HOW TO WRITE A COVER LETTER

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WHAT IS A COVER LETTER? Whenever a job advertisement asks you to send in your CV it can be helpful to also send a cover letter with your CV. A cover letter introduces you and gives you the chance to explain exactly HOW you meet the requirements for the job. This means you will have to change your cover letter slightly for each job you apply to. If you want to approach a particular company to ask about the possibility of a job, but they are not actually advertising any vacancies, you need to include a short cover letter or note in the message part of your email (if you are emailing your CV as an attachment). This is called a speculative application and can be successful if you make sure you adapt your letter to each company you send it to. To do this properly, you need to inform yourself about the company as much as possible look on their website and see how the advertised role, or your skills and experience might fit into the organization. You might also discover that the company specializes in a particular area that you are very interested in. Do not make random speculative applications without researching the company you will be wasting your time and the companys time!

THE BASIC RULES ARE: 1. Start with Dear Mr or Dear Ms and the name of the contact person on the job advert. If you are making a speculative application, find out the name of the person in the company you should send your letter to. 2. Then say which position you are applying for and where it was advertised (this is so the reader immediately knows what you are writing to them about). 3. Then explain your position, what you are studying, where you are studying it (UOWD) and when you are due to finish studying. 4. Then explain WHY you are suitable for the post try to match your skills, work experience and qualifications with the job description. 5. Enthusiasm and Interest: Explain why you are interested in working for this company you could mention something you learned about them from their website that particularly impressed you. 6. Keep it short; one page only and use paragraphs for each new topic. 7. Use simple language and keep to short, easy to understand sentences that make sense. 8. Get it checked by another person for spelling, grammar and repetition of the same words or sentences and meanings that dont make sense.
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USEFUL WORDS AND PHRASES The start

I would like to apply for the position of ..which was advertised in .. I wish to apply for I would like to be considered for .. I am writing to apply for I am writing in response to your advertisement for a.which was displayed in/published in . For speculative applications. I am writing to enquire about possible employment opportunities in the area of (IT/Finance/HR etc) with your company I am writing to enquire about possible internship or summer employment opportunities with your company I am therefore enclosing my CV I enclose my CV for your perusal/consideration I am currently studying for a Bachelors degree in , majoring in/specializing in... at the University of Wollongong in Dubai and am due to finish my studies at the end of May/this month..

Phrases to continue with..

As you can see from my CV,I . My CV shows that../ My CV makes it clear that My CV also shows that../My CV also makes it clear that..

Your situation..
At present, I am working/studying I am currently working as a.for a /in a I am currently working for a/ in a I have recently graduated from the University of Wollongong in Dubai with a Bachelors degree in. majoring/specializing in.

Describing what you do or did.

My role involvesorganising Managing My role involved organising managing

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I assisted in doing I was involved in doing.

Describing what you have learned and what you can do.
This experience helped me to develop _________skills / my skills of_________. This allowed me to develop___________ This improved / gave me a good understanding of __________ As a result of this experience, I developed a good understanding of __________ Through working as a ________/for________I gained good__________skills/ a good understanding of_________/good experience of____________ Dealing with________ developed my ability to _________/improved my skills of _________/means that I have a good understanding of Handling___________ has given me a good understanding of_________ Handling___________ had developed my ability to____________ I learned to communicate effectively I learned to manage_________ I learned to produce_________ I am able to______ I have excellent___________skills

