the eternal hell of covering letters

lynzpower · 12 April 2007 at 2:22PM

*sigh*

I have found a job that I absolutely HAVE to have. its my ultimate dream, a real one off, and I HAVE to get it.

Now Ive updated my cv to reflect the skills they are looking for ( heavier on the skills they are looking for light on the ones they arnt

) and am now tackling the dreaded covering letter.

I dont know why I struggle with these, but its the opening gambit I find most difficult.

I usually put something like
Dr mr X

I am writing to you to apply for the job of XYZ then: please find my CV attached for your consideration .

then I draw a blank. I think the opening line itself is a bit rubbish

What should I put instead?

I should be fine after that- but Im stuck HELP!

lynzpower · 12 April 2007 at 4:41PM

does this sound alright? This has taken hours *sigh*

Further to your advertisement posted in **** (10-15th April 2007), please find my CV attached for your consideration for the role of ****
In this letter, I aim to tell you a little more about myself, and the skills, attributes, knowledge and experience that I believe I would bring to the post.

DavidPeakeweb · 12 April 2007 at 4:54PM

It sounds like you are going down the right path, don't go into lots of detail though, and always end with I look forward to hearing from you, it shows confidence.

I usually write why I am perfect for the job, and why they just have to have me. By going through what they are looking for and explaining, briefly, how you fit into those categories.

Also, I found on the CV, that they never read through everything on there, so put bullets about your previous jobs, but highlight your major achievements; so my CV shows JOB A ; responsible to the MD, responsible for 3 shift managers, I control a big budget, I do lots of little things, I reorganised the office saving 20k a year on overheads.

Or something similar, its difficult to think to start with, but when you start making things sound more fancy than they are then it gets easy, and don't be scared to embilish a little.

lynzpower · 12 April 2007 at 4:58PM

thanks david

I dont know why but Im really struggling here

The next bit is

building rapport- I have STaCKS of experience here, I used to be a social worker and laterly an estate agent, and both jobs involve building relationships and trust when you are not liked

I dont know why Im struggling so badly here!

DavidPeakeweb · 12 April 2007 at 5:05PM

Well what about just saying that, say that you had to build a rapport with people, in order to help them to trust you and to bring you into their confidence, give an example of how well you did that. Or depending on the job you are applying for stress the importance of relationships for business needs either keeping business, gaining more business or just increasing the same business.

If you dn't mind me asking how is your CV set out? Do you have a skills profile or matrix on it, which you can outline your perfect skills for the job even more?

lynzpower · 12 April 2007 at 5:15PM

No my CV is like personal details at the top

then a list of the jobs and what I did in each one. Of course, Ive taken out for this job a lot of the intense social servcies stuff cos thats not relevant and focused more on the housing side of things which in fairness I enjoyed the most and did the most of in social work.

I have taken quite a career change from Social worker- did for 5 years, then some time off then estate agency. EA isnt for me, but property is, and this job is property but not EA. So its a mix of the two. Im trying to talk about my communication skills for the business work place without me sounding too like a socail worker and banging on about counselling LOL. Saying that the same skills will always apply, if you can listen to your customer you can then make endeavours to provide what they need, and they will trust your transaction etc. and business generates itself if your customer is happy with what you provide. When Ive finished this bit Ill post it back up if that OK and you can help?

MJMum · 12 April 2007 at 5:26PM

lynzpower · 12 April 2007 at 5:38PM

hows this

As you can see from my CV, I have extensive experience of building relationships with a variety of people, at all levels. During my time as Consultant Researcher, ****Officer and as ****Officer, I built relationships in often difficult and traumatic times for the customer. I ensured that customers understood my role and what they were to expect from me, and working professionally at all times. I build relationships by using active listening skills, using open questioning and ensuring that I see tasks through as expected. Latterly as an Estate Agent, I have been confident in closing sales and working at all times on behalf of the vendor, ensuring that all progress on the sale of their properties are communicated to them in a timely manner. I am confident when using the telephone and creative when finding solutions to customers needs.

lynzpower · 12 April 2007 at 5:43PM

do you think its a bit much to put
" I look forward to duiscussing my skills in greater detail at interview"

MJMum · 12 April 2007 at 5:45PM

lynzpower · 12 April 2007 at 5:47PM

MJ mum do you mind if I email it to you so you can see it in its entirety?

the eternal hell of covering letters

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