Speculative Cover Letter
Once you have identified the company or person who you are going to target, you will need to send a copy of a targeted CV and cover letter written for a speculative approach.
The cover letter should be set out formally and include company address, date, your contact details, etc., and should be no longer than one side of A4.
What to consider and include:
- A named contact to start your letter is ideal, but can be hard to source. "Dear recruiter/recruiting team" will suffice.
- Mention how you researched their company, referencing LinkedIn conversations, careers fairs, alumni events.
- Mention why you are interested in them / their work (your motivation)
- What types of opportunities that you are interested in?
- What can you offer, skills, knowledge, experience?
- When are you available?
- The letter should be concise, persuasive and eye catching.
- Ensure that you proof read. If possible, get someone else to proof read it, checking for grammar, punctuation, etc.
- End well, If you started your letter writing to a named person, you should finish "Yours sincerely". Otherwise is should end "Yours faithfully".
Avoid:
- Don't skip the evidence. Just stating you’ve got the required skills will not be convincing. Provide context for where you developed your skills, which leads to credibility.
- Don't make it too generic or vague.
- Don't waffle! Going off on tangents can distract and frankly put the employer off. So, think about what is relevant to the company and in particular, the type of opportunity that you are seeking.
