career development skills
Writing Effective Cover Letters & Application Forms
The course aims to promote an understanding of the importance of cover letter and application forms.
The purpose of a covering letter is to communicate to a potential employer a specific message. The cover letter seeks to answer the fundamental question: why should I hire you? It's vital that it makes a strong, confident impression. Being able to create a distinctive cover letter is an important skill to have in today's competitive job market.
The purpose of an application form is to make it easier for potential employers to filter you out of the vacancy filling process. It also of course provides information on the applicant's skills in specific areas and can allow a firm to gather information on its recruitment process.
Objectives
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Cover Letters
- Define what a cover letter is
- Outline different styles and structures of cover letters
- Identify information needs of potential employers
Application Forms
- Explain the purpose of an application form
- Develop techniques for filling in application forms
- Identify why employers are asking particular questions
Programme Outline
Participants are introduced to a range of subjects drawing on:
Cover Letters
- Your purpose in writing
- Targeting your letter, adopting the right tone and hooking the reader's interest
- Demonstrating your knowledge of the employer
- Winning words; hackneyed phrases
- Selling yourself; asking for the interview and following up
Application Forms
- What do employers want?
- Tackling difficult questions
- Completing the form and what not to do in filling in your form
- Help! there's a small box here where they have asked me to hang myself: whatever do I write?
- The truth, the whole truth and maybe a little half truth?
