Cover Letter Tips

Some people might debate the usefulness of a cover letter in today’s fast paced recruitment environment. I would argue however that a cover letter is absolutely important, partly because you can never know as an applicant who will be viewing your application and what they are looking for. You might find that the recruitment officer who is undertaking the resume short listing process may not view the cover letter at all and simply be looking for the right experience in the candidate’s resume. However, the next stage could be the manager to whom this person will report and they may be more interested in a cover letter than the actual resume. In which case, the absence of a cover letter in the application will be viewed very negatively. So, play it safe and always produce a cover letter to support your application.

So what are the general rules for a good cover letter:

1. Customise it for each role – Generic applications won’t stand out. Address how your experience and motivation align with the specific organisation.

2. Consider the salutation – Does the job ad include a contact person? If so, address the letter to that person.

3. Note the role you are applying for and where it was advertised.

4. Show your passion for the role – Employers seek candidates who connect with their organisation’s purpose such as a genuine expression of interest in supporting older Australians, assisting individuals with disabilities, or contributing to another kind of meaningful community program. But it doesn’t end with just your passion. Consider other reasons why you might be interested in a role such as specific impacts the employer is having in the community, the reputation they might have for looking after their staff, a new contract they are looking to deliver that might be taking a highly innovative approach to a social problem. Even the organisation’s size can be a factor, for example, within smaller organisations, roles can be broader and provide more scope, you might be closer to the CEO for strategic input or closer to the “coalface” for assisting people in need. Conversely, large organisations might offer career advancement opportunities, a more attractive office environment or feel more financially stable. The most important thing to remember is employers are attracted to candidates who demonstrate a strong desire for their organisation and their role.

5. Address the selection criteria - review the section of the job ad that refers to what background and attributes the employer is looking for the candidate to ideally have; this may be in the section titled about you or selection criteria or something similar. It is important to address all aspects of the criteria; effectively creating an executive summary of you as the ideal candidate for the role. When addressing the criteria, it is not sufficient to say, for example, “I have 5 years experience as a fundraising manager”, instead you need to bolster this experience with a summarised, sample of achievement in that space. So you might say “I have 5 years’ experience as a fundraising manager and have delivered for XYZ their largest single donation in their history and have beaten my targets over the last 3 years by an average of 50%.” It is important to keep the points short and sharp and generally with a focus on the outcome you delivered and not the activities you undertook to deliver that outcome.

6. Keep the length to around a single page if possible, unless the advertisement specifically states that they are looking for more.

7. Have a sign off that is friendly and professional.

8. So just as with your resume, your cover letter should be sharp and to the point with a focus on the “why”, (as in why you want the role) and your criteria response giving examples of why you feel you can provide what they are looking for.