How to Write a Cover Letter?
Step By Step Guide

Writing a cover letter is indeed a tough job. You have to make employers like you without meeting them, you have to summarize your entire career on a single page and show recruiters your compelling qualities.

We at Best Assignment Writer brings you the answer to your question, “how to write a cover letter?” in the form of guide. With the steps given, you will be able to write a good cover letter yourself without any help.

What Is A Cover Letter?

You must be thinking what is more important. A cover letter or a Curriculum Vitae?

A cover letter is a single page letter that describes you accomplishments and past career. Your recruiter will read cover letter before going through your curriculum vitae, so make sure you spend a good time refining your cover letter.

Why Write A Cover Letter?

Your CV is of little value without a cover letter. It states the information your resume cannot do. Writing an exclusive cover letter is extremely important because:

• It is your first introduction.
• It highlights your strengths and achievements.
• It shows why you are fit for the mentioned job.
• It helps you to stand out among others.

What Makes A Good Cover Letter?

If you think writing a long and detailed cover letter will help you in getting a job, then you are wrong. A worthy cover letter is:

• Length: it should be short and precise.
• Number of Pages: It should be only one page in length.
• Number of Words: The ideal word count for cover letter is 250-300.
• Number of Paragraphs: It should consist of 3-4 paragraphs.
• Clarity: The sentences should be small but clear.
• Tone of Delivery: It should be direct.

We are going to tell you how you can make a cover letter that has all the above characteristics.

How to Write a Good Cover Letter?

Structure:

Your cover letter should follow the structure like:

INTRODUCTION TO YOURSELF THE JOB YOU ARE APPLYING FOR WHY YOU ARE SUITABLE CANDIDATE FOR THE JOB YOUR SKILLS AND STRENGTHS (RELEVANT TO THE JOB) YOUR QUALIFICATIONS YOUR EXPERIENCES CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT (ASKING FOR A DETAILED INTERVIEW)

A Cover Letter for Every Job:

Your cover letter should be different for every job but that doesn’t mean you have to write a new one for every new job application. All the parts of your cover letter will remain same except for:

• The job you are applying for.
• Why you are suitable candidate for the job.
• Relevant skills and strengths.
• Call to action statement.

Research before Writing:

Before you begin writing the cover letter for the job, make sure you do detailed research about the following things:

• 1. Job Description: A job description highlights the work that you will have to perform within that job.
• 2. Job Specification: Job specification tells you what type of skills and behaviors a recruiter is looking to fit that job.
• 3. Job Responsibilities: This section enlightens what will be your duties, who you will be leading and who you will be reporting to.
• 4. The company you are applying for: Know about the company you are applying for, what are their standards, what the level of their teamwork is and what kind of work they expect from their employees?
  Read their mission, vision and about us page for better understanding of the company.
  
  All this information is extremely necessary for writing a good cover letter. This data will help you identifying what type of person your recruiter is looking for. Moreover, it will help you write about relevant key skills and strengths related to that job.

Don’t use “To Whomever It may Concern”:

Using “To whomever it may Concern” gives your cover letter a bad reputation. It makes your cover letter look very general. The recruiter might sense the lack of effort due to this phrase seeming that you have used a single cover letter for many jobs. Rather try to find out:

• The name of the recruiter.
• Their position in the company.
• Their contact details.

You can find this data on the job post or their website. You can also try contacting the company for information. Write the company’s name in case you cannot find the relevant details following hiring manager and human resource department. All the information will be presented on the left margin after your personal details for example:

1. If You Have The Recruiter Details:

Your Name Your email address, Your contact number, Your city, Your LinkedIn ID (if present), Your Skype ID (if present). To, Name of the recruiter, Their position, Company’s name, Company’s address.

1. If You Don’t Have The Recruiter Details:

Your Name Your email address, Your contact number, Your city, Your LinkedIn ID (if present), Your Skype ID (if present). To, The Hiring Manager, Human Resource Department, Company’s name, Company’s address.

