Writing a Cover Letter for CV: The Complete Guide

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Getting ready to write a cover letter for CV? Review these eight steps and the eight parts your cover letter should hold. Follow the tips and avoid making common mistakes when writing a cover letter for CV.

If you’ve heard that recruiters don’t pay attention to the cover letter, you’ve heard wrong. Any expert, who is offering professional CV writing services will tell you that half of the recruiters won’t even look at your resume if you didn’t attach the cover letter. So mind that all the working documents that you write at one point or another show the level of your professionalism.

The cover letter shows the hiring managers what they can expect from you as an employee. A simple cover letter for CV introduces you to the hiring managers and makes the biggest percent of the decision to invite you to an actual interview.

Whether you have decided to write the cover letter yourself or you want to trust this task to a professional, make sure that your cover letter fits all the points in the checklist above.

The Cover Letter Format for CV

1. Header. Personal information.
2. Salutation. “Dear, (name)” would be appropriate.
3. Opening Paragraph. Why are applying for the job?
4. Second Paragraph. The proof that you are the perfect match for the job.
5. Third Paragraph: How you can better the company’s work and what features of the company’s work will help you evolve.
6. Closing Paragraph
7. Formal Closing
8. Postscript. Perhaps an interesting fact about you or one of your achievements.

The Dos and Don’ts of Writing the Cover Letter for CV

The Header

Do:

1. Be sure to include all the contact information the hirer can reach you with.
2. Write your professional title and hiring manager’s title along with the company’s address.
3. Adding links to your professional websites or social media accounts is optional.

Don’t:

1. Use an email address from an unknown provider.
2. Include an email address that compromises you as a professional.

The Greeting

Do:

1. Research information about the company to find out the name of the hiring manager.
2. Use the “Dear Sales Team Hiring Manager” if there’s no name of the hiring manager available.

Don’t address the recruiter as Sir or Madam.

The Opening Paragraph

Do:

1. Attract the and hold the reader’s attention.
2. Focus on your achievements. Include the percent and numbers. The CV for IT position will look more impressive.
3. Reflect your enthusiasm to do the job.

Don’t be too self-centered in the opening paragraph.

The Second Paragraph

Do:

1. Study the requirements for the job and give the hirer what they need.
2. For instance, when writing a cover letter for CV engineer should find out about the upcoming projects of the firm and describe how he can supplement with his abilities.
3. Write about your area of expertise and how you have succeeded in the previous workplaces.

Don’t narrow your skills description to only one job description. Employers can use your transferable skills as well. If you are working on your graduate CV, make sure to list all the relevant skills you have.

The Third Paragraph

Do:

1. Indicate how your professionalism and skills will fit in.
2. Express the interest in the targeted position.
3. Show how the job will fulfill your needs.

Don’t neglect the information you know about the company. Show your vision of the company’s advancement.

Closing Strong

This is the part that has as much impact on your success with the cover letter as the opening one.

Do:

1. Express your willingness to meet in person and start doing the job.
2. Sum up the information you put so far. Show your real value.
3. Write the closing that will motivate the hiring manager to read your resume.

Don’t

1. Come off as needy
2. Use the cliché phrases, like thanking for time spent.

Formal Closing

• Do. Use the synonyms of the “sincerely” such as “Kind regards” or “With best regards”.
• Don’t forget to repeat your contact information under the sign-off

The Postscript

Do:

1. Catch the hirer’s attention.
2. Remind of the opportunities and benefits you will bring to the company.
3. In this part of cover letter for CV sales assistants or managers could highlight how much they have increased the sales level in the recent years.

Don’t ramble. As a whole, your cover letter should consist of three paragraphs or 300 words.

Finally, personalization is the key factor that can help you nail the cover letter and the job in perspective. Your cover letter should state that you are qualified for this job, not just any job – use these personal statement writing tips. However, be open to the new opportunities the job may bring.