Finishing the letter

I believe I can make a real /valuable /positive contribution to your company. I believe I can make a real contribution as a member of your company/firm. I believe I have the ability to perform well in the position that you are offering. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss this opportunity / position further. I trust that I may be given the opportunity of an interview. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this opportunity /position at interview. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely.. Finally, look at this website for more tips on writing letters:

www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/cover_letter.html

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EXAMPLE 1
DO NOT COPY THESE WORD FOR WORD. IF YOU DO, YOUR COVERING LETTER WILL BE IDENTICAL TO OTHER STUDENTS AND YOU WILL NOT GET AN INTERVIEW!
Dear Mr _______________ I am writing to apply for your Graduate Tax Training Scheme advertised in Prospects Directory 2003 and enclose my CV for your consideration. I first became interested in tax work through a seminar on Careers in Finance at my college last year. I felt that tax work would be an ideal way to combine my skills and interests in business, problem solving and working with people, and this interest was confirmed following a days work shadowing with a tax consultant. I am highly numerate and computer-literate, as demonstrated by my A-level result in Mathematics, my wide range of IT skills and the fact that all my recent work experience has involved cash handling and/or figure work. As a temporary administrative assistant at Direct Northern I needed to pick up a large amount of business and technical information in a short time in order to work as an effective member of the team and to provide clients with the quality of information and service that they expected. Treemans attracts me because of the range of opportunities provided within your training scheme, as shown by your Investors in People award. At this stage my main long-term interest is in corporate taxation and I believe a thorough grounding in different aspects of the complex area of taxation can only be beneficial. I hope that, on consideration of my CV, you will be persuaded of my potential to perform well on this training scheme and to make a real contribution as a member of your firm. I can be available for interview at any time and look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely

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EXAMPLE 2
DO NOT COPY THESE WORD FOR WORD. IF YOU DO, YOUR COVERING LETTER WILL BE IDENTICAL TO OTHER STUDENTS AND YOU WILL NOT GET AN INTERVIEW!
Dear Ms_____________

I was recently informed by our career adviser at the University of Wollongong in Dubai, of an opening in your firm for a _________ I am particularly interested in the kind of work which your company is engaged in. This letter is to introduce myself to you so you can determine how I may be beneficial to the company. I completed my Bachelors of Business Administration last year and have been employed as a Finance Assistant in an IT firm. Apart from my designation, my interest in marketing persuaded me to assist the marketing manager in formulating a cost-effective marketing strategy for several exhibitions, which involved combining market knowledge and creativity. Initially when I joined as an internship student I was trained to have complete product knowledge so as to equip me to promote the product also. Studying subjects like consumer behavior, business communication, advertising & promotion at university has helped me to have basic PR understanding. I understand you are a new company and will be taking initiatives to build awareness. I would like to be a part of the challenge and growth process and would like to assist_________ in its launch.

I have enclosed a copy of my resume for your perusal. I shall also be pleased to provide any further information you may need and hope I may be given an opportunity of an interview. Sincerely

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EXAMPLE 3
DO NOT COPY THESE WORD FOR WORD. IF YOU DO, YOUR COVERING LETTER WILL BE IDENTICAL TO OTHER STUDENTS AND YOU WILL NOT GET AN INTERVIEW!
Dear Mr______________ I am writing in response to your advertisement in the March edition of Building Today for recent graduates to take up positions as site engineers. I enclose my CV. As you will see from my CV, I had three years work experience as an assistant site engineer in Nigeria prior to coming to the United Kingdom. This work involved sole responsibility for supervising the work of up to six contractors on site, extensive teamwork with other professionals such as architects, surveyors and building engineers and working to strict deadlines. My UK work experience to date has been in retail. This too has involved a great deal of customer contact, which has improved my communication skills. As my CV also makes clear, I am currently studying for a degree in Construction Studies at Dumfries University. I am predicted a 2.1 or good 2.2 honours degree this summer and I consider this a major achievement given that I only arrived in the UK four years ago. Being Chair of the African Society last year gave me experience of committee work and developed my skills in tact and diplomacy. I am particularly interested in ___________as a company because as your technical expert Mr Hardhat has made clear in his excellent articles in Building Today, your company is the world leader in re-developing inner city sites. This fits in well both with my work experience and my final year project on Technical Challenges in Rejuvenating the Inner City for which I was awarded the top marks in my class. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely

