The CV Cover Letter: What It Is and How to Write It Well

A CV cover letter is a written communication that highlights a candidate’s suitability for a job. Its main purpose is to introduce a professional for a job opportunity and support their curriculum vitae (CV). While you should use your CV to describe your education, skills, experience, and academic achievements in detail, you can use the cover letter to engage the hiring manager and highlight your qualifications that best match what the employer is looking for. You can send this document to a potential employer via email or hard copy.

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A CV cover letter is important for many reasons, such as:

• The hiring manager may read it first. Due to its role as an introductory communication and its brevity, a CV cover letter is usually one of the first documents a hiring manager reads about a candidate.
• It can communicate your eligibility more effectively than your CV: A properly written cover letter can communicate your eligibility for a job more effectively than the CV it supports because it contains only the most important information that addresses the requirements in the job listing. In contrast, you include detailed information on your skill set, experience, and education in the CV, which makes it more challenging for the hiring manager to evaluate.
• It can engage the hiring manager. If you have great qualifications for the job and write your cover letter well, it can interest the hiring manager in your job application and persuade them to read more information about you in your CV.

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There are several differences between a CV and a cover letter, including:

• While a CV can include several pages of content, a cover letter should be limited to a single page.
• A CV is usually used for job applications in the education industry, but a cover letter can be used when applying to any industry.
• A CV contains comprehensive data on you education, skills, industry experience, and academic achievements.
• A cover letter has condensed information on your skill set, education, employment history, and achievement in the academia.
• A CV can be used to apply for several similar jobs, but a cover letter should be tailored to address a single job opportunity.
• A CV is usually used as an alternative to the resume, but a cover letter can be used with a CV or a resume.
• A CV has a completely different structure when compared to a cover letter, and it includes sections such as Research Profile and Grants and Fellowships.
• A cover letter is structured like an ordinary letter with a formal salutation, introduction, body, and professional closing.
• While a CV contains specific details about a candidate’s skills, experience, academic achievements, and education, a cover letter contains only general information.
• A cover letter uses more style to communicate ideas while a CV focuses on using more facts and figures to communicate candidate data.
• A CV contains more bullet points and lists than a cover letter.
• A cover letter contains more sentences and paragraphs than a CV.
• A cover letter uses compelling examples to describe the data on skills and experience that is listed in the CV.

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You can use the following process to write an effective CV cover letter:

1. Identify the requirements for the position. Read the job description well and identify employer expectations in relation to academic achievements, education, skills, and experience. Make a list of these expectations. Then, do some research on the employer, identify corporate values and interests, and add these features to the list.

2. Identify your qualifications for the job. Go through your CV, use self-assessment methods, and assess your achievements to identify your education, skills, experience, and achievements in academia that are the closest match to what the employer is looking for.

3. Choose the most important qualifications. Due to the standard format of a CV cover letter, which limits it to one page, choose only your best qualifications for the job for further discussion in this introductory document.

4. Write the CV cover letter outline. Use your research on job requirements and qualifications that match them to write an outline for your letter. As you have only one page to communicate your suitability for the occupation in the mind of the hiring manager, structure your letter effectively to make the best use of your space. Try several options for the arrangement of your talking points and paragraphs until you find a structure that works well. You can use the following general template to structure your letter:

• Personalized salutation: Use the job advertisement or make an inquiry at the HR department to find out who will be evaluating your letter. Then, greet the hiring manager formally.
• Introductory paragraph: Introduce yourself, and state your interest in getting the job. End this paragraph with a strong sentence that summarizes why you’re right for the opportunity and leads the reader into the body of the letter.
• Body paragraphs: Use the body of the letter, which will be its longest section, to add more details to the points you raised in the introduction.
• Final paragraph: Use the last paragraph to refer to your attached CV, restate your interest in the position, keep the conversation open by sharing your email address or phone number, and attempt to move your application forward by mentioning the next steps of the recruitment process.
• Closing: Use a standard, formal closing phrase for your CV cover communication. Next, include your name.

5. Finish writing your letter. Complete writing your CV cover letter, using the outline you developed to ensure a well structured, polished letter. Aim to relate your qualifications to the key criteria in the job description as well as to unique information on the employer’s values and interests you discovered during your research.

6. Check and improve your communication. The CV cover letter is one of the most important communications you make during the hiring process, so make sure that it does not contain any mistakes. Reread your letter, and edit it to correct any errors in syntax, grammar, or flow. Double-check all the ideas, facts, and experiences you included in the letter, and make any necessary corrections.

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You can use the following CV cover letter example to write your own:

Dear Ms. Smith,

My name is Mel Walker, and I’m applying for the assistant professor position in the communications department at the University of Washington. I believe that my bachelor’s degree in marketing management, master’s degree in education, three years of industry experience working up the ladder at Forsyth from sales clerk to marketing manager, experience as an assistant professor at Northwestern University, and my passion for eco-friendly communications that enhance societal resilience make me the right person for this job. 

The criteria in your listing are best addressed by the following qualifications:

• I have substantial research experience on communication via new computing technologies
  
• I’m experienced in preparing and delivering lectures to a large group of students
• I’m skilled in helping senior professors to prepare teaching materials and lectures
• I’m experienced in designing college courses that address curriculum requirements and educational standards
• I’m proficient in using computer technologies, such as learning management systems and other eLearning tools, to educate and manage the educational process
  

In my experience as an educator, I have worked with students with special needs and disabilities, which motivated me to make my lectures and presentations as accessible as possible to all student segments. I strongly believe that my on-the-job experience as a senior marketing manager at Forsyth makes me a better teacher because I bring my industry experience to the academic experience, creating a setting in which students can acquire the necessary information on theory and practice. 

I have attached my curriculum vitae, which contains data on my education, skills, experience, and achievements in academia. I look forward to discussing my ideas for optimizing the teaching experience at the University of Washington with you, and I’m reachable at mel.walker@email.com. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Mel Walker

Leverage what you have discovered in this article on the key features of the CV cover letter and a method for writing it effectively to improve your job application. Then, get ready for a positive interview experience.