Career Center – Cover Letter
Information on writing a cover letter for a job application
The Cover Letter
Every application requires a personalised cover letter that relates solely to the advertised post and aligns the requirements set out in the job advertisement with the applicant’s profile. This means that the post’s requirements must be substantiated with specific examples. These may include academic or school achievements, work experience gained during an internship or a part-time student job, as well as evidence of student activities or voluntary work.
Take your time; spend several days writing your cover letter and ask a friend to read it through as well. Before you start writing, make sure you’ve covered the following points:
>> Getting started:
- Research the sector, the company, the role and the position thoroughly.
- List the qualifications and soft skills required in the job advert.
- For each item on the list, add an example from your profile – in other words, check whether the advert matches your profile by around 70 per cent. This will serve as the basis for your cover letter.
- See also >>Job analysis
| Dos and Don’ts |
|---|
| Keep it to one page |
| Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation (the cover letter is the first example of your work that a potential employer will see) |
| Short, specific, concise sentences. Avoid nested clauses and parenthetical phrases within sentences. |
| No recounting of your CV |
| No false information or empty claims |
| Positive phrasing |
| Avoiding the subjunctive and the passive voice |
| The cover letter should be personalised and to the point, but also engaging and interesting |
| Write with purpose! With every sentence, ask yourself what message it conveys, what you want to say with it, or where you want it to lead. Draw the reader’s eye to the details you want to highlight. |
| Avoid repetitions and filler sentences |
| The cover letter is not part of the application pack; it should be placed on top of it or sent separately online. |
| Your cover letter should convey your enthusiasm and spark the reader’s curiosity about you! |
Structure of a cover letter
| What? | How? |
|---|---|
| Subject line | bold Application for / as... |
| Introduction (1 paragraph) | Do not repeat the subject line. Start with your strongest personal selling point – a 2–3-sentence teaser designed to pique people’s curiosity about you. Establish a link to the company straight away |
| Main section (approx. 2 paragraphs) | Proof of your qualifications (see ‘Getting Started’) Explain your motivation for the sector, the company and the role How can you contribute to the company’s success? Please ensure that you link these sections with a clear, substantive framework. For example, if you start by writing a paragraph about yourself and your qualifications, it is your responsibility to link this content in the following paragraph to the requirements, objectives, key focus areas and projects of the company you are applying to. |
| End (approx. 1 paragraph) | General details: Start date, duration of availability (e.g. for an internship), and, if required, salary expectations (gross annual salary) Expressing your delight at having a face-to-face conversation, or simply saying, ‘I’m delighted to hear from you.’ |
| Salutation | Kind regards |
| Name and signature | written in blue ink or scanned |
| Appendix(es) | Either just one application portfolio as an attachment, or several attachments (online) Appendices are not listed individually |
The letter of motivation
About the scholarship application
You can find a guide to writing a personal statement for scholarships, for example, on the MyStipendium website