Cover letter help

Goldenretrieversarelife

Hiya


I've found a few apprenticeships that would suit me but I've never written a cover letter before my last job just wanted a CV no cover letter can anyone help with advice or tips for writing a cover letter? 

One of them is at my old collage that I love should I mention I was a former student and my love for the collage? 

lincroft1710

If you do write a cover letter the first thing to note is that the word is "college". A "collage" is something completely different.


You can mention you are a former student but I would be more interested in what skills you have and how these can be utilised in the apprenticeship and what you have achieved since leaving college. State that you found your time at the college fulfilling, enjoyed studying there and were very appreciative of the opportunities offered rather than you "love the college".


Remember that CVs, covering letters etc are all full of male cow excrement. You just have to make yours sound believable.

Marcon

Goldenretrieversarelife said:

Hiya


I've found a few apprenticeships that would suit me but I've never written a cover letter before my last job just wanted a CV no cover letter can anyone help with advice or tips for writing a cover letter? 

One of them is at my old collage that I love should I mention I was a former student and my love for the collage? 

Google has masses of info:  writing a cover letter for an apprenticeship

PurpleMouse5

- Start with a formal letter header (like in this one with your address and their address Apprenticeship cover letter | Prospects.ac.uk )

- The first paragraph is an introduction. Mention what apprenticeship you are applying for. 

- In the next few paragraphs you show how you meet the person specification. Go through it point by point and use examples to make it easy for the recruiter to notice that you meet as many of the requirements as possible - eg if it asks for 'good communication skills' you could use examples from a previous job . For example, 'In [previous job] I developed good communication skills by helping customers on the shop floor. I answered questions about .. and provided excellent customer service. I communicated effectively in difficult situations when customers were unhappy or upset'.  Applications are often pre-read by a computer, so if possible use the keywords from the person specification in your answer so it can pick up on them. Don't worry if there is a couple of requirements you don't meet it's still worth applying. 

- The last paragraph is where you can write why you want the apprenticeship. This is where you could put about being a previous student etc. 

- End with a polite phrasing like 'I look forward to hearing from you, Yours Sincerely [your name] 

penners324

Use ChatGPT, it'll write 90% of the letter for you

Goldenretrieversarelife

Thanks all I've got an interview tomorrow nervous but practising my interview questions 

Jude57

penners324 said:

Use ChatGPT, it'll write 90% of the letter for you

Employers are increasingly running covering letters and CVs through software to identify AI/Chat GPT content. Employers don't want to employ people who could, if they continue to plagiarise, cause all sorts of problems for the employer.

penners324

Jude57 said:

penners324 said:

Use ChatGPT, it'll write 90% of the letter for you

Employers are increasingly running covering letters and CVs through software to identify AI/Chat GPT content. Employers don't want to employ people who could, if they continue to plagiarise, cause all sorts of problems for the employer.

And 99% of employers aren't bothered with cover letters 

Nothanks

“Plagiarise” is a bit spicy.

For some works 100% agree but using ChatGPT for a cover letter is no different to using a spell/grammar check in my opinion 

Jude57

Nothanks said:

“Plagiarise” is a bit spicy.

For some works 100% agree but using ChatGPT for a cover letter is no different to using a spell/grammar check in my opinion 

I disagree because lifting verbatim from ANY other work is actually plagiarism. I've recruited numerous staff over decades at all levels below Director and when I've read a cover letter what I've been looking for were things that a CV or application form can't give me; an idea of the personality of the candidate, their ability to follow instructions (you'd be amazed at how many people, in their covering letter, just write "here's my CV/application") their attention to detail (recruitment adverts, job descriptions and person profiles all tell you what the employer is looking for so for goodness' sake, read them!) and ability to write a cogent sentence. Then there's their ability to expand on how some of the skills set out in their CV/application will apply to the specific role (especially important if you don't tick all the boxes; explain how your skills and experience could still be useful to the employer, perhaps in ways they haven't considered but be careful not to come across as a know-all) and certainly to get a feel for whether they'll be a good fit for the team, both immediate and wider and for clients, both internal and external. As you know, someone can tick every box but have a personality that wouldn't gel with others they'd be working with. Sometimes candidates forget that that's a factor, too.

There have always been sample covering letters and many employment agencies used to provide them to applicants. So you'd get, say, a dozen applications from people with different backgrounds and skills but identical covering letters. Needless to say, those candidates wouldn't be first pick to recruit. By all means, seek examples of covering letters but it's important to put yours (the general 'you') in your own words and tailor it to the role applied for. There's nothing wrong with a physics professor applying to stack shelves in a supermarket but a covering letter full of, say, a list of academic awards, isn't going to impress the manager who will, perhaps unfairly, think this applicant will think they're better than their colleagues and is unlikely to stay long in the job.

It's when applicants lift verbatim from ChatGPT or with AI that issues may arise as more employers run applications through software to check them of in much the same way as they'd check qualifications and references. It's becoming part of the diligence in recruitment so I don't recommend that people rely on it too much.

Jude57

penners324 said:

Jude57 said:

penners324 said:

Use ChatGPT, it'll write 90% of the letter for you

Employers are increasingly running covering letters and CVs through software to identify AI/Chat GPT content. Employers don't want to employ people who could, if they continue to plagiarise, cause all sorts of problems for the employer.

And 99% of employers aren't bothered with cover letters 

I can only speak for the employers I have contact with. The public sector, Civil Service, Local Government and the NHS all use such software as does every private legal practice and public legal entity I'm familiar with. It may well be that in unskilled and manual work such things are irrelevant because experience and qualifications in/skill at trades is more important to the employer.

Given that the public sector in the UK is by far the largest employer, I'd be interested to know how you arrive at 99% of employers. Do you have a source for that figure?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_United_Kingdom_employers