It all depends on what type of job you are looking for. But some general advice would be this:
1. Think of your cover letter as your first day at work. What is going to happen when you get hired? How are you going to solve their problems? Write about your experience and try to link it with the new job. Write about your future and how you can fit the job description.
It can look like this: "I have worked with IT support for five years, both on the phone and through email. That way, I can solve your IT problems quickly and help your customers with any technical issue"
2. Research as much as possible. Read the job ad at least a few times and contact the employer. Ask them a few questions about the tasks they have in the job ad: How important is one task compared to another? That way, you can write much sharper cover letter, where you know the most important part of the job.
3. Avoid clichées and empty phrases. This usually when you try to describe yourself: "I am an outside-the-box-thinker, I am dynamic, flexible, hard working and likes to work with people" - this is pure fluff and will mostly irritate the reader. Try to avoid it. Be yourself instead. I remember replying to the ancient cliché of "You must be a strong team player while strong individually" with this: "I am a great team player - my current job has taught me to work closely with my colleagues and accept each others differences" - I made a choice about team work vs. working alone and probably stood out compared to other people who just wrote "yeah, I can work with people and also work alone"
Hope it helps - there is no golden method of writing a cover letter, and it takes some practice. You can show what you have written in this thread and I can make a few comments about it if you like.
05 Jan 2016, 12:39 am
