In 99.9% of cases you will be sending a CV either with your letter of job application or attached to the email.  Indeed I find it difficult to think of a situation where you wouldn’t send a CV, so your correspondence should be kept light and to the point.  Too much waffle in the covering letter/email, and file 13 or the delete button will beckon!  The reader will switch off totally, and you will have lost.  You should aim to point the reader to salient points in your CV by highlighting them in the cover letter/email.  The points you highlight should be skills or abilities you know you have that are also requirements of the job.

For example, if the job advert or specification states that good organisational ability is required, you might add a line to the effect;-

You will note from my CV that I have managed the administration department for three years, where my strong organisational abilities have improved the departments performance by three man days per month.

Find Me a Job

The idea is to highlight two or three key points that re-enforce your application and suitability for the post.  Points that will encourage the reader to want to read your full CV details.  To make him think that you can do the job for which you are applying.  To reassure the reader that he will not be wasting his time in reading your details.  You can do this with actual skills as well as attributes, again depending on what is required by the job specification.

I believe that, in doing this, you have to be a little bold, blow your own trumpet (let’s face it, no-one else will blow it for you, will they?).  The bottom line, though, is if you do not show confidence in your skills and abilities on your job application, this will show through to the reader.  If you do not inspire confidence in the reader, then you will not be called for the interview.

Written Job Applications

Another point on written job applications.  It is always better, if at all possible, to address your correspondence to someone personally.  Even if you are applying to an advert that just gives a reference number, it is well worth trying to find out the name of the person doing the hiring and addressing the application personally.  I like to do this for three reasons.

It will make the correspondence more personal, and therefore the reader more disposed to your application.

It will show that you have initiative (ie; to find out who the decision maker is). I know I keep repeating it, but remember, initiative is one of the main personality characteristics that employers look for when hiring new staff.  (You will remember this by the time you get to the end of this site!)

It will differentiate you from the rest of the job applications who did not bother!  This gives you a little head start.  Don’t forget what I have said a number of times (I know I keep repeating this as well!), every advantage is worth having, no matter how small. This is a major competitive situation.

It may not be possible to do this, especially in today’s world of automated applications online…but if it is, go for it.  If it is not possible, follow the instructions you are given.

There are a number of ways in which you can make a written job application, these are as follows…