experience working directly in an IT support role I have voluntarily undertaken numerous website design projects for local charities. Recently I was responsible for designing a website using Java.net”.

Covering Letter Top Tips

• Send it to a named person! If you are unsure who this should be, phone the organisation and ask – it is much more likely to be read if sent to a specific person.
• Target the letter to the organisation – explain why them. What makes you passionate about working for them?
• Avoid continual use of “I”. Think about how to phrase your sentences and paragraphs more effectively.
• Remember the main aim of the covering letter is to get your CV read!
• Don’t forget to sign if sending by post!

Templates and Examples

Covering Letter guideline – pdf file
This gives you information on how to layout your letter and reminds you what to include and where.

Example of a speculative covering letter – pdf file
This example is written to accompany the example CV for an IT student in our CV section

Getting Help

Once you have a draft copy of your covering letter, we recommend you come in to see one of our team of Career Development Advisers who will look through your letter and make suggestions for improvement.

You can book a 45 minute guidance appointment in advance, or use our Drop-In Duty sessions which are bookable on the day. These 20 minute discussions are ideal for getting some quick feedback on a CV or covering letter.

If you can't get in to see us you can use our Careers Advice Via Email service. It doesn't replace careers guidance appointments, but it does give you a useful way of getting relevant information and advice. We promise to reply within 3 working days, but we often beat this target!.

There is no limit on the number of appointments you may have or emails you can send!

Resources

Leaflets

We have a wide range of CV and covering letter resources in our Information Room in Student Central, including specialist reference books (eg Creative CV Guide); DVD’s (eg Looking Good on Paper); leaflets and guides (eg. AGCAS Applications, CVs and covering letters).

Workshops

We also run regular workshops on a wide range of job-seeking topics including CVs and covering letters. See the events section of our website for details of the current workshop programme.

Websites

Check out the employability section for information on what skills recruiters look and how you can prove that you have them!. Lots of advice and samples of how to evidence your experience and abilities in a practical way.

The Destinations website has section on covering letters and presenting yourself on paper (this is only available for University of Bradford students as you need to login to access it).

prospects.ac.uk – good information on covering letters, including some examples.

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