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Cover letter formatting






· Use the same style of font and quality of paper as you use for your CV

· Keep your cover letter to one page

· Use a business letter format

· Remember to sign the cover letter if you are sending a hard copy

· Avoid mistakes in your spelling or grammar

· Get someone to proof-read it for you

· Provide a confident ending

CV and cover letter examples

There are many ways to write and format CV and cover letters, so it is important for you to look at various examples and then select a style that works well for you.

CVs and cover letter examples

Application forms

· Tailor your application information to the company and the job

· Give evidence and examples, not your opinions

· Include specifics — numbers and statistics that demonstrate your achievements or responsibilities

· Check your application for spelling and grammar

· Some applications will allow you to save your form so you can go back and amend it later before submitting it. If this is not possible, it is a good idea to download the form and handwrite a draft, or you can complete the form online with draft data, going back later to fill in another form with real data.

· Large employers may use software to help them shortlist candidates. The software scans the CV or form for keywords and ranks applications by number of 'hits'. The job ad and job description will give you clues about keywords to use in your CV and application.

CV and cover letter workshops and checking service

CDES hold CV and cover letter workshops regularly in the Clock Tower (for all students) and in faculties (with specific industry information and examples)

A Career Development Consultant can check your CV and cover letter, but you need to attend a workshop beforehand.

 

University application form: structure and features

PAGE 1

  Education  
Examinations taken
School From - To   Level Subjects Grade Year
Whitstable College, Whitstable, Kent 2002 - 2004   A Level History English French B C D 2004 2004 2004
St Augustine's School, Whitstable, Kent 1997 - 2002   GCSE Maths History English Lang. French Science Geography C A A B C A 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002
University Degree     Subject Class expected/obtained  
University of Kent 2004 - 2007   BA History 2: 1 expected  
 

PAGE 2

WORK EXPERIENCE  
You may include all types of work experience: full-time, part-time or vacation work, paid or voluntary. Many students hesitate to go into detail on their application forms about jobs that they see as irrelevant to their future career plans but any job can be important in giving evidence of your personal qualities. Even low-level and routine jobs generally involve at least one (and often all) of the following: customer service, teamworking, cash handling, working under pressure, time management. You don't normally have to list each and every job you have ever done, so if you have had a large number of short-term jobs, you can summarise them as follows: 1996 - 2001 Initially at home with two young children, doing some freelance word-processing work. Once the children had started school I held various temporary jobs in the retail and catering sectors before beginning my Access course, and continued to work part-time during the course.  
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS  
Include hobbies, interests, membership of clubs and societies, posts of responsibility. Indicate the level and frequency to which they are pursued and what you get out of them. Don't make lists: " reading, cinema, sport" under " Interests" will not tell the employer anything useful about you. Give details of the extent of these interests and any clubs, societies or achievements related to them. Which of the following looks better: Wine, women and song or
  • Founder of University Wine-Tasting Society: negotiated discounts with local wine merchants and organised several Society visits to Calais Volunteer worker at local Women’s Resource Centre, where I assist with childcare and organising fundraising events
  • Member of University choir: have performed in many concerts on and off campus including the University Carol Service in the Cathedral.
 
         
         

PAGE 3

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS EXPERIENCE  
These may include computing skills, knowledge of foreign languages, driving licence, undergraduate projects, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, etc List qualifications only if they may be relevant to the job or say something about you as an individual: first-aid, sports coaching or TEFL qualifications may fall into this category, but (for example) a basic food hygiene certificate is only likely to be of interest to employers in the hospitality industry.  
REFEREES  
You should normally give one academic referee - somebody who has taught you at University and can put your academic record in context.The second referee should (except for postgraduate study applications, where two academic referees may be required) be an employer or a character reference. If you do not feel that any of your previous employers are likely to be in a position to give you a reference (perhaps you were there a long time ago, or your supervisor has moved on) a schoolteacher, family friend, etc can be used as a character reference. Always ask your referees' permission in advance, and give them a copy of your application - this will help them highlight the most important points. Don't worry if your referee is not based in the UK - most large companies can cope with this and even with references in languages other than English, although it may be more of a problem for smaller employers  

