Example Cover Letter

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64 Minehead Avenue Withington Manchester M20 1FW Telephone: 07123 456 789 Email:
adam.jones@hotmail.co.uk
Mr Graham Stoker
Graduate Recruitment Manager
Smith Partners
16 Arlington Road
Manchester
M14 6LZ
25 October 2010
Dear Mr Stoker,
Re: 355/001: Graduate Trainee Audit
I would like to apply for the graduate trainee - audit programme, currently advertised on WikiJob.co.uk. I
enclose my CV for your consideration.
I first became interested in audit during my first year of university, when I attended a presentation
by Smith Partners. Audit appeals to my long standing interests in business and mathematics, and I feel is a
function that would allow me to see projects through from start to finish, working relatively autonomously.
I am particularly attracted to working at Smith Partners because of the firms excellent reputation, focus on
client value, and the opportunity to train for the CIMA qualification, which will help me develop my skills and
career. I met with current graduate trainees at the Smith Partners September open day and was impressed by
the friendliness of employees and very positive descriptions of working life, at the firm.
I come from an advanced academic and analytical background having completed a degree in finance and
mathematics at the University of Manchester and believe I am well qualified to add value to the audit team
at Smith Partners. I have extensive experience working as an accounts clerk at Driftbridge Plc, speak several
foreign languages and have advanced workplace skills in management, people development and presenting.
Having completed a degree and taken a gap year, I feel I am now ready to take up the challenge of full
employment.
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Thank you for your time and consideration. I am available for interview from 31st October onwards, and look
forward to taking the opportunity to talk with you further about my application.
Yours sincerely,
Adam Jones
Top 3 Tips:
1. Always write to a specific individual - never address covering letters to Dear 'Sir' or 'Madam'. Use "Mr",
"Mrs", "Miss" or "Ms" and then your contact's surname. Never use their first name.
2. Tailor your letters to each application - don't mass produce them. You will undoutedly get
more interviews by sending out a small number of well written covering letters, than by sending out many
poorly written ones.
3. Keep things concise - three or four brief paragraphs is fine. A covering letter should be a maximum of
one A4 page.
Further Information:
Mention any relevant qualifications in this case a degree.
Mention any relevant work experience in this case, working as an accounts clerk at Driftbridge.
Refer to any training or details mentioned in the advert in the case above we referred to CIMA.
Remember to compliment firms on their reputation or other characteristics.
Letters addressed it to a specific person, should be signed with Yours sincerely. Letters addresses to
Sir/Madam should be signed 'Yours Faithfully'.
Include your mobile telephone number in the letter.
If the work was in a specific industry (e.g. tax advice), we would have mentioned this too, and why we
are interested & suitable.
Keep your covering letter concise - only use one side of A4 paper.
In conclusion, you must do the following:
Highlight any relevant experience & qualifications (degree & current role)
Show a desire to work for an employer (in this case, reputation & client focus)
Explain why you want the job & what the benefit to you is (in this case, CIMAtraining).
Indicate how you can be reached.
Use the structure set out in the example cover letter as a guide. Make sure that when your letter is finished
your spelling and grammar is flawless. A carelessly written cover letter will almost certainly guarantee a
rejection.