Make it specific to the interview that you have attended
Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2025 8:30 am
Contrary to the belief of some, a covering letter is not a note that says ‘To whom it may concern, please find attached a copy of my current CV, please keep me on file…’
It is a bespoke communication to a specific person about a specific matter, whether that is a vacancy you have seen [where did you see it?], a speculative approach [why that company?] or a message to populate a field on a job portal, it should give the impression of ‘as personal and specific as possible’ rather than giving clear evidence that you have merely copied and pasted a standard response.
Similarly, if you decide to send a thank you note following an interview,. This is your paraguay phone number library opportunity to mention a highlight from the interview or to say that you are still really interested in pursuing this role.
It is OK to have a template to work from, but just make sure you change enough of it so that you don’t trigger a ‘CTRL C – CTRL V’ proximity alert.
There is an exception to this. Some employers prefer the letter itself to form the basis of an application. A customer approached me recently asking for some coaching on a vacancy that was asking for a CV and an expression of interest not exceeding four pages, you are going to need more than a template in this scenario.
Keeping Tabs on Your Progress
This is not an absolute essential, but it does help keep track of your progress. Having a ‘to-do’ list will help you to schedule follow-ups, keep a list of applications you have made, and their closing dates and will help you approach your job hunt in an organised way and acts as a set of metrics for analysis, to see how effective your efforts are so far.
It is a bespoke communication to a specific person about a specific matter, whether that is a vacancy you have seen [where did you see it?], a speculative approach [why that company?] or a message to populate a field on a job portal, it should give the impression of ‘as personal and specific as possible’ rather than giving clear evidence that you have merely copied and pasted a standard response.
Similarly, if you decide to send a thank you note following an interview,. This is your paraguay phone number library opportunity to mention a highlight from the interview or to say that you are still really interested in pursuing this role.
It is OK to have a template to work from, but just make sure you change enough of it so that you don’t trigger a ‘CTRL C – CTRL V’ proximity alert.
There is an exception to this. Some employers prefer the letter itself to form the basis of an application. A customer approached me recently asking for some coaching on a vacancy that was asking for a CV and an expression of interest not exceeding four pages, you are going to need more than a template in this scenario.
Keeping Tabs on Your Progress
This is not an absolute essential, but it does help keep track of your progress. Having a ‘to-do’ list will help you to schedule follow-ups, keep a list of applications you have made, and their closing dates and will help you approach your job hunt in an organised way and acts as a set of metrics for analysis, to see how effective your efforts are so far.