Help with cover letter

BeckyK1010

I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to write a good cover letter?
I currently work in care and always have but am hoping to try some completely different so needs something that will convey this.
Has anyone got any suggestions?
Much appreciated.

moneypuddle

Just Google Cover letter template but be sure to make plenty of changes so the employer doesn't think you have just pinched from the net

Wellery82

There isn't a perfect cover letter so to speak, as they are being read by humans everyone has different opinions as to what they want to see, and what makes a good letter.

If you can provide a bit more detail about what you do, and what you are trying to do, i will try and give a clearer answer based on my own opinion, but as a general rule of thumb however, noting you want to try something different i would personally suggest something along these lines.

• An initial "grab line". Something short and concise telling them who you are, what you want and why they should employ you. Basically something to get their attention and to read on.

Think about including things such as you are a person who does xxxx job, or with xxxx skills, who having researched the industry/their company/that role feels ideally suited to xxxx type of work and are very keen to work for their organisation.

Maybe something else that makes you stand out here - are you available immediately from work, do you have years of experience in the same industry but a different role, do you have certain skills that would be great for the role others who do it may not have?

As a last resort, if your finances allowed, if you are really keen to get into a new role and feel you are really struggling and not being considered at all, you could even offer some kind of "i recognise that having worked in a different environment i need to proove my ability to transfer my skills and would be happy, should you be prepared to do so, to work for you for free for a limited period to demonstrate my capability" type pitch. I would be very surprised if reputable companies took you up on that, but it shows real committment

• Expand on your grab line and tell them why you are ideally suited for them - how your skills match what they need. Basically expanding on your transferable skills, and how the experiences you have gone through make you ideal for this role. Most jobs need fairly generic type behaviours from their employees - a good work ethic, attention to detail, organisation, ability to build relationships and get on well with others, good customer focus etc. Anything you can show you have that may be relevant
• Show a genuine interest in that company. What appeals about them. Again this depends on the type of job. For higher paid jobs this may be about their market growth and the opportunities they provide, it may be about reputation or values that align with your own, awards for customer experience etc. It may even be if it is a lower level job where people often leave quickly that you reassure them and explain how it is close to home/ties in with your personal committments etc - basically making them happy that you are someone in it for the long haul and someone who has researched them and actually likes that company
• Tell them any relevant miscellaneuos factos about yourself that help you to sell yourself. You are flexible to attend interview at any point and incredibly keen to show them how keen you are for the job. You are immediately available for work (so no long winded notice period). If they have advertised the salary range the fact that your expectations for salary fall within their range. If the job needs driving that you have a full (and maybe clean) driving license. Also make sure you answer any nagging questions they may have - if you live a long way away make sure you make them aware this isn't an issue for you, if you are relocating let them know
• Make sure they have your contact details and they know they can contact you for further information

Good luck

dizzyrascal

Jimavfc82 wrote: »

As a last resort, if your finances allowed, if you are really keen to get into a new role and feel you are really struggling and not being considered at all, you could even offer some kind of "i recognise that having worked in a different environment i need to proove my ability to transfer my skills and would be happy, should you be prepared to do so, to work for you for free for a limited period to demonstrate my capability" type pitch. I would be very surprised if reputable companies took you up on that, but it shows real commitment

I would be very worried about any company that did follow this up. Any work done deserves to be paid at least the minimum wage. It might be better to organise some work shadowing for a few hours so that you can point to this experience and say how it inspired you to make changes in your career choice.
This shows that you have shown initiative rather than been exploited