COVER LETTERS FOR JOB APPLICATIONS

1. Let the flavour flood out.
Your covering letter is where you let your personality come to the fore. Employers can often get lost in a sea of very similar, competitive CVs. Your covering letter is where you 'speak' to them about what type of person you are and why you want the job. Keep it all to one page, though.

2. Phone up first.
Tempting though it is to bash out a covering letter, if the advert has a telephone number, give them a ring. They will give you more idea of what sort of person they are looking for and you can refer to the phone call in your letter, making it more personal. If they didn't leave a number, they don't want hundreds of phone calls, so don't call.

3. Say what job you want.
Include the job title, date and where you saw it advertised. If it is a speculative letter, explain what sort of position you are after, and whether temporary, permanent, full or part-time.

4. Say what you are doing now.
In the next paragraph, give brief details about your current work (or previous work) status. Highlight some points that help give an idea of what type of person you are: 'we all work as part of a team, which I enjoy' or 'I particularly like being able to get on with things under my own steam'.

5. Match their requirements.
Show them that you have the skills they require. If they ask for someone who is 'meticulous', write that you 'have to double-check everything.' If they need someone who is 'knows their way around the internet', write that you 'spend around 2 hours a day researching online.'

6. Say why you need a change.
The next paragraph should be about why you want to change your job or apply for the job in question. This is where you might say that you need a new challenge, or would like to move from a national profile to an international one. Don't be negative about your current or past work.

7. Tell them why you like them.
If you have a particular reason for choosing a certain company, say so; 'I am interested in working at [name of company] as you promote ethical work practices, which are important to me.' Avoid bland statements such as 'I have always wanted to work for your company' or 'your company has a good reputation'.

8. Be honest.
Don't exaggerate or tell out-and-out porkies. You'll only spend the whole interview sweating away trying not to get caught out. Or, worse, you will get caught out. Avoid brags such as 'single-handedly', 'sole responsibility' and 'the entire company', just say 'I ran the xxx department'. 'I helped to manage the xxx' is often a useful term when you are in an assisting role.

9. Be yourself.
If you are serious and shy, don't write a letter that you can't live up to. If you have to invent a persona for your covering letter, you won't be happy in the job. If you are more flamboyant, write a (slightly toned-down) cover letter in the same vein. But avoid gimmicks, it's all been done before.

10. Keep it individual.
Every employer likes to think their letter is special. If you are mass-producing, do a mail merge that slots in the name of the company throughout, rather than referring to 'your company'. Do some research if you can and manually add at least one line about why you are interested in their company. And do a thorough -- I mean thorough - spell check.