When you are looking for a job, in addition to presenting a CV is important to write and send along with it a cover or motivation letter.
The difference between these two documents is that the first one looks like a detailed list of your career, focused on your academic and professional experiences; meanwhile the other one is a short text which explains and summarizes your professional background and expresses your interest in the job you are applying for.
A cover letter isn’t as necessary as a CV, but it can make a difference and improve your chances of getting hired.
Here you can find some important things that you must include in your letter.
- Header
This is the first part of your letter, it contains all your contact details: name, surname, address, phone number and e-mail address. Make sure to write also all the information about the company or recruiter you are referring to.
- Salutation and opening paragraph
Here you should write who you are addressing, for what position you are applying, explain who you are and why you want to be part of that team, showing your interest in the company activities.
Before writing, learn about the company’s organization, type of activity, credo and history; all this information could also be useful in a following interview.
- Body
In this part you have to explain your career, do not write all your work experiences or educational and professional qualifications because they can already be found in your CV. Instead, explain what your most relevant skills, abilities and strengths are and how they can be important to improve the company’s performance.
Try to say how you could be the perfect person for that position.
- Closing paragraph
Here you should thank the recruiter for his attention and make yourself available for a future potential interview.
To write a convincing letter you should also:
- Respect the right length of the text. Do not write a full page but only about three quarters of it and make sure to divide it into three or four paragraphs to make it clearer and more orderly.
- Pay attention to the layout. It must be clear and proper to the job you are referring to.
- Use formal language and make sure to read it at least two times before sending it.
It’s important that there are no grammatical or lexical mistakes because this could affect your recruitment.
- Be original to catch the recruiter’s attention.
