How to Write a Cover Letter – NZ Style

When you are applying for a job in New Zealand, you will often be asked to send your CV/Resume and a cover letter.

A cover letter is a supplemental document.  So while you may have a ‘generic’ CV/Resume that you send to every other employers, each cover letter is individualized to the job you are applying reflecting your knowledge of the employer’s needs.

The purpose of the cover letter is to introduce yourself and motivate the reader to interview you!  If job hunting is akin to courting the girl of your dreams, the cover letter is your ticket to first date, so make sure you nail it!

Like any other letters, a cover letter has three parts:

• Introduction
• Body
• Closing

Within the content of your letter, highlight why you are interested in the organization and why they should be interested in you.  Have you looked at the job description?  What qualifications/trainings/experience do you have that fit their requirements?  Also, don’t forget soft skills such as strong communications skills, building relationships, time management and others.

When you are writing a cover letter, use a business letter format (most common: full block style).  This means that all parts of your letter (date, recipient’s address, salutation and closing) are all aligned on the left hand side of the paper.  Think ‘no indents’ – like ever.  The salutation also ends in a colon.  

Example of Salutation Format:  

Dear Mr. Smith:

Equally important, limit your cover letter to one page.  You want attention-grabbing letter (like that 30 second ad you easily remember), NOT a novel (Maalaala Mo Kaya) submission.

Finally, remember to check your spelling and grammar.  Proofreading is REQUIRED, not optional. If you are not confident with what you’ve written, ask a friend to review your work.  Or better, use free online tools to check your spelling and grammar.