Vering letter tips: expert advice for graduates. Your covering letter is packaging for your CV, so put in the effort to tempt employers to read your whole application.
Photograph: Michael M Schwab/Getty Images Jo Moyle is a careers adviser at Oxford Brookes University Draw out all the reasons you're suitable for the job and wave them under the employer's nose: It's not uncommon for graduates to worry that referring in a covering letter to experience and achievements mentioned on the CV will be repetitive and unnecessary as the recruiter will get to the CV eventually. The result can be a letter with bland, unsupported statements creating a distinctly underwhelming first impression that is anything but a good advert for the CV. A good covering letter should whet the employer's appetite to read your CV - and ultimately to meet you - by drawing their attention to your experiences and achievements which most convincingly showcase your skills and suitability for the role. Phil Marsland is a careers adviser at Leeds Metropolitan University.
Get the right CV template for you. Here's a selection of CV templates to help your job application stand out.
Photograph: Alamy Every jobseeker, no matter how experienced, needs to make a great first impression with their CV. But starting the writing process can be tricky – how do you know what format would suit your career choice? What do recruiters find easy to read? Well, help is at hand — once you've identified which career description best fits your circumstances and experience from the options below, click on a word document CV template and start scribing. Graduate or first-jobber? If you have recently qualified, either as a postgraduate or in further education, a qualification-style CV is for you.
Don't be tempted to rely on a good grade, though. Download the qualifications-based template. Going for promotion? This CV type used to be the most common, as it favoured individuals that had progressed their career in one sector and possibly with one main employer. Download the reverse chronology-based template. Guardian careers. How to write a personal statement for your CV. Show an employer what you can bring to the table with a great CV profile.
Photograph: Pa A critical aspect of creating an effective CV is writing a personal statement, sometimes called a profile or career summary, that enables the recruiter to quickly identify the strategic value you can add to their organisation. Your CV should be a self-marketing document aimed at persuading the recruiter to interview you – and your personal statement is a critical part of making this happen. Many candidates struggle with writing the statement but it doesn't have to be a difficult as you may think. A well written statement can be between 50 and 200 words, although it is important not to ramble. It's important to read the job specification carefully and ensure not only that your skills and experience match but you reflect this in your statement.
For example an opening statement without the opening "I" could read: As a general rule, it's best to break the statement into three sections: Who you are.