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EXAMPLE 4
DO NOT COPY THESE WORD FOR WORD. IF YOU DO, YOUR COVERING LETTER WILL BE IDENTICAL TO OTHER STUDENTS AND YOU WILL NOT GET AN INTERVIEW!
Ms. Gail Roberts Recruiting Coordinator Department DRR 1201 Database Corporation Princeton, New Jersey 05876 Dear Ms. Roberts: Your advertisement for software engineers in the January issue of the IEEE Spectrum caught my attention. I was drawn to the ad by my strong interest in both software design and Database. I have worked with a CALMA system in developing VLSI circuits, and I also have substantial experience in the design of interactive CAD software. Because of this experience, I can make a direct and immediate contribution to your department. I have enclosed a copy of my resume, which details my qualifications and suggests how I might be of service to Database. I would like very much to meet with you to discuss your open positions for software engineers. If you wish to arrange an interview, please contact me at the above address or by telephone at (518) 271-9999. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely yours, Joseph Smith

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EXAMPLE 5
DO NOT COPY THESE WORD FOR WORD. IF YOU DO, YOUR COVERING LETTER WILL BE IDENTICAL TO OTHER STUDENTS AND YOU WILL NOT GET AN INTERVIEW!
ATTENTION: Mr. John M. Curtis , Recruiting Coordinator, HAL Corporation

Dear Mr. Curtis: As an experienced computer programmer who is presently pursuing a master's degree in electrical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, I am writing to request information about possible summer employment opportunities with HAL. I am interested in a position that will allow me to combine the talents I have developed in both computer programming and electrical engineering. I am proud of the fact that I have financed my entire education through scholarships and summer jobs related to my field of study. During the summer of 1986, while working for IBM in Boca Raton, Florida, I gained a great deal of practical experience in the field of electronic circuit logic and driver design. When I returned to school in the fall and took Computer Hardware Design, I found that my experience with IBM had thoroughly prepared me for the subject. I welcome the opportunity to discuss with you how I might best assist HAL in fulfilling its present corporate needs. I will be available for employment from May 14 through August 31, 2002. Please let me know what summer employment opportunities are available at HAL for someone with my education, experience, and interests. You can reach me at the above address or by phone at (518) 271-0000. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely yours,

Examples from: www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/cover_letter.html

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EXAMPLE 6
DO NOT COPY THESE WORD FOR WORD. IF YOU DO, YOUR COVERING LETTER WILL BE IDENTICAL TO OTHER STUDENTS AND YOU WILL NOT GET AN INTERVIEW!

Dear Ms________ I would like to be considered for the post of business development executive (telesales) which was advertised through the University of Wollongong in Dubai. I am currently studying for my Masters in Business Administration at the University and am working at ________Training. I am extremely interested in your vacancy as I think my background and your requirements may be a good match. My resume is enclosed for your review. As an assistant Advisor at ________and a Training Consultant with ________ Training, I have developed very good communication skills through dealing with people from different backgrounds and understanding their needs and future goals so that I am able to guide them into the right choice of degrees and professional qualifications. Part of my job at ________ Training is handling customer queries over the phone and recently Ive managed to convince one of our major multinational clients to renew their contract with ______ Training, especially after they had at first decided to discontinue the contract. I would be happy to have a preliminary discussion with you and members of your company to see if we can establish a mutual interest. Thank you for your attention to my CV and this letter. I certainly look forward to exploring this further. Yours truly,

All examples from: www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/cover_letter.html www.prospects.ac.uk

Prepared by UOWD Career Development Services - Student Services Department For further information, please contact the UOWD Career Advisor. Office 004, Block 5 Tel: (04) 367 2400; Direct Office Tel: (04) 390 0629; Fax: (04) 366 4585 Email: CareerServices@uowdubai.ac.ae

DISCLAIMER UOWDs Career Services provides this information and these links only as a general guide. UOWD assumes no liability for acts or omissions by third parties or for material supplied by them. Students are encouraged to report any incorrect addresses or sites which are no longer functioning to the Career Services.

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