Formatting a CV Cover Letter

Looking for a job and getting the right one as per your choice and qualifications is a hard nut to crack. Hundreds and thousands of CVs (curriculum vitae) come and go on a recruiter's desk every day without even getting attended too. The reason being, that either those CVs were not good enough to catch the recruiter's attention or were not relevant to the job position. When applying for a job one must make sure to prepare an attractive, interesting and informative CV and attach it with a cover letter provides detailed information about you, your skills and past job experiences that are not included in your CV. It explains to the employer your worth to the company and your reason for applying for the position. It could also be described as an individual's introduction to the employer without one being physically present at the point of the event. Based on the cover letter the recruiter will decide whether or not to go through the whole CV in detail.

Cover letters can be categorised into three groups based on the situations they are used in.

- When you respond to a job advertisement, mentioning their requirement for a certain position with your CV along with a cover letter is termed as an application letter or invited cover letter.

- Uninvited cover letter is one where the applicant sends in a job application along with a cover letter with the hope for a prospective job opening or to inquire for a future available position.

- In cases when you have a mediator, like with recruitment agencies or when you put up your CV online over the net, you request information and assistance to your mail address and a cover letter used then is termed as a networking letter.

A cover letter is generally one page long and includes a header which contains the sender's name, mailing address, contact number and e-mail address, any followed by date, full name and address of the recipient (the company). In addition, the letter is sure to include a salutation such as "dear sir/ madam" addressing the recruiter. Next in the queue is the introduction or the subject that takes care of the desired position you are applying for. The body of the covering letter is the most important part and must be catchy and interesting without missing out on crucial points such as why you wish to apply for the position, what interests you about the company and the desired position and how you can be an asset to the company. Issues like availability date, salary expectations, etc if any should be included in this section alone. Summarize everything you said in your letter previously and specify your intentions for the future when closing the letter. Lastly, a sincere thanks and a signature is all you need to finalize the cover letter.