A big takeaway from GradConnection‘s recent ‘Meet the Employers’ webinars was that some employers are not looking for cover letters, or they’re optional. Great, right? One less step to consider when getting all your application docs together. Um, maybe not!
Employers want you to ‘build your story’ and they want to get a feel for your personality. One of the best ways to do this is to actually sit and jot down why you’re applying for a role. Have you really thought about why you want the job and why you’d be a good pick? Kind of how you’d begin writing a cover letter…
Let’s unpack a cover letter
They are much more structured than a resume – traditionally written in a business letter style with formal formatting. A good cover letter tells the employer something extra about yourself and why you think you’re ideal for the job. They can also allow you to be more personal – you should be addressing it to an actual person. And, writing one forces you to think!
What else are you going to include?
- Why you believe you meet the job requirements.
- The evidence you can provide that demonstrates you have what it takes e.g. your degree with good grades, your employment history, your extra-curricular engagement and your interests outside of uni.
- Your knowledge of the organisation and how you can fit in e.g. if they are looking for innovators, creative thinkers, or safety conscious team members, what are you saying about this?
So, even if you’re not going to include a cover letter with your application, the process is useful. If you really want the job, put in the effort. It’s worth the time!
We have loads of great resources to help you craft your cover letter. We’ve also got some sample letters. Head to Putting your plans into action for directions to everything on cover letters.
If you want to jump to the next stage and practice your video interview technique, you can tap into our interview practice software and get feedback.
