how to write a cover letter
A cover letter should:
A cover letter should not:
Formatting you cover letter
- Be a one page document
- Be easy to read
- Have the purpose of expressing your interest, not to impress the employer
- Include your contact information
A cover letter should not:
- Have any spelling or grammatical mistakes
- Have any abbreviations
- Include your age or gender
- Include images
- Include your results, or achievements
Formatting you cover letter
- Use margins of 1 to 1.5 points for a good first visual impression.
- Use an official font such as times new roman or arial, in the size 11 to 12.
- Do not write more than one page.
content of a cover letter
1. Contact information
2. Introduction
3. Sell yourself:
4. Conclusion
- Start with your contact information, and your employer's contact information.
- Include names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails.
2. Introduction
- Find out the name of the person you are writing to. This will show you have put effort into researching the employer, and have adapted your cover letter to them, not just sent a generic letter.
- If it is impossible to find the name of the person who will be reading the letter, you can start with saying "Dear Sir/Madam".
- Avoid starting with, "to whom it may concern".
- In the first paragraph introduce who you are, the position you would like to apply to, and how you found out about the opportunity
- Following this, present yourself, what stage you are in in your career, your previous employment, and your career objectives. E.g. if you are a student you would write, "I am a student of politics and public administration at the University of Dar es Salaam. I am interested into going into a career in the public sector, and so I would be interested in applying for this volunteering role with your NGO."
3. Sell yourself:
- In this paragraph, you should concisely describe your knowledge, your key skills, and your personal selling points. This information should all be linked directly to the job description you are applying for.
4. Conclusion
- In your concluding paragraph, you should end informing the employer that you would enjoy this opportunity, and that you hope to hear back from them soon.