CV Covering Letter

[306Puggy]

Okay, since we are mostly "young people" here, why don't we compare our covering letters. Yes I have googled countless articles online but that is boring. And yes I know this is a car forum but as I said we are mostly "young people" looking for our first "proper" jobs. I'll start. Job applied for: Generic IT support position. This is a template letter that I edit slightly to the job in question, since it's an example I will keep it fairly generic for this thread.

Dear Sir or Madam

I am emailing in regards to the associate IT Support analyst position as advertised on gov.uk. My interest in this position is because I would enjoy a support role and I believe I have the necessary skills to perform it, as I will detail below.

I hold an HND in computing as well as BTEC qualifications which give me a good basis for a job in the IT sector. During these courses I have studied areas such as database development, programming, hardware setup and fault diagnosis. Of these areas I find hardware the most interesting because I enjoy practical hands on work.

Additionally, problem solving is something that I find highly satisfying as well as the teaching element of a support technician role. I am proficient with peripheral devices that may be using the network such as scanners, printers and PDAs/laptops which may be used by some employees and would be very happy to work with these devices as well as the desktop machines.

I have a good knowledge of Microsoft Office and would be willing to quickly learn any additional programs as and when required.

Please see my attached CV for your consideration.

Yours faithfully

My Name

Obviously when you are applying for the generic job advert there is no name mentioned so you have to use the "Sir or Madam" and finish with the "yours faithfully".

[cwspellowe]

Dear Sir or Madam

I am emailing in regards to

No shit sherlock. I thought this was sent by carrier pigeon

I was always taught that a covering letter shouldn't state the obvious. Try and come up with a better opener, something along the lines of "I would like to take the time to formally introduce myself, and to justify why I feel I would be the ideal candidate for the position of...xyz"

the associate IT Support analyst position as advertised on gov.uk. My interest in this position is I am interested in this position because I would enjoy a support role and I believe I have the necessary skills to perform it, as I will detail below. enjoy playing an integral part of an analytical team and believe I have the necessary skills to perform above and beyond the expectations of the role, as I have detailed in my attached Curriculum Vitae.

Decent effort, apart from a couple of grammatical changes later in the letter, but suppose that's down to writing style. Just the opening paragraph that's so crucial, how many letters do you think a company would get with same "I am writing/emailing".. get their attention. Companies pretty much only ever read the first paragraph, maybe the second. A lot of CV's won't even get looked at if the covering letter is dreary and uninteresting.

My only tips are to sell yourself in the first half, the CV is there to back up any claims. And an interview is the goal here, so make yourself sound like the most interesting and motivated candidate they've ever seen.

[lolsteve]

Grammar advice from the Scottish. Well I have seen it all now

[306Puggy]

Dear Sir or Madam

I am emailing in regards to

No shit sherlock. I thought this was sent by carrier pigeon

I was always taught that a covering letter shouldn't state the obvious. Try and come up with a better opener, something along the lines of "I would like to take the time to formally introduce myself, and to justify why I feel I would be the ideal candidate for the position of...xyz"

the associate IT Support analyst position as advertised on gov.uk. My interest in this position is I am interested in this position because I would enjoy a support role and I believe I have the necessary skills to perform it, as I will detail below. enjoy playing an integral part of an analytical team and believe I have the necessary skills to perform above and beyond the expectations of the role, as I have detailed in my attached Curriculum Vitae.

Decent effort, apart from a couple of grammatical changes later in the letter, but suppose that's down to writing style. Just the opening paragraph that's so crucial, how many letters do you think a company would get with same "I am writing/emailing".. get their attention. Companies pretty much only ever read the first paragraph, maybe the second. A lot of CV's won't even get looked at if the covering letter is dreary and uninteresting.

My only tips are to sell yourself in the first half, the CV is there to back up any claims. And an interview is the goal here, so make yourself sound like the most interesting and motivated candidate they've ever seen.

Great advice Chris. This was helpful because writing the same kind of thing every time makes you forget things like what you said. I think I need to include more buzz words as well. I never seem to get on with that.

[306carter]

I used to keep it simple. Hi please find attached my CV for position of ........... Yours ..... yada yada yada

Worked for me.

[Niall]

I never bothered with covering letters. My personal statement on my cv says everything about me.

[Piggy]

yeah just to point out your CV and covering letter need to differ.

[Poodle]

Yeah, as Piggy says - make sure you don't repeat yourself. Maybe highlight a couple of key areas in your CV, but nothing more than that.

I believe Pellowe has a point about making it different and not stating the obvious - i started every covering letter like that and got about two responses over 6 months. The job i've ended up with never saw a covering letter, or a CV for that matter. I'm so helpful!

[306Puggy]

Heh, see I would love to not bother with a covering letter. They take so long to write, but every single thing I have read says that a covering letter is really important, which is annoying since they are probably never read. If you don't have experience in a role then there's not much you can put in them anyway.

[Stephen]

Have you thought about doing a 'comptia +' qualification
You can teach it to yourself at home with a massive book you can get of the Internet
I was going to do it then changed my mind on what I wanted to do
Google it, it's supposed to be a good way to get started in ICT

[ginge191]

My bit of advice after our last discussion.