Prominently Write The Job You Are Applying For:

You have to mention the job you are applying for. You can do it either in a separate line or in the firm paragraph of your letter for example:

• In a separate line: Application for Product Manager Position.
• In the first paragraph: I am writing to apply for the position of Product manager in your organization…..

Divide Information into Paragraphs:

You do not have to jumble your entire information, rather it should be organized into separate paragraphs like:

• Introduction: This paragraph should include:
• The position you are applying for (it helps the recruiter sort out which advertisement resources are working for them).
• Where you saw the job ad.
• Why you are applying for the job.
• Your career goals and objectives.

Example: I’m writing to express my interest for the position of senior product manager for Leicester. I learned about the job through a recent classified ad posted in Hearst Magazine. I believe that my 4 years of working experience as a marketing manager makes me an ideal candidate.

The introduction should be very engaging to catch the interest of the recruiter.

Sales Pitch:

This is the body of your cover letter. You have to sell yourself through this paragraph. It can extend from 1-2 paragraphs in length including:

• Your skills
• Your qualifications
• Your experiences
• Your competitive edge and strengths
• What can you bring to the company

Example: I received my business degree in 2015 with majors in marketing. I’m working as a marketing manager at company X where I look after the advertising, R&D and digital marketing departments. I have strong leadership skills and enjoy helping my team find innovative solutions to the problems. I have been awarded as the effective team leader in 2018. I feel that my previous education, experiences and my exceptional skills lend themselves well to all the challenges including expected and unexpected this job will bring.

Note: If you have multiple certifications and verifications, include only those experiences and certifications that are relevant to the job. Including too much information may make you overqualified for the job that might lead to rejection.

Conclusion:

This is the last paragraph where you have to end your cover letter with the call to action statement. This would request for contact information and a formal interview

Example: I look forward to the opportunity of meeting you to discuss more about this job. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Ending your Cover Letter:

End your cover letter with a thank you note with sincerely, your name on the left margin so that your cover letter would look like:

Your Name Your email address, Your contact number, Your city, Your LinkedIn ID (if present), Your Skype ID (if present). To, The Hiring Manager, Human Resource Department, Company’s name, Company’s address. Applying for the position Dear Sir/Madam, Or Dear Mr. or Miss. (Name), Paragraphs Introduction Sales pitch Conclusion Thank you for your consideration, Yours sincerely, (Your name)

The Dos and Don’ts of a Cover Letter:

Here are some points you need to consider when writing a cover letter like:

DO’S	DON’TS
Tailor your cover letter for every job.	Use the same cover letter for every job.
Research properly before writing.	Just start your cover letter blindly.
Follow a proper format.	Write in a bizarre way.
Include the recruiter name, job post and code (if given).	Write, “whomever it may concern”.
Write in first person.	Use third person tone.
Use a formal tone.	Use informal tone.
Restrict your cover letter to one page.	Extend beyond a single page.
Include very specific information precisely.	Add your whole CV in the cover letter.
Rephrase your info if “I” is used many times.	Use “I” too much.
Proofread your cover letter twice.	Do grammatical mistakes and typos.

We Are Here To Help You!

We hope that our guide will end your search to, “how to write a cover letter UK based”. But we are here to help you with our:

• Samples:
  Check out some best cover letter examples written by our experts. (Use some samples)
• Blogs:
  Check out our following blogs that might help you getting your favorite job.
  1. How to Make a CV Which Does Not Escape the Recruiter's Eye.
  2. A Guide On How to Dress Up For an Interview.
• Cover letter writing service:
  We also offer cover letter writing services. Whether you are a fresh graduate or applying for a senior position, you can avail our services for writing cover letter. We can:
  1. Write a customize cover letter for you.
  2. Edit and proofread your cover letter.
  3. Give advices for making your cover letter unique.