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Should I send a Cover Letter with my CV?

So, imagine the scenario, you have identified a great job you wish to apply for and have painstakingly composed/updated your CV to send to the employer; all is looking good at this point.

The question is now, should you also send a cover letter – Some employers will naturally ask for one, but what about those who don’t?

Think of it in this way;

Your CV should ideally be no more than two pages in length, this can sometimes be a challenge, especially when you have built up many years of experience; this often leads to individuals not being able to include everything they want to on their CV…. Could any of this information be noted within a cover letter?

A cover letter is commonly composed using only one side of A4, and will of course include key facts relating to the opportunity being applied for, but this should still leave potentially precious space to expand on areas from your CV.  These could be ones you wish to ensure the reader focuses on, the content of the letter in this case will act in a signposting capacity.

Apart from this, you need to use the letter to showcase the fact that you have researched the company and opportunity being applied for, this research may reflect on the company’s mission statement, key values or plans for future development for example.

From this point you can dedicate a paragraph of a few lines in length, identifying your skill-sets which you believe are directly relevant to the role, this will help the reader understand why you are applying and offer evidence as to why you think you can actually do the job.

When all is said and done, the cover letter gives you one more page of content to tell the reader more about yourself, skills, experience which is relevant to the role; so why not grab this opportunity with both hands and make the most of it.

Composing a Cover Letter is an aspect of your employability we at Haven Career Hut can help you with; if you are struggling to write one at the moment, why not get in touch and allow us to offer you the benefit of our experience. 

Good luck – Haven Career Hut

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Written by Haven Career Hut

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