Anyone good with cover letters?

I am about to apply for a couple of jobs that have caught my eye but am no good at writing cover letters to accompany my cv

I know this is a bit cheeky, but is anyone here good with cover letters and prepared to give me a hand?

I will give you my eternal love, gratitude and all the chocolate mis-shapes you can eat!

I don't know if I'm good at writing them, but I certainly know a lot about reading them. Our company has been advertising for a part time office position the last month and we've had over 90+ to read. What I can tell you is this...

1. Keep it short and to the point. People reading tons of cover letters don't have the time or energy to read a whole page.

2. Try to just be yourself and say in the letter what you might say in person - don't try to sound too official. For myself... I'm more apt to make it to the end of a letter if it's easy to read and sounds like a real person talking.

3. Probably most important.... SPELLING! Check, double and triple check your spelling. If you are typing it, DON'T just use spell check - check it yourself. It won't catch things like "won" "one" (bad example, I know) we had a gal send in a letter saying she was a "Stocker" and instead it said "Shocker"

Good luck!

I don't know how good mine are but I have also been reading lots of them recently and can tell you what not to write!

Honestly these are the kind I prefer:
http://www.resumesamples.info/cover-...or-resume.html

This means I know from the first page if you are qualified, which job you want etc and is it worth reading the resume, also don't go for the long CV/Resume, the ones that are 2 pages + I honestly just don't read, if you can't be to the point in your resume you won't be in the work you do.

What kind of jobs are you looking for?

thanks for both your replies! the tips were really useful.

i am going for two jobs, one as an editorial assistant and the other as a features writer both at magazines.

to be honest, i dont know if i have enough experience, qualifications for either but if you dont shoot you dont score!!

Good luck Nicky! I hope one of them pulls through for you! Oh, and I know this isn't the right thread, but I'm lazy, how did your tan turn out?

You've had some great advice there Nicky, those sample letters look to be good ones.

I am often called upon to advise my students on drafting their cover letters and prefer the ones that look like those sample ones.

I would second the suggestion that you check spelling and grammar very very carefully. Particularly bearing in mind the type of job that you're going for.

Remember to sing your praises and talk about all the experience that you've had, wherever you got it - part-time jobs are really important for developing the skills that you will need later on. Other ways of showing skills that you have developed is by looking at what you did at Uni e.g. team-working and presentation skills may have been developed by doing group presentations for assessments.

Good luck - I hope you get the job that you want

Me, me, me!!!

Give me a shout and I'll see what I can do for you!

This what I've got so far, please feel free to edit it:

Dear X

Whilst looking at the website for xxxx I was excited to see that you have a position for Features Writer at xxxx.

I was particularly interested in this position as I am already a reader of xxxx, and would be excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the magazine and have attached a copy of my CV.

In your advertisement you state that you are looking for someone who can “originate and write innovative, attention-grabbing features across the whole magazine†and I believe that I am such a person.

I have recently graduated from university with a 2:1 BA (hons) in English and Media studies. Further to this, I am taking an NCTJ course in periodical journalism.

Since graduating university I have completed work experience at many top magazines such as xxxx, xxxx and xxxx, as well as working for several of my local newspapers. As a result, I have now built up a diverse portfolio with many features, interviews, reviews and articles. I have also provided holiday cover for the editorial assistant at xxxx magazine. I believe these experiences have prepared me for your position as features writer.

You also state in your article that you are looking for someone to represent the magazine on television or radio if required. Whilst at xxxx magazine one of my many duties included helping prepare scripts and articles for a radio show, and I have completed modules in radio and television production for my media degree.

I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss my qualifications more fully in an interview. I can be reached at xxxxxx or through e-mail at xxxx

Thank you for your consideration. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Originally Posted by Sanctie

Good luck Nicky! I hope one of them pulls through for you! Oh, and I know this isn't the right thread, but I'm lazy, how did your tan turn out?

Click to expand...

as for the tan... well, it came out perfectly on my back but didnt work on my front!

for some reason the tan didnt stick, it looked really speckled then two days later completely washed off!

Have complained to the manager, I think the nozzle was blocked. Plus the drier didnt work properly so i felt sticky all day and on the bus ride home!

I am emailing you a copy of a generic cover letter.

Originally Posted by Deb25

I am emailing you a copy of a generic cover letter.

Click to expand...

Thank you so much!

And thank you everyone for all your help and replies!

I love the way that even though this is a forum about cats, everyone is so kind and always willing to help out with so many different things.