How to write an application letter

We all love writing application letters. Said no one ever.

Applications and cover letters are time consuming, frustrating and often fruitless. However, unless we have a great contact referring us to companies, the likelihood is you are going to be writing many applications when job-seeking.

Then job searching is a numbers game, right? Well, yes and no. Even for the less popular jobs, companies receive on average 39 applications for one job and in the corporate sector it has been as high as 250 applications for one job, so you never want to put all your eggs in one basket – competition is fierce.

Something that happens everyday to recruiters is seeing hundreds of poorly written applications – which means they will not progress next stage of the selection process. What you need to do is find the balance of applying for the jobs you have the potential to succeed in, whilst ensuring you spend enough time to write good quality, tailored applications. Over the years I’ve seen many applications – some which had really excited me about a candidate before I’ve even met them and some where I’ve discarded them mid-way through a page.

So what makes the difference? Read on to see my top four practical and essential practices to adopt:

Plan your time wisely.

Everyone underestimates the time investment job searching needs – and the more you rush an application because the deadline closes in an hour, the less likely this application will take you through. Schedule application time like you would for appointments, have a structure and prioritise by closing date.

Open with the why.

A hugely common occurrence is seeing applications that don’t grasp you in the first paragraph and make you want to read on. Often the most impactful applications are ones that tell you more about the person applying and details you can’t get from a CV. You should always open your application with the why. Why are you applying for this company and why this role? Really think about your answer as your reason for applying will be different than others and writing a paragraph on what is genuinely appealing about the role, the company or the team and why you are going through this process will enable you to stand out from an often generic answer and engage the recruiter to be excited to read on.

Structure the letter.

Overly long and unstructured application letters put recruiters off. When I’m looking through hundreds of applications for one role in the space of a few hours I struggle to read through a lengthy three page application letter that has no focus. Your application cover letter or statement should be one page in length max. It should have your opening paragraph about the why, then three to four paragraphs where you can group together the key skills and experiences the job is looking for and focus on these. Alternatively, you can group your relevant experience for this particular job into three of four paragraphs and highlight where this meets the role requirements. Think about any key achievements you have that relate to this role or company, and passions or anything that a recruiter cannot see from your CV that can enhance your application.

Be concise and tailored.

As I said above, keep the letter concise and keep it relevant. Read through afterwards and ask if the recruiter needs to know all that information. Finally – and most importantly keep it tailored to this particular job and company – there are often paragraphs upon paragraphs in applications that are irrelevant for the job the candidate is applying to. Be harsh. Cut these out as keeping it focused will keep the recruiter reading and will reiterate your genuine interest in this particular job – not give the impression you have sent hundreds of applications for the same job out to every company.

Good luck!

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