{"id":1161,"date":"2018-11-16T12:26:32","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T12:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=1161"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:56:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:56:32","slug":"cover-letters-a-guide-to-writing-the-perfect-letter-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2018\/11\/16\/cover-letters-a-guide-to-writing-the-perfect-letter-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Cover Letters: a guide to writing the perfect letter (part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Following last week's guide (<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2018\/11\/06\/cover-letters-a-guide-to-writing-the-perfect-cover-letter-part-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2018\/11\/06\/<\/a>) on how to structure and plan writing your cover letter; this guide will focus on the best information to include and how to make sure the employer knows that you're the best for the job!<\/p>\n<h2><u>Things employers want to see<\/u><\/h2>\n<h3><u>Motivation<\/u><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Why <\/em><\/strong>are you interested in their company?<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Why <\/em><\/strong>are you interested in that specific role?<\/li>\n<li>What do you know about the company and sector \u2013 <strong><em>how <\/em><\/strong>has it motivated you to want to work with them?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make them feel special<\/strong> - why are you choosing this company over other similar companies?<\/li>\n<li>Use emphatic language - get your\u00a0<em><strong>passions\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>across. Show them you're\u00a0<em><strong>eager\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>and <strong><em>excited<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Give real examples that demonstrate your enthusiasm! (and from various backgrounds - academic, work, social)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><u>What relevant skills you have<\/u><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Highlight the <strong>key aspects<\/strong> of the job and make <strong>direct comparisons<\/strong> with your own skills and experiences \u2013 <strong>no listing! <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Explain <strong><em>how <\/em><\/strong>you have those skills with examples<\/li>\n<li>Show the <strong>success or result <\/strong>of the experience \u2013 <em>grade achieved? New skill learned? Overcame a challenge? Praised by employer? <\/em><\/li>\n<li>Based on your skills, <em><strong>why<\/strong><\/em> are you the best candidate?<\/li>\n<li>Use the <strong>buzzwords<\/strong> \u2013 repeat their language<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><u>That you actually understand the job!<\/u><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Being selective is important - focus on the most important job duties<\/li>\n<li>Relate to them with your most recent and relevant experiences\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Why <\/em><\/strong>are you best for this specific role, based on what you know\/have experienced?<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>How<\/strong><\/em> you will apply your skills to the job (be <strong>specific <\/strong>- this is where most students fall down)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Avoid just repeating what is asked in the job description - this is too vague. Show that you understand what you'll be doing day-to-day!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><u>Your USP (Unique Selling Point)<\/u><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>What additional skills do you have?<\/li>\n<li>Do you have a unique skill\/experience that <strong>sets you aside<\/strong> from other candidates?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>E.g. You may be applying for a marketing role within the early years learning sector. They probably aren\u2019t looking for someone who has experience with children \u2013 but if you do, <strong>this is your USP<\/strong>. <\/em><br \/>\n<em>Have you completed an additional course? Have you attended networking events or conferences?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><u>Avoiding duplicating info on your CV<\/u><\/h2>\n<p>Your CV should list your key skills and experiences, but your cover letter will <strong>explain how<\/strong> these skills and experiences are <strong>relevant to the role<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Focus on a few of the most <strong>relevant <\/strong>skills and experiences - Delve deeper -<strong> how<\/strong> you put these to use<\/li>\n<li><em>Would you be confident putting them to use again? Do you want to develop these skills further?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Should be bespoke to every application<\/li>\n<li>Have a <strong>mini intro and mini conclusion<\/strong> for each paragraph<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><u>How to sound confident in your abilities<\/u><\/h2>\n<h3><u>Sentence Flow<\/u><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Read your cover letter <strong>aloud<\/strong> \u2013 if you find you\u2019re gasping for breath, break up the sentences with full stops\/commas<\/li>\n<li>Each thought should link to the next<\/li>\n<li>Pretend you\u2019re giving a presentation \u2013 do you sound convincing? Are you persuaded by your own letter?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><u>Positivity <\/u><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Keep your tone confident and positive throughout \u2013 show passion, energy and drive!<\/li>\n<li>You might use your cover letter to explain bad grades, or a gap in your CV <strong>BUT focus on the positives! <\/strong>i.e. What have you done to bounce back from bad grades?<\/li>\n<li>Maybe you're choosing a career \/ Master's study in a different field to your undergraduate? Focus on positives you learned and what you're eager to be doing next<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><u>Things to remember<\/u><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Focus on motivation for role \u2013 <strong>why<\/strong> you are interested, <strong>why <\/strong>your skills relate to job<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t repeat your CV \u2013 be specific on <strong>why<\/strong> you are a strong match<\/li>\n<li>1<sup>st<\/sup> impression is critical! Check typos and grammar (UK spell check)<\/li>\n<li>If it is generic, it is likely to be rejected<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><u>Useful Resources<\/u><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><u>Application, CV and cover letter guide<\/u>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/students\/careers\/docs.bho\/cvguide.pdf\">http:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/students\/careers\/docs.bho\/cvguide.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><u>Feedback from an Applications Advisor <\/u>\u2013 book a 15 min appointment to look through your cover letter and suggest improvements\n<ul>\n<li><u>https:\/\/myfuture.bath.ac.uk\/students\/appointments\/app\/topic\/1?siteId=1<\/u><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><u>Prospects<\/u>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prospects.ac.uk\/careers-advice\/cvs-and-cover-letters\/cover-letters\">https:\/\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prospects.ac.uk\/careers-advice\/cvs-and-cover-letters\/cover-letters\">www.prospects.ac.uk\/careers-advice\/cvs-and-cover-letters\/cover-letters<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><u>The Balance Careers<\/u><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebalancecareers.com\/cover-letters-4161919\">https:\/\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebalancecareers.com\/cover-letters-4161919\">www.thebalancecareers.com\/cover-letters-4161919<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><u>Bath Connection<\/u>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/campaigns\/bath-connection\/\">https<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/campaigns\/bath-connection\/\">:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/campaigns\/bath-connection<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/campaigns\/bath-connection\/\">\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following last week's guide (blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2018\/11\/06\/) on how to structure and plan writing your cover letter; this guide will focus on the best information to include and how to make sure the employer knows that you're the best for the job!...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1177,"featured_media":1221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[748],"tags":[16,412,384,414,413,41,397],"class_list":["post-1161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive","tag-applications","tag-confident","tag-cover-letter","tag-guide","tag-motivation","tag-skills","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2018\/11\/rawpixel-623440-unsplash.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1177"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}