Do not bother with this kind of thing. It will fall on deàth ears

With little job experience as qualifications to march; get your face into every establishment in every industry going.

Recent stats shows something like 93% of all CV's you send out wont even be looked at. Be persistent and politely forceful with potential employers.

[Niall]

Ginge makes a good point with the experience bit. Ypu could have all the degrees you want in your field but if you have never worked a day in the real world, you just won't be that desireable to employers.
We have had several uni graduates work at our place. Straight out of uni with a pretty bit of paper and that's it and they just do not understand! Hence why you need job experience alongside your qualification. Get both and you will be a hell of a lot more desireable to potential employers.

[306Puggy]

Good advice lads

[Kimmie]

Best advice I had when writing my CV was after the introduction/personal statement you should bullet point your key achievements. Worked for me, was the first thing they ran through on my CV during my interview!

[adamm306]

Have you thought about doing a 'comptia +' qualification
You can teach it to yourself at home with a massive book you can get of the Internet
I was going to do it then changed my mind on what I wanted to do
Google it, it's supposed to be a good way to get started in ICT

I did this a few years back along with a few other Comptia and Microsoft qualifications (network +, mcts 680, mcitp 685) and its all well and good having all these flash qualifications but as Niall said below unless you're very lucky or have experience you aren't gonna get far (I now work as a non fault claims handler)

Ginge makes a good point with the experience bit. Ypu could have all the degrees you want in your field but if you have never worked a day in the real world, you just won't be that desireable to employers.
We have had several uni graduates work at our place. Straight out of uni with a pretty bit of paper and that's it and they just do not understand! Hence why you need job experience alongside your qualification. Get both and you will be a hell of a lot more desireable to potential employers.

[306Puggy]

Have you thought about doing a 'comptia +' qualification
You can teach it to yourself at home with a massive book you can get of the Internet
I was going to do it then changed my mind on what I wanted to do
Google it, it's supposed to be a good way to get started in ICT

I did this a few years back along with a few other Comptia and Microsoft qualifications (network +, mcts 680, mcitp 685) and its all well and good having all these flash qualifications but as Niall said below unless you're very lucky or have experience you aren't gonna get far (I now work as a non fault claims handler)

Ginge makes a good point with the experience bit. Ypu could have all the degrees you want in your field but if you have never worked a day in the real world, you just won't be that desireable to employers.
We have had several uni graduates work at our place. Straight out of uni with a pretty bit of paper and that's it and they just do not understand! Hence why you need job experience alongside your qualification. Get both and you will be a hell of a lot more desireable to potential employers.

Heh, I've gotta agree mate. So many careers advisers at college/uni always used to say skills requirements are an "ideal scenario" type thing, but I was far from convinced and am now less convinced! lol! Trouble is a lot of non technical jobs are boring, I certainly don't want to do what I am doing now for more than a couple of years! Absolutely mind numbing!

[ginge191]

I certainly don't want to do what I am doing now for more than a couple of years! Absolutely mind numbing!

what do you do now; prospects for promotion/movement/management packages

[306Puggy]

Heh, I'm on a 5 hour 3 month temp contract for Royal Fail but they keep extending it. Well it's "technically" 5 hours but really full time but they only guarantee 5 hours. Don't get me wrong there are worse jobs out there but it is quite repetitive. I only deliver as well, don't need to do mail sorting or any malarkey which is quite nice. But if I had to do it for years I would find it a real slog day in day out. It's probably not a good thing to tell you as you might use it against me in e-arguments but it's hard to further the discussion without people knowing why I want to get a different job instead of going full time in my current job.

[ginge191]

Heh, I'm on a 5 hour 3 month temp contract for Royal Fail but they keep extending it. Well it's "technically" 5 hours but really full time but they only guarantee 5 hours. Don't get me wrong there are worse jobs out there but it is quite repetitive. I only deliver as well, don't need to do mail sorting or any malarkey which is quite nice. But if I had to do it for years I would find it a real slog day in day out. It's probably not a good thing to tell you as you might use it against me in e-arguments but it's hard to further the discussion without people knowing why I want to get a different job instead of going full time in my current job.

in that case; i wouldn't worry 'too much'

understandably you want to move, but you dont NEED to move. yes you dont have guaranteed hours/wage but it is work at the end of the day. i understand you have few/little outgoings so if i were in your sitch; i'd save money, get onto a decent course which will extend/represent your skills in IT then buy a shit hot suit and find a job in your field.


as for e-arguging. dont de a douche and arguements wouldn't start

[adamm306]

Royal mail isnt to bad if you can get into it..

my mrs dad started off as a postman now he is quite high up and on decent money with a decent pension at the end of it... but the state of the royal mail at the moment isnt great. witha ll the redundancies and cost cutting even though they made over something stupid like 5 billion profit last year


(dont quote me on the 5 billion i know it was incredibly high though)

[306Puggy]

Right, just sent this off trying to incorporate some of the things that have been suggested:

Dear Sir or Madam

I am applying for the IT Support (1st line) position and would like to list the following reasons for my suitability:

HND in computing
Interest in networks
Excellent customer service skills
Good telephone manner
Quick to learn new software/hardware

I believe that I would find customer support a very rewarding experience and would be glad to carry out any associated duties as and when needed.

