Like most recruitment consultants, I rarely read covering letters.

Nobody is going to read a 500 word document that’s basically repeating what’s already on your CV. Especially in time-pressured situations when there are hundreds of potential candidates to choose from.

If you want me to read your covering letter, make sure it’s engaging. A well-written covering letter will also make your application stand out.

Common pitfalls of the covering letter

The problem with most covering letters is that they’re long, dense and boring. They’re also filled with needlessly long words that nobody really uses.

Make your covering letter easy to skim

CVs are light and easy to skim, which is why recruiters use these more than covering letters.

Covering letters, on the other hand, are filled with chunky paragraphs. This tends to look dense and daunting.  But there are strategies you can use to make them easier on the eyes.

To begin with, you should use short sentences and short paragraphs. They’re easier to skim and make the document look less text-heavy.

Avoid using words that people are unfamiliar with. Using words that people have to think about will just interrupt the skimming process.

Be clear

We can all get a little excited with flowery language and complex sentences when making a point. But bear in mind that clarity beats creativity every time.

Obscure words don’t impress anybody. Nobody wants to spend time translating them.

It’s much better to be precise and make your point in as few words as you can.

Make it personal

Generic covering letters can actually hinder your application. If you’re interested in a role, make it obvious by tailoring your covering letter.

Firstly, find out who you are writing to. With the online tools available to us, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to find a name.

Failing this, move away from the generic ‘Dear sir or madam’ and try something more creative, like ‘Dear distinguished reader’.

Also, make sure that your covering letter isn’t just your employment history. Don’t give details on achievements or experiences that aren’t related to the job. This will make it obvious you haven’t thought about what you’re included and will make your letter longer.

Make it engaging

One of the best ways to make your CV engaging is to use the ‘you’ model. This is where you write using the word ‘you’ a lot more than you use the words ‘I’…a bit like how I’ve written this entire post.

This works because people are much more interested in themselves than they are you. By using the word ‘you’ you are letting the recruiter talk about themselves.

For some jobs it won’t be appropriate, but use light humour when you can. I always include the following line:

Just in case you haven't been inundated with enough CVs, here's mine to add to your collection, sorry! (Note, I’ve used the word ‘you’ twice, but haven’t used the word ‘I at all).

Don’t attach it to the email

A covering letter is supposed to be an introduction, so you should include it in the main body of your email, rather than attaching it.

It saves you the trouble of writing a separate introduction to your email. People are also more likely to read it as they don’t have to bother downloading it.