How to write a winning cover letter

Tracey Dall
Thursday 3 November 2022

In this guest post, Laura Bill from Inspiring Interns and Graduates offers some helpful advice on how to write a cover letter.

When applying for an internship or graduate job, do you really need to include a cover letter with your CV?

Many students overlook this step, but in most cases, it’s a critical document that employers require from candidates. Unless specified, it is always beneficial to include a well-written cover letter within your application to help you stand out and improve your chances of securing the job.

A cover letter acts as an introduction of yourself to a prospective employer and why you’re the perfect candidate for the job.

To ensure your cover letter is a winner in the eyes of the employer, we have put together some top tips for you to take on board.

Do your research

First and foremost, it’s important to do your research about the company and the role in detail, by prioritising the following:

  • The company’s missions, values, and culture
  • The history and achievements of the organisation
  • The characteristics of the ideal candidate

Address the hiring manager personally

The standard way to address a cover letter is by using the hiring manager’s full name. Try to avoid using overly generalised terms such as ‘‘Dear Sir or Madam’.

If you’re not sure of the name of the hiring manager, double-check the job advert or browse the company’s website and LinkedIn profile for current employees. If you still have no luck, you could phone the company and ask who you should address. While you may feel embarrassed to do so, it could in fact make you a more memorable candidate.

Keep it brief

It’s easy to waffle within your cover letter to expand on your skills and experiences, but always ensure to keep the content brief and well-structured.

As a rule of thumb, your cover letter should be no more than one page long. Sticking to this rule shows you are focused and can define your points clearly.

Your cover letter should be structured as follows:

Paragraph 1

Your introductory paragraph is the opportunity to grab the employer’s attention. Explain why you are writing. Say where you saw the job advert and introduce yourself.

Paragraph 2

Outline your reasons as to why this is the perfect job for you and why you’d like to work for the company. Use a tone of voice that displays your personality without being too over-friendly.

Paragraph 3

The third paragraph should go into detail about why you believe you’re a good fit for the job or internship through your past accomplishments that are related to the job role you’re applying for.

Paragraph 4

In the fourth paragraph, reference the skills mentioned within your CV and back these up with examples of when these skills were put into practice.

Paragraph 5

Finally, write a call to action so the hiring manager can take the application further.

This could be a simple phrase such as: ‘Please get in touch to discuss my application further’ to show that you’re interested in attending the graduate jobs interview.

Proofread

Once you’re happy with the content you have written, it’s time to carry out the final checks. Don’t send an application without proofreading every single word. Doing a quick spell check isn’t going to cut it. Evaluate whether you have spelled the recipient’s name correctly and re-phrase sentences to ensure they read clearly and feature no grammatical errors.

If you’re still on the lookout for your perfect graduate job, check out Inspiring Interns job board to seek a wide variety of graduate jobs all over the UK.

Careers Centre advice

For more information, check out our cover letter page and four common cover letter mistakes to avoid blog post.

Remember you can book an appointment to have your cover letter checked over by a CV Adviser.

CareerSet

CareerSet lets you get immediate, AI-generated feedback on your CV and cover letter.

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