Cover letters
A cover letter is a short business letter that accompanies your CV and serves as an
introduction to it. It is very important, as it is your first point of contact with a company.
It is your chance to impress by matching your qualifications and experience to the
company’s needs/mission. An impressive cover letter should gain the attention of a busy
Human Resource Manager and persuade her/him to look at your CV. Hopefully, if your
CV is equally impressive, an interview will follow.
Cover Letter Tips:

Include the person’s full name, job title, company name and company address.
If you don’t have a name try the company’s web site or phone to ask for it. Sign
off with Yours sincerely.

Include your full name, address and contact details.

Use a formal greeting with titles as appropriate (Ms, Mr, Dr). Check name
spellings e.g. “Smith” or “Smyth”. Dear Dr. Smith….

Keep it short.

Tell why you are writing and your qualifications/experience for the job.

Focus on the specific needs of each employer, don’t use a generic letter.

Refer to specific information about the company gleaned from your research.

Be positive and creative.

Use good quality A4 paper (same as resume). Single space the letter and double
space the paragraphs. Leave 4 spaces before “yours sincerely”. Check spelling
and grammar. Type address on proper sized, good quality envelope.

Follow up within a week with a telephone call.
COVER LETTER GUIDELINES
Applicant’s Address
Tel/Mobile number
Date
Individual’s Name
Job Title
Company Name
Address
Dear Mr./Ms./Dr (get title and spelling correct)
Opening Paragraph: State your reason for writing, the position or type of work for
which you are applying and mention how you heard of the position or organisation.
Refer the reader to the enclosed resume and ask for consideration of your qualifications.
Middle Paragraph: This is your opportunity to sell yourself but be brief. The resume
has the details. Summarise your qualifications and emphasise any achievements or skills
that make you particularly suitable for this job/company.
Fourth Paragraph: Explain why you want to work for this employer and/or this type of
work. Mention something about the organisation - its services/products, expansion.
diversity etc.
Closing Paragraph: Indicate your availability for an interview with times when you
may be contacted. You might even want to say here that you will contact them within a
certain time. Thank the reader for the time and consideration given to your application.
Yours sincerely
(signature over line)
Name Typed
Kylemore House
Threadneedle Road
Galway
091-4444444
20th June 2010
Ms. Kay Thompson
Human Resource Manager
Marin Pharmaceuticals
Charlotte Quay
Dublin 2
Dear Ms Thompson,
Recently I spoke with Mr. Kelly from your Marketing Department, who suggested I
contact you concerning employment opportunities with Marin Pharmaceuticals. I am a
final year degree student in the Athlone Institute of Technology and am very interested in
pursuing a career in Marketing Management with your company.
My Bachelor of Business Studies degree has provided me with both academic and
practical experience. I have worked with Alvion Cosmetics mainly in the area of market
research. I was given sole responsibility for collating and analysing survey results on
several proposed new products and reporting back to management.
I would particularly like to work for your company because, although it is a dynamic
growing organisation, it is strongly committed to a Fair Trade ethos, something which I
believe is very important. Also, as you are newly expanding into Europe I might get an
opportunity to put my fluency in French to practical use in the workplace.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider my application. I would welcome an
opportunity to discuss career possibilities and my qualifications in a personal interview
with you. You can contact me at the above phone number any evening or on my mobile:
087-66667778, at any time.
Yours sincerely,
__________
Mary Smith
5 Beechwood Avenue
Rockglen
Bantry
Co. Cork
Tel: 087-242444444
27th April 2010
Mr. Michael Egan
Human Resource Manager
Westmeath County Council
Main Street
Mullingar
Co. Westmeath
Dear Mr. Egan,
I am currently studying the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Civil Engineering in
Athlone Institute of Technology, and would like to apply for the position with Westmeath
County Council as advertised by Athlone Institute of Technology Career’s Service.
For the past two summers I have been working with a large building firm and gained
extensive experience both as a General Labourer during the first summer and as a
Carpenter’s Assistant last year. Also, during school and college in my technical drawing
studies I became quite proficient in at drawing house plans.
I would love to work with Westmeath County Council as I’m interested in all aspects of
civil engineering and Westmeath County Council is involved in a diverse range of
projects. In particular, I understand major road works are currently being developed in
the county as well as a number of large scale sewerage and water projects. I would
welcome gaining experience in all of these areas.
I can be contacted at the above phone number at any time and am available for interview
from May 25th when my exams finish. Thank you for taking the time to consider my
application and I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
__________
John Murphy
Drumdoo
Mohill
Co.Leitrim
Tel: (078)000000
Ms. Jean Smith
HR Manager
Marks & Spencer’s’
Grafton Street
Dublin 2
27-1-10
Dear Ms. Smith,
I am a final year student in the Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours) in Athlone
Institute of Technology and would like to apply for the position of Trainee Marketing
Manager with your company, as advertised on the www.irishjobs.ie website. Please find
enclosed my CV with details of my qualifications and experience to date.
I am a hard worker and very well organised. To date I have averaged a 2:1 while
working part time during term time to finance my studies. Also, I received an “Employee
of The Year Award” from Burger King last year. This competition was open to
employees from all over the midland region.
I would love the opportunity to work for Marks & Spencer’s as I have always admired
the range and quality of your products and services: clothes, home furnishings, gifts,
beauty, food and financial services. During my time with Kilkenny Design I came to
really enjoy the marketing exposure I obtained, which in turn influenced my decision to
specialise in Marketing in my final year.
Thank you for taking your time to consider my application. I am available for interview
any time and could commence work on the 30th of May on completion of my exams. You
can contact me at the above phone numbers any evening.
Yours sincerely,
__________
Sandra McNamara
Main Street
Ballintubber
Co.Sligo
Tel: (078)000000
rmonaghan@stait.ie.com
Mr. Michael Smith
HR Manager
Ericsson
Garrycastle
Athlone
27-1-10
Dear Mr. Smith,
I am writing to apply for the position of Graduate Software Engineer with your company,
as advertised on the Careers Office website. Please find enclosed my CV with details of
my qualifications and experience to date.
As a final year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Software Engineering I have a lot
to offer in terms of academic achievement and experience. To date in my college career I
have averaged a 1:1 in my exam results and I expect a 1:1 Honours degree in the coming
finals. In addition my projects have scored in the high firsts with my top subjects being
Compiler Design and Software Systems Design.
I would love the opportunity to work for your company as I have just recently completed
my Final Year Project in telecommunications and won the Ericsson Award. During my
time there I gained valuable experience in Software Design (Java) and in automated
testing using scripts. I am interested in all aspects of Software Engineering and am happy
to work in any part of the Design lifecycle from Software Design through to
troubleshooting.
Thank you for taking your time to consider my application. I am available for interview
any time and could commence work on the 30th of May on completion of my exams. You
can contact me at the above phone number or email address.
Yours sincerely,
__________
Robert Monaghan