Our guide to writing an amazing cover letter to help you succeed in your job application.

1. Our guide to getting the attention your application deserves.
HowToWriteAnExcellentCoverLetter

2. GIVEITTIME

3. You may spend hours and hours on your CV, but
there is no point if you’re going to blow it on a
half-arsed cover letter. You need to spend at
least an hour considering, composing and
checking the perfect letter that is going to do
you justice.

4. KNOWYOURAUDIENCE

5. There are different types of cover letter for different
sectors and different situations. First, what sector are you
applying to? If it’s business, law or accountancy for
example, you will need a more conservative approach.
You might need something a little more creative if you’re
hoping to bag a job in marketing, advertising or PR,
something that shows imagination but isn’t too over-the-
top.
Are you applying to a live advertisement or sending out a
speculative letter? Are you a graduate or a career
changer? This reason will also reflect how you write and
present your cover letter.

6. UNDERSTANDTHEROLE

7. Do you know what the company are looking for?
It’s up to you to scrutinise the job description and
really understand what their requirements are.
Check the company information – what do they
do? What is the person specification? Are there
any essential or desirable criteria? Do you meet
them in one way or another?
This could be through your previous roles,
training or qualifications, or through pure life
experience.

8. TAILORFOREVERYAPPLICATION

9. Job hunting takes time. It can be tedious, but if
there’s one thing you do after reading this blog,
then let it be tailoring your application. It’s a
competitive market so you simply won’t stand
out with a generic CV and cover letter, or even
one that is clearly copied from an old one.
We’ve experienced many incidents of
applications to the wrong company name. You
may laugh (or cringe) but it’s an easy mistake to
make when you use copy and paste in a rush to
get an application in.

10. GIVEEXAMPLES

11. So you know what they’re looking for from the
person specification and the essential and
desirable criteria. With each point it will be useful
to make a note of an example or two on how you
match these requirements.
You’ll then use these examples to frame your
cover letter and make sure it shines out from the
other applicants. The main point here is to
provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

12. GETTHEFORMATRIGHT

13. The format is the first impression, if they just look
at it and think ‘Urgh’ then it’ll be in the bin within
the second. Structure it like a professional letter,
but keep it short, positive and to the point. No
one wants to read an essay and nor do any
recruiters even have the time to.

14. DON'TDUPLICATEYOURCV

15. Your cover letter is something to compliment
your CV, not just a regurgitation. So consider what
you would like to highlight that you couldn’t
necessarily get across in your CV, or would like to
expand on.
Don’t just pull the same content into your cover
letter that they will also read on your CV, it’s a
waste of a valuable resource and promotional
opportunity.

16. Good luck with your application!
If you want support finding roles to apply
for, contact the GB Solutions team and
they’ll be able to get to work finding the
perfect role for you.
Call 01242 412999 or email
info@gbsolutions.co.uk.