Job Searching Skills
Covering Letter and Résumé Writing Skills
Covering letter and résumé are the first set of tools used to impress the employers and win an interview opportunity. It is worth investing time and effort in preparing an impressive covering letter and résumé. Let’s pave our career path from preparing a high impact covering letter and resume!
Tips on writing a covering letter
Tips on writing a covering letter
Before Writing a Covering letter:
- Read carefully and understand the requirements of the post advertised.
- Collect information and understand the background of the recruiting company.
Writing a Covering letter:
- Tailor a covering letter for each company and each position that you are applying for. Do not send a standard one for every job.
- Address to the person responsible of the organization and ensure correct spelling of the name, title and address of the person concerned.
- Spell out clearly your aims, qualifications and experience with examples that meet the requirements of the post.
- Emphasize and elaborate several strong points of yours as stated in your résumé.
- Mention that your résumé is enclosed.
- Be concise and clear.
- Take a polite, positive, enthusiastic and confident tone.
- Keep your letter neat, well-spaced and in short paragraphs.
- Check the spelling and grammar of the letter.
- Confine your letter to one-page A4 white paper.
- Print your letter on good quality paper and use a matching envelope.
- Give your full name in the covering letter and remember to sign the letter.
After Writing a Covering Letter:
- Make a copy for your future reference.
- Send out the covering letter with résumé as soon as possible.
Tips on preparing Résumé
- Tailor a résumé for each company and each position that you are applying for. Do not send a standard résumé for every job.
- State clearly your career objective – e.g. how you would like to see yourself in your career in the next 5 or 10 years.
- Use plenty of action words.
- Sell your strong points and achievements honestly and concisely. You must quantify your achievements and experience by using numbers and facts.
- State your education, work experience and extra-curricular activities in reverse chronological order.
- Limit your résumé to one or two pages. Do not include irrelevant information as the employers will only skim but not study your résumé.
- Present your résumé in a neat and tidy manner. It should be organized, systematic, easy to read, with clear headings and indentations, well-spaced and in point form.
- Use full form and avoid using abbreviation.
- Include a professional photo of yourself (optional). Please ensure that you are dressed in proper business attire and look pleasant in the photo.
- If you have a referee, put down the name of company s/he is working in, his/her job title and email address.
- Check the spelling, grammar and punctuation before sending out your résumé.
- Ask someone to go through your résumé for potential mistakes or missing information.
- Print your résumé on good quality A4 white colour paper.