The 5 Do’s and 5 Don’ts in Preparing a Perfect Job Application Letter

Welcome to our article on the 5 Do’s and 5 Don’ts in Preparing a Perfect Job Application Letter.
Your cover letter is the first item that will get the recruiting / hiring manager’s attention. Yet, most people don’t bother attaching or sending a cover letter when applying for a job. A well written cover letter will highly improve your chances to get an interview call up . The person reading your cover letter will not need to read your resume when you follow our 5 Do’s and Don’ts for preparing the perfect cover letter. The recruiter will know you are the right fit for the Job.

« The Five Do’s :-

i. Do actually complete a cover letter
It may tempting to skip the cover letter. However always make time to prepare a cover letter. As the cover letter shows your deep interest and desire in landing the Job that has been advertised, so always be sure to include a well prepared cover letter. This is unless off-course if the advert specifically tells you not to include a cover letter, in that case then follow the given instructions accordingly.

ii. Research the company and Job announcement
The first step is to research the company, Identify the company culture. Ensure the company aligns with your values. This can be achieved by going through the company’s website , social media profiles, media coverage and where possible try to get information from someone who is working at the respective company that you may happen to know.

iii. Identify key words
Review the job announcement for key words. Ensure these key words are in your Job application letter. For instance if they mention that they want someone who is good at Sales , ensure that in you cover letter you properly highlight your sales skills, so the recruiting manager can pick this up easily.

iv. Highlight & Quantify Skills

List the skills that the company is looking for to hire and then show you have that skill.

For instance If you are good at sales and it is one of the required skills listed then you could mention something like ” While working at Company ABC, i was able to increase the product sales by 40 % in one year”.

v. Use Spell Check
Attention to detail is mandatory. Almost every Job advertised will required someone who has a good attention to detail, so submitting a cover letter that has spelling and grammatical errors will only do your chances great harm and the recruiter may not even finish reading you documents. Spelling errors are a big turn off.

« The Five Don’ts :-

i. Don’t make it generic

Each Job Vacancy that you apply to deserves a well written cover letter. Do not just change the names and date to your cover letter.

First of all you should only apply to the Job vacancies that you truly desire to get, in your cover letter show that you really want the job and you are not just applying to it out of desperation. So take adequate time to prepare you application letter and make the necessary edits, where necessary get someone to go through it, so as to have a second opinion before you submit your Application.

ii. Don’t address it to Whom it May Concern
See if there is a person that you should email the job. Look at the job announcement, at the company website or call and ask for a name. If you don’t get the name then at least address it to the title , e.g ” to the HR Manager” .

iii. Don’t use sloppy formatting

lf you are not familiar with a Job Application letter format get then get assistance. There are plenty of online resources that you could use and even better if you know someone with the relevant experience then do not be shy to consult them for the required assistance.

iv. Don’t forget to include your phone number and email address
Remember to include as a last sentence of you Job Application letter, so that the recruiter can know how to contact you. This makes it more convenient for the recruiter to contact you without having to scroll through your CV for the contact details.

v. Do not forget to send or attach a cover letter

After going taking your time and going through all the trouble in preparing your cover letter , it will be a real waste if you then through a lapse in concentration forget to attach or include it when submitting you application documents.

Conclusion on The 5 Do’s and 5 Don’ts in Preparing a Perfect Job Application Letter

It takes only about 10-15 seconds for someone to sum up an opinion of you based on your appearance it only takes a reader about five seconds to sum up an opinion of you based on your cover letter.

So in conclusion , the cover letter will open or close the door for you and your CV.

Read Also: The Top Soft Skills to Include in Any CV

Have a look at: How to make your CV stand out to the Recruiter