CV Advice

Curriculum Vitae Advice

Cover Letters

Before a prospective employer sees your CV they will see your Cover Letter for the position applied for. In some ways it is as important as having a good CV so it is not something that should be rushed.
There are programs on the internet that can really help with the creation of your cover letter but it is good to also know how to structure the letter yourself, and that is what we are going to deal with in this article.

First of all you have to know the purpose of the Cover Letter; You want the employer to schedule an interview for you as quickly as possible, so the main purpose is to get the prospective employers immediate attention by selling your skillset, background or experience throughout the letter with relevance to the position applied for.
You must ensure that your Cover letter is personalised for the position applied for.

Now to deal with the Structure of the letter itself;

Start your letter with a personalised beginning such as "Dear Mr. Smith" as a pose to simply "Dear Sir" and especially not, "To whom it may concern" Sometimes it will take a bit of research to find out exactly who you need to address the letter to, but the power of addressing a letter personally to the person you need to speak with will be influential in their decision to take your application further.

The main body of the cover letter should encompass all of the reasons as to why your skillset and background would be a useful asset to the company. Show enthusiasm for the position in this part of the Cover letter and let your personality come across but keep it sincere.

Underneath the main body detail that you would be interested in attending an interview as soon as possible and if you are posting the cover letter sign and print your name for a personalised touch, if you are emailing it then simply printing your name will be sufficient.
Make sure that before you send off or submit your Cover Letter that you have spell checked every word in it and ensure that there are no other grammatical errors. Also ensure that your covering letter reads fluently throughout and that everything you have written is not story telling but useful information to the employer.

Laying Out A CV

It is important to create a professional, polished looking CV, here are a few simple rules to follow when putting one together...

-Personalise your CV for every application, saying how your skillset meets the criteria required for the application, also include a covering letter- see below

-Do your research on the company before you apply- employers like hearing from people who have done their research.

-Write or type your CV onto A4 paper keeping it to no more then two sides long in length- make sure that you spell check the document before you submit it.

-You must identify in the CV the skills and background experience that you have that the company is looking for and explain why your application is relevant

-Record your life chronologically

-Sell Yourself- write with confidence

Do- Tell the Truth about your experiences and Skillset
Do- Talk about things you are good at.
Do- Be Consise

Don't- Say negative things
Don't- Oversell Yourself
Don't- Lie about your experience
Don't- Leave employment Gaps.
Don't- Use fancy fonts in your CV