By Taryn Mungur, Executive Recruitment & Panel Support Consultant, Eden Ritchie Recruitment 

Yes, it is still valid!

A cover letter allows you to introduce yourself to the company.  It summarises why you are a strong candidate for the position.  A cover letter allows the reader to take notice of your resume and it connects your skills, abilities and work experiences to the key competencies in the position description.  The benefit of a cover letter is to shape your credentials to the position.  It serves as a connection between the requirements of the advertised position, and your skills and abilities.  It also showcases the information not necessarily depicted in your resume and it enhances your chances of securing an interview.  In addition, a cover letter demonstrates your writing skills and ability to communicate.

Essentially, the cover letter serves as an introduction of who you are, your reasons for contacting the recipient, how you came to know about the position, a synopsis of your background and why you want the position.

Points to consider in a cover letter:

• Convey your interest for the company.
• Highlight a mutual objective but keep it brief.
• Reveal an impressive achievement.
• Highlight your passion for what you do.

• Copy and pasting the same generic cover for every application
• Addressing your letter to the wrong person, organisation or role (often happens because you have copied past letters)
• Writing more than 1-2 pages
• Writing only a couple of paragraphs (why bother)
• Not supplying at all – when it’s requested as part of the application
• Too much management theory and/or aspirational claims and not enough evidence

Important to remember to proofread your cover letter to ensure there are no spelling and grammatical errors as they can make a bad first impression!

To view our current opportunities, visit us at Eden Ritchie Recruitment