Please find my CV enclosed for your consideration.

Yours faithfully

(my name)

[adamm306]

sounds good, out of interest how are you going about finding these I.T jobs. recruitment places are usually a good start and do most of the chasing for you

[306Puggy]

in that case; i wouldn't worry 'too much'

understandably you want to move, but you dont NEED to move. yes you dont have guaranteed hours/wage but it is work at the end of the day. i understand you have few/little outgoings so if i were in your sitch; i'd save money, get onto a decent course which will extend/represent your skills in IT then buy a shit hot suit and find a job in your field.


as for e-arguging. dont de a douche and arguements wouldn't start

Heh, solid advice. I guess I don't want to move immediately, I am just thinking about a few years down the line. It is the kind of work you can do easily if you can just switch your brain off, which is what I do most days, but some days are harder than others. As for e-arguing, the same could be said of you But your advice is good.

Royal mail isnt to bad if you can get into it..

my mrs dad started off as a postman now he is quite high up and on decent money with a decent pension at the end of it... but the state of the royal mail at the moment isnt great. witha ll the redundancies and cost cutting even though they made over something stupid like 5 billion profit last year


(dont quote me on the 5 billion i know it was incredibly high though)

Hmm, yeah, I guess there are different job opportunities in the company. That's a good idea actually, I hadn't thought of that. But yeah, it's not too bad, depends how much mail there is on a given day.

sounds good, out of interest how are you going about finding these I.T jobs. recruitment places are usually a good start and do most of the chasing for you

I find the IT jobs on gov.uk and (mainly) jobsinkent.com. I used to browse the following websites 7 days a week:

totaljobs
jobs24
jobsite
monster
cvlibrary
indeed
reed
cwjobs
purelyit
theitjobboard
jobsinkent
kentjobs
newappointmentsgroup

It was mind numbing and soul destroying so I narrowed it down to the only website I have ever had success with (gov.uk) and the most active local website (jobsinkent.com). I never ever had not one response from all the others so I don't go on them anymore. Although I do occasionally used reed.co.uk because it is easy and has a nice interface.

[adamm306]

Yeah I know RM has it problems at the moment though so it could prove difficult its all over the news in Portsmouth they're cutting 800 jobs down here not sure where you are though

[ginge191]

Lol "Flynn", when you've been around for 6 years, come back and have legitimation to start something

[306Puggy]

0_o...

[adamm306]

in that case; i wouldn't worry 'too much'

understandably you want to move, but you dont NEED to move. yes you dont have guaranteed hours/wage but it is work at the end of the day. i understand you have few/little outgoings so if i were in your sitch; i'd save money, get onto a decent course which will extend/represent your skills in IT then buy a shit hot suit and find a job in your field.


as for e-arguging. dont de a douche and arguements wouldn't start

Heh, solid advice. I guess I don't want to move immediately, I am just thinking about a few years down the line. It is the kind of work you can do easily if you can just switch your brain off, which is what I do most days, but some days are harder than others. As for e-arguing, the same could be said of you But your advice is good.

Royal mail isnt to bad if you can get into it..

my mrs dad started off as a postman now he is quite high up and on decent money with a decent pension at the end of it... but the state of the royal mail at the moment isnt great. witha ll the redundancies and cost cutting even though they made over something stupid like 5 billion profit last year


(dont quote me on the 5 billion i know it was incredibly high though)

Hmm, yeah, I guess there are different job opportunities in the company. That's a good idea actually, I hadn't thought of that. But yeah, it's not too bad, depends how much mail there is on a given day.

sounds good, out of interest how are you going about finding these I.T jobs. recruitment places are usually a good start and do most of the chasing for you

I find the IT jobs on gov.uk and (mainly) jobsinkent.com. I used to browse the following websites 7 days a week:

totaljobs
jobs24
jobsite
monster
cvlibrary
indeed
reed
cwjobs
purelyit
theitjobboard
jobsinkent
kentjobs
newappointmentsgroup

It was mind numbing and soul destroying so I narrowed it down to the only website I have ever had success with (gov.uk) and the most active local website (jobsinkent.com). I never ever had not one response from all the others so I don't go on them anymore. Although I do occasionally used reed.co.uk because it is easy and has a nice interface.

pretty much all the good sites in there i've always had most success with uploading my C.V to reed and cv libary and letting the employers call me i got quite alot of calls regularly.

[4WayDiablo]

They made over something stupid like 5 billion profit last year


(dont quote me on the 5 billion i know it was incredibly high though)

I was postman for 3.5 years and still get their newsletter
Operational profits were around 200million so you were way off
However they have got rid of 10billiom in pension liability
You are right though. Its pretty good money and I WS a fool for leaving

[306Puggy]

Hello Ginge191 I have paid off my overdraft as of today, so please can you give me advice on the next step. Thanks.

[Dum-Dum]

I don't do covering letters, I walk in, windmill like a boss and then bask in my own awesomeness till they either give me a job or call security.