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 WHY A COVER LETTER?
@ A cover letter isn't ever going to win you a job
by itself, but a badly worded letter is going to
cause doubts in the employers mind right
from the start.
@ A good cover letter explains why you, over all
the other candidates, are worth taking the
time to find out more about.

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 Why?
@ Sending your CV without a brief cover letter
explaining your purpose will be confusing and
likely lead to your CV being forgotten.
@ Your Cover letter allows you to highlight areas
of your experience not easily explained in your
CV.

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 WHAT SHOULD I SAY?
@ Demonstrate your knowledge and interest in
an employer's company
@ Highlight your unique selling points and
personality
@ Draw attention to additional information that
does not fit easily into your CV

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 ±AKE AN I± ACT
@ Your covering letter needs to engage your
reader as quickly as possible. Like any good
advert or marketing brochure, there are a few
ways to achieve this:
@ Get to the point as quickly as possible,
avoiding any unnecessary elaboration

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@ Try to be original, avoid making claims they
will have read a thousand times before.

@ Discuss - What types of things would make

you original and attractive to a prospective
employer?

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 Did you get the following?
@ Qualifications
@ Significant Achievements
@ Work Experience
@ Skills
@ ersonal Attributes͙͙

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 ERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

@ In pairs list all the personal attributes that

would make you attractive to a prospective
employer.

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 Did you get the following:
@ Hardworking
@ Dedicated
@ Good team player
@ Time keeping
@ Attendance record
@ Honesty
@ Reliability
@ Enthusiastic
@ Intuitive
@ Strong Communicator

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 Cut anything that is not absolutely
relevant

@ Are the following statements relevant or not

relevant?

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@ I enjoy the challenge of a demanding work
environment.
@ I have the ability to maintain a consistently
high standard of work under pressure.
@ ±y knowledge of computers through using
them extensively while I was at school and in
my spare time would be an asset to your
company.

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@ I have recently achieved an advanced
apprenticeship for IT rofessionals. The
framework included an NVQ at Level 3, an
Advanced Diploma for IT practitioners and key
skills in Application of Number and
Communications. In addition to this I have
also achieved the CompTIA A+ and the
±icrosoft Certified Desktop Support
Technician accreditation. I hope to put this to
use in the field of IT support.

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@ I enjoy reading books about computers.
@ I have re-built my own computer.
@ ±y recent achievements include organising a
charity event for 50 people at my local youth
club.
@ I have excellent presentation skills.
@ The course covered many topics, and I was
particularly interested in networks and
communications. I am looking to develop
specialist skills in this area and build a
successful career.
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@ ±ake sure the tone of your letter reflects the
content

Discuss in pairs what this means.

@ What is the content?
@ What should the tone be?

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 DID YOU GET THE FOLLOWING?
@ Formal
@ rofessional
@ ositive
@ ersuasive
@ Knowledgeable
@ lenty of enthusiasm
@ Show genuine interest

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 Get your message across͙
@ Say what you mean but not forcefully͙.
@ Reword the following examples so they are
not forceful͙..

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@ I want the job.
@ Read my CV.
@ I expect my salary to be over͙.
@ You will not find anyone better than me to do
this job.
@ I expect to hear from you in the next four
days.
@ I believe I have more qualifications than your
current members of staff.

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 STRIKE A CHORD
@ Firstly, find out their name. If it's not obvious
from the job advert, check the company
website or call the company directly. The
chances of them continuing to read are
significantly increased if the letter beings
͞Dear ±r Smith͟ rather than ͞Dear Sir /
±adam͟.

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@ The key objective of your covering letter is to gain
a response at the very least, and an interview at
best. Consider some of the techniques
advertisers use to generate positive responses:
@ Always invite your reader to contact you. Even
something as simple as ͞I look forward to hearing
from you͟ suggests that you are expecting a
response, and the reader should feel some kind
of obligation to do so. ±ake sure you include at
least one strong proposition about yourself, your
enthusiasm, your qualifications, and your
experience.
@ If you refer to sections of your CV that you think
deserve particular attention, then they will be
more likely to take notice of them.

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 I͛ve no experience, what can I do?
@ Experience is not the only thing that recruiters
look for. You can get around having limited or
no work experience by emphasising your
personal skills and attributes.
@ In other words describe yourself as the type of
person who would be admirably suited to the
position.

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 Remember personal attributes?
@ Think about everything you can achieve from
this training programme.
@ Create a summary of the following:
Qualifications
Achievements
Skills
Knowledge
Attributes

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 Sell yourself!
@ You have studied conscientiously
@ You are hard-working, target-focused and
dedicated.
@ You are sociable, out-going and a good team
player.

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 Do not allow typo͛s, misspellings, or incorrect
grammar/punctuation into your letter

@ Your letter reflects your ability to write and

communicate.
@ roof read your letter.
@ ut it down and proof it again a few hours
later with a fresh eye.
@ Then ask a friend to review it for errors

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 roof read and proof read again!!
@ Spot the mistakes͙͙
@ The next slide shows an example covering
letter
@ Count the number of mistakes

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Dear Mr Walker

I am aiming to start/further mt career in IT i am writing to u to ask if u

have any vacancies in this area at present. I have just gained my NVQ Level 3 in IT, ADITP,
CompTia A+ and 2 MCP¶s and in adition to this I have 1 years experience working with customers
when I worked part-time around my studies. I am a gud communicator, with a hi degree of
initiative and self-motivation. I enjoy the challenge of a demanding work environment, and haev
the ability 2 maintain a consistently high standard of work under pressure. The skills and
experience that I have which would be of particular interest to you include:

- God technical knowledge

- an excellent tmie keeping and attendance recorded
- proficiency @ prioritising workloads;
- the ability 2 implement standard procedures correctly and efficiently.

Please find enclosed a copy of my CV.

I would welcome the opportunity 2 discuss this further and will call within the week to arrange an
appointment. I look forward to speaking with u.

Cheerz
Joe Bloggs

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 Did you find the following?
@ Spelling errors
@ ͚Text Speak͛
@ oor Grammar
@ Signed off with ͚Cheers͛

Now see how the letter should look

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Dear Mr Walker

I am extremely interested in the advertised position of IT Support Technician. I feel I would be an excellent candidate
for the position. I am extremely hard working, dedicated and determined.

I am currently looking for opportunities to start my career in IT as I have recently achieved an Advanced Apprenticeship
for IT Professionals. The apprenticeship framework enabled me to gain an NVQ Level 3 IT Professional, Advanced
Diploma for IT Practitioners, CompTia A+ and the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician.

I am an excellent communicator with a high degree of initiative and self-motivation. I enjoy the challenge of a
demanding work environment and have the ability to maintain a consistently high standard of work under pressure. The
skills and experience that I have which would be of particular interest to you include:

- Good technical knowledge.

- An excellent time keeping and attendance record.
- Proficiency at prioritising workloads;
- The ability to implement standard procedures correctly and efficiently.

I have enclosed my CV for your perusal and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Joe Bloggs

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 Create your own
@ Use the summary of your skills, qualifications,
achievements and personal attributes to
create a cover letter that can then be used to
apply for a job.
@ Use the example letters in your learner folder
to help you.

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Any Questions?

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