 

DESCRIBE A SITUATION WHERE YOU HAD TO WORK IN A GROUP TO ACCOMPLISH A TASK.  
Key Skills: teamwork, co-operation, listening, planning, time management. Don't forget to state the part you played within the group, and the outcome of this task  
DESCRIBE A TIME WHEN YOU WERE FACED WITH A CHALLENGING SITUATION, AND HOW YOU RESPONDED TO IT.  
Key Skills: flexibility, coping, problem-solving, planning, decision-making. Don't worry if the only " challenging situations" you can think of seem quite mundane. It is the approach you took to them that is important.  

 

DESCRIBE A SITUATION WHEN YOU HAD TO INFLUENCE OTHER PEOPLE.  
Key Skills: persuasion, leadership, verbal communication, negotiation. Don't just describe the situation and the result, but remember to outline the approach you took to this situation and what method of influencing worked best.  
GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF A TIME WHEN YOU DEVISED A NEW WAY OF DOING SOMETHING.  
Key Skills: initiative, analysis, problem-solving, creativity, persuasion. Again, outline how you went about devising your method, why you felt it was necessary and what the outcome was.  
   

PAGE 4

WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO APPLY TO OUR ORGANISATION?  
Surprisingly, many people find this one of the most difficult questions to answer - especially if they are applying to a number of broadly similar organisations. Focus on positive points - the training and career development potential - rather than material factors such as salary and location, but don't just quote the brochure back at them. The answer must focus on why YOU feel that this organisation is the right one for YOU.  
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
What you put in this section is entirely up to you. You could use it to cover anything which you have not had room to include in previous sections - to explain poor exam results, for example, or reasons for taking a year out/career break. You could use it to expand on your relevant skills and experience, or your interest in the company or to give more detail about relevant aspects of your degree studies, such as projects or dissertations. But do use this space - don't waste an opportunity to make an impression as an individual.  

 

A letter of complaint: structure and features

Letters of complaint usually include the following stages:

1. Background

2. Problem - cause and effect

3. Solution

4. Warning (optional)

5. Closing

6. Background
This section describes the situation; e.g.

§ I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been supplied correctly.

§ I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2015 at the Fortune Hotel (22-25 January) and found it informative and interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by a number of organisational problems.

§ I am a shareholder of Sunshine Bank and I am very concerned regarding recent newspaper reports on the financial situation of the bank. Your company is listed as the auditor in the latest annual report of the bank, so I am writing to you to ask for an explanation of the following issues.

§ I am writing to inform you of my dissatisfaction with the food and drinks at the 'European Restaurant' on 18 January this year.

7. Problem
Cause:

§ On 20 May 2015 we placed an order with your firm for 12, 000 ultra super long-life batteries. The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1, 200 batteries.

§ Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration facility, but I found the facility totally unworkable.

§ You sent us an invoice for $10, 532, but did not deduct our usual 10% discount.

§ We have found 16 spelling errors and 2 mis-labelled diagrams in the sample book.

Effect:

§ This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases to fulfil our commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience.

§ Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in this way, the computer would not accept my application.

§ I am therefore returning the invoice to you for correction.

§ This large number of errors is unacceptable to our customers, and we are therefore unable to sell these books.

8. Solution

§ I am writing to ask you to please make up the shortfall immediately and to ensure that such errors do not happen again.

§ Could I please ask you to look into these matters.

§ Please send us a corrected invoice for $9, 479

§ I enclose a copy of the book with the errors highlighted. Please re-print the book and send it to us by next Friday.

9. Warning (optional)

§ Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies.

§ I'm afraid that if these conditions are not met, we may be forced to take legal action.

§ If the outstanding fees are not paid by Friday, 5 June 2015, you will incur a 10% late payment fee.

10. Closing

§ I look forward to receiving your explanation of these matters.

§ I look forward to receiving your payment.

§ I look forward to hearing from you shortly.

 

Politeness
The tone of complaint letters should not be aggressive or insulting, as this would annoy the reader and not encourage them to solve the problem. In addition, questions such as 'Why can't you get this right? ' should not be included.


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