Covering letter as well as app form

xemmax

I applied for an admin job yesterday and filled out an application form which they asked me to do. I sent it off and this morning they are now asking me to provide a covering letter as well detailing my skills, experience, suitability and salary expectations.

Now this was something that all went into the personal statement part of the application form as that also asked for suitability, experience etc so I'm not really sure how to word the covering letter when everything is already on my application. Also, their salary states 'competitive' so I'm unsure about how to pitch my salary expectations.

Any help would be much appreciated.

AP007

xemmax wrote: »

I applied for an admin job yesterday and filled out an application form which they asked me to do. I sent it off and this morning they are now asking me to provide a covering letter as well detailing my skills, experience, suitability and salary expectations.

Now this was something that all went into the personal statement part of the application form as that also asked for suitability, experience etc so I'm not really sure how to word the covering letter when everything is already on my application. Also, their salary states 'competitive' so I'm unsure about how to pitch my salary expectations.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Personal statements are different to cover letters.

Here is where you can say why you want to work for them what lead you to apply.

Also where your skills fit in and what they are etc.

anamenottaken

AP007 wrote: »

Personal statements are different from cover letters.

Here is where you can say why you want to work for them what led you to apply.

Also where your skills fit in and what they are etc.

Sounds as though the "Personal Statement" section of the application form did cover skills.

blckbrd

A decent application form usually dispenses with the need to sell youself in a covering letter - otherwise why bother to have one?

That being said, whatever the employer wants, the applicant 'must' give. Rejig the personal statement ans sell, sell SELL!

Goode luck.

xemmax

Well it wasn't called 'personal statement' on the application form, it said:

Pleaseprovide details of relevant experience, principal achievements and personalqualities and explain how you meet the skills set out in the personspecification. Include any activities, experience, skills and training, whichwill support your application for this post

I am struggling to know what to put in the covering letter without repeating myself

blckbrd

No harm in banging home the salient points.

The 'blurb' bit on the app, I suppose matches your experience to the JD/PS. Just say in the letter why the employer should hire you, so

I have 300 hundred years experience of providing front-line blah blah, becomes - I note that X delivers the highest standards of customer service and I believe my 300 years of continually updated experience would be very useful blah blah.

Slinky

And don't bother mentioning your salary expectations in the letter unless they specifically ask for them

National_Careers_Service

Hmm I see what you mean about repeating what’s already there in your application but I agree with blckbrd that you need to sell yourself and this is a perfect opportunity to do that!

Try this:
Imagine you haven’t filled in the application form yet and you’re putting together your covering letter. Remember this will be the first thing the employer sees, it’s an introduction, it tells them why you’re applying, why you’re the right person for that job and can be written in a tone that might not have been appropriate in the application form. It should flow, be easy to read and needs to be enticing enough to make the employer want to read on. Who knows, maybe they’re going to use the covering letter to filter out suitable candidates.

I see they’ve been quite specific about the things they want to see in the covering letter: skills, experience, suitability and salary expectations. Ok, so you might have covered this already in the application form but how about rephrasing some things to get the same message across but in a slightly different way. Use a thesaurus to help give you a few ideas for new ways of getting the same message across.

· If you have a skill it means you have the ability, talent, expertise, proficiency and aptitude

· If you are experienced in something it means that you are knowledgeable, practised, qualified and have good understanding of something

Being clever with your words doesn’t necessarily mean duplicating what’s already been said. Think of it as emphasising the message you’re trying to get across. Look for websites that have lists of action words to help give you some fresh ideas. Try looking for ‘words that describe your skills’ or ‘words that set you apart’.

In regard to salary expectations; I’d start by asking; why do they need to know? Do you have any clues at this stage xemmax? Do you think they’re using this as another filter? By that I mean if an applicant expects a higher wage than they’re offering would they dismiss them as a potential candidate on the premise that they might leave for a better paid job? How about doing a little detective work to help you decide on a pitch:

· Do some research in similar job roles: what salary do they offer?

· Be realistic; don’t think you have to lower your expectations just to get the job.

· If you’re willing to be flexible then say so but try not to come over as desperate - are you willing to start off at a lower wage as long as you have the opportunity to work your way up to a better one?

Let us know how you get on xemmax? I’d be keen to hear what you decide to do!

Onwards and upwards!

Tracey