Oxford

APPLICATION ESSENTIALS
“The cover letter gives you scope to showcase what interests and drives you,
and your enthusiasm for an organisation and the role.
“
Your Address
your.email@provider.com
D
Their Address
Date
Dear . . .
Opening Paragraph: Simply state what you are applying for and where you found out about
it – for example CareerConnect. This tells the recruiter why they are reading the letter, and gives
them feedback on which of their advertising sources are working. Introduce yourself: what you
are studying, where, and which year you are in or when you will finish.
Your letter needs to explain why you are interested in the position and/or the organisation.
Differentiate yourself. A genuine show of evidenced enthusiasm and specific knowledge of
the organisation will set you apart from those sending generic letters. Draw on your research,
especially what you have learnt from speaking with their staff, to demonstrate an awareness
and understanding of the business or the way they work which goes beyond the corporate
website. Be specific about why you want to join the organisation or why the position is
particularly attractive for you, and back this up with evidence from your past, or by linking this to
your overall career plans and what you find exciting about the particular sector.
You should also aim to show how you meet each ‘essential’ criterion within the job
description, and maybe some ‘desirables’ too. Even if you think the position is out of reach, your
job is to convince the recruiter you are qualified enough and able to do the job. Focus on your
accomplishments and the transferable skills that are relevant to the role and state explicitly
how you match the criteria - don’t expect the person reading your letter to infer skills or abilities
from your experience.
Support your claims by referring to examples that are further detailed in your CV. You can
make a stronger, more credible case by linking different experiences that highlight similar skills
or competencies. For example:
• you first demonstrated your organizational skills by creating [an event] at school, and you
have developed these further by raising [£---] at last year’s fundraiser and, most recently,
by leading [another event] for your Society attended by [number] of people.
• the role (applied for) would allow you use your passion for helping others, which has
driven your success as College Welfare Officer and the personal sense of achievement
gained from working as a peer counsellor.
Closing paragraph: Keep it simple and clear. Thank the employer for their interest in your
application and reiterate your desire to join the organisation! Point towards the next step: say
that you look forward to interviewing or discussing the position with them soon, and can even
specify the week/date if you know there is a clear interview timescale.
Yours faithfully, (If you have started ‘Dear Sir or Madam’)
Yours sincerely, (If you managed to address the letter to a specific person)
Signature
www.careers.ox.ac.uk 45