[BulgeBracket]

Do you actually write it like a letter, with adresses, 'Dear' etc. Or do you write it like an essay in paragraphs?
Im a bit confused as we are inputting it online..

[graduate_recruiter]

Write it with Dear Sir/Madam and sign it off Yours Sincerely. You should have 3-4 paragraphs depending on the number of words allowed. Don't bother with addresss or making it look like a letter format.

GR
gradrecruiter.blogspot.com

[CityBoy8]

(Original post by graduate_recruiter)
Write it with Dear Sir/Madam and sign it off Yours Sincerely. You should have 3-4 paragraphs depending on the number of words allowed. Don't bother with addresss or making it look like a letter format.

GR
gradrecruiter.blogspot.com

Why is it 'Yours Sincerely'?

[threeportdrift]

If you are being asked to upload a covering letter as an attachment, then you lay it out as a standard, formal letter, with addresses, salutation and signature block. In this case you do not need to put the recipients address above the salutation.

If you are asked to upload a covering letter into a plain box on a form, then skip the addresses, salutation and signature block, just put in the main body of the letter.

As with any formal letter, if you have addressed it to a person by name, then you sign in off Yours sincerely. If you address it to any generic title, Dear HR Manager or Dear Sir/Madam then you close with Yours faithfully. In neither case is the second word capitalised.

[Curious888]

I have done two applications without bothering with the covering letter - both got through to the next stages, and the absence of a covering letter was never mentioned in interviews.

I was too lazy. But they didnt seem to mind.

[threeportdrift]

(Original post by Curious888)

I was too lazy. But they didnt seem to mind.

How do you know?

[Frontier]

(Original post by graduate_recruiter)
Write it with Dear Sir/Madam and sign it off Yours Sincerely. You should have 3-4 paragraphs depending on the number of words allowed. Don't bother with addresss or making it look like a letter format.

GR
gradrecruiter.blogspot.com

Should be "Yours Faithfully" if addressed to Sir/Madam, and "Yours Sincerely" if addressed to a specific person

[graduate_recruiter]

(Original post by Frontier)
Should be "Yours Faithfully" if addressed to Sir/Madam, and "Yours Sincerely" if addressed to a specific person

Yes, I know, I stand corrected. But to be honest, just to add, as a recruiter I never read or notice the salutations, and certainly wouldn't rule someone out for getting sincerely/faithfully wrong.

GR

[Frontier]

(Original post by graduate_recruiter)
Yes, I know, I stand corrected. But to be honest, just to add, as a recruiter I never read or notice the salutations, and certainly wouldn't rule someone out for getting sincerely/faithfully wrong.

GR

Yes I agree.. I was just being anal

[threeportdrift]

(Original post by graduate_recruiter)
Yes, I know, I stand corrected. But to be honest, just to add, as a recruiter I never read or notice the salutations, and certainly wouldn't rule someone out for getting sincerely/faithfully wrong.

GR

Fair enough, but if just 20% of graduate recruiters are literate enough to know the difference and believe that a grasp of the fundamentals of writing business letters is important for the role and/or a reflection of your education, attention to detail, or general knowledge, then failing to get the salutation and sign off in a covering letter correct, will reduce your chances by 20%. That seems rather a lot, especially in this forum which obsesses over the differences between Warwick and UCL, Maths at Imperial or Oxford, Economics or Economics and Econometrics etc for which there is clearly no difference that isn't overcome by the personal qualities of applicants.

[Curious888]

(Original post by threeportdrift)
How do you know?

Because they put me through.

[bluenoxid]

(Original post by graduate_recruiter)
Yes, I know, I stand corrected. But to be honest, just to add, as a recruiter I never read or notice the salutations, and certainly wouldn't rule someone out for getting sincerely/faithfully wrong.

GR

Oh right. Well, I hate to say this but you are one graduate recruiter and I can comfortably tell you that others would take it into account. Attention to detail can mean everything.

Cover Letters online are the same as ones printed off. I have seen some debate on how essential the address for the company is but I would say that it shows that you have researched the company.

[threeportdrift]

(Original post by Curious888)
Because they put me through.

All that shows is that they put you through despite your failure to put in a cover letter. What else was in your application? Can everyone guarantee to have an equally strong CV in every aspect, and hit that same CV reader, for the same role, in the same company, in the same competitive field?

[Curious888]

(Original post by threeportdrift)
All that shows is that they put you through despite your failure to put in a cover letter. What else was in your application? Can everyone guarantee to have an equally strong CV in every aspect, and hit that same CV reader, for the same role, in the same company, in the same competitive field?

Did I ever suggest this?

I'd bolded one bit, because whilst that is all that my posts show, thats all that I wanted them to show. I didnt ever suggest that you should never do a cover letter, but was merely suggesting that they might not have a massive effect on your application, seeing as mine got through without one.

Easy up and relax man.