[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-170844-105":53,"doc-detail-170844-en":126},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":119,"head_meta":121,"extra_data":123,"updated_unix":125},105,"en","covering-letters-application-letter-guidance","Covering Letters - Application Letter Guidance","","Covering letters explain what applicants are applying for and why, aligning personal evidence with an organisation’s criteria. A strong letter demonstrates written communication skills and persuades employers to read the CV. The guidance outlines a standard structure—introduction, motivation for the organisation and sector, fit for the job role, matching qualifications and experience, and a brief closing—plus layout, length, addressing, font, and sign-off conventions. It also covers email applications, speculative letters, and a checklist to ensure relevance and clarity.",{"@graph":63,"@context":118},[64,80,101],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/covering-letters-application-letter-guidance/170844/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/covering-letters-application-letter-guidance/170844.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Eden","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document","2026-10-18","2026-09-01",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":15},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",{"@type":102,"mainEntity":103},"FAQPage",[104,110,114],{"name":105,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":107},"What is the purpose of a covering letter?","Question",{"text":108,"@type":109},"A covering letter explains what you are applying for and why, and shows how you meet the organisation’s criteria. It also highlights your written communication skills and encourages the employer to read your CV.","Answer",{"name":111,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What is the standard structure of a covering letter?",{"text":113,"@type":109},"It includes five parts: introduction, why you want the organisation/career path/sector, why this job role interests you, how you meet their requirements, and a brief finishing paragraph.",{"name":115,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How should a covering letter be formatted and addressed?",{"text":117,"@type":109},"Use a formal business layout with addresses, include the date and job reference, and ensure correct spelling of names. Use a simple font matching your CV, keep it to one side of A4, and sign off as “Yours sincerely” for named recipients or “Yours faithfully” for non-named headings.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":120,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":122,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":124,"site_id":56},170844,1788276521,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":127},{"doc_id":124,"user_id":128,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":15,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":47,"language":135,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":136,"faqs":137,"seo_title":138,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":125,"read_time":73},1374391974468,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","Covering Letters\nWhat are they for?\nCovering letters have two main jobs: to explain what you are applying for and why you are applying, and to explain how you meet the organisation’s criteria.\nIt also demonstrates your written communication skills, so a well-written covering letter will sell you to a potential employer and encourage them to read your CV.\nBecause every job is different, that means every covering letter needs to be created from scratch. You need to give enough information to spotlight the important and relevant details on your CV – the letter is not simply a list of your academic qualifications and skills.\nWhat does a covering letter look like?\nA covering letter has a standard format. Make your paragraphs concise and well organised, ensuring that each paragraph addresses only one important factor e.g. your motivation or suitability.\nStructuring a cover letter:\n1. Introduction\nTell them why you are writing (e.g. for work experience or to apply for a specific vacancy; if the latter, give the job title and where you saw it advertised). If relevant, establish any links with the individual or the company to whom you are writing, e.g. ‘I spoke with Jane Smith, a consultant at Deloitte, at a careers evening and she suggested I apply for this role’.\n2. Why this Organisation/Career Path/Sector?\nShow that you know something about the organisation and why you would like to work for them. Never just repeat what is on their website. Perhaps you met someone from the company at a careers event or attended a presentation? If so, name the person and the event. Explain what motivates you to work in this sector, what you know about it and what is happening currently. This is your chance to show you have researched the organisation, the sector, and potentially the career path too.\n3. Why this job role?\nYou need to show that you understand what the job involves and why it is of interest to you. Look at the information in the job advert which explains what you’ll do in the role and pick out any task or activities that particularly appeal to you. If it’s a traineeship or a development programme then you can also talk about how it is structured, such as the training provided, or the chance to rotate into different departments.\n4. How you meet their requirements\nThe job advert will also detail the combination of qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experience they are looking for. Make sure to mention these requirements and provide evidence of how you meet them. Briefly detail in which part of your life you demonstrated these requirements so that they can then look for more information on your CV. You can refer to any aspect of your life e.g. side hustle, part-time work, your course, or a role within a club or society.\n5. Finishing the letter (one brief paragraph)\nThis section is just to show that you are polite and know how to end a letter, but if you need to, you can briefly mention any additional factors e.g. why your degree result/A-level grades were not as good as expected, or when you are available if you are requesting work experience.\nLetter format guidelines\nLayout: use a formal business letter layout with your address in the top right-hand corner and the name and address of the person and organisation you are applying to below, on the left-hand side.  Include the date and any job reference below this.  Make sure all names are spelled correctly.\nLength: one side of A4.\nContact: always try and write to a specific, named person.  Use their correct title e.g. ‘Dear Mr Jones’ or ‘Dear Ms Smith’. If you can’t get a name, use Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Sir/Madam,\nFont: use something simple like Calibri or Arial, but make sure that it matches your CV or it will look like they were written by two different people.\nEnd the letter correctly: if you address the letter to a named person i.e. ‘Dear Ms Smith,’ sign off with ‘Yours sincerely’.  Use ‘Yours faithfully’ if the letter is addressed to ‘Dear Hiring Manager’ or ‘Dear Sir/Madam’. ","cbCaindaNySxyLKS","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaindaNySxyLKS","docx",62160,"English","# What are they for?\n# What does a covering letter look like?\n## Structuring a cover letter\n## Letter format guidelines\n# Applying by email\n# Speculative letters\n# Covering Letter Checklist","[{\"question\":\"What is the purpose of a covering letter?\",\"answer\":\"A covering letter explains what you are applying for and why, and shows how you meet the organisation’s criteria. It also highlights your written communication skills and encourages the employer to read your CV.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the standard structure of a covering letter?\",\"answer\":\"It includes five parts: introduction, why you want the organisation/career path/sector, why this job role interests you, how you meet their requirements, and a brief finishing paragraph.\"},{\"question\":\"How should a covering letter be formatted and addressed?\",\"answer\":\"Use a formal business layout with addresses, include the date and job reference, and ensure correct spelling of names. Use a simple font matching your CV, keep it to one side of A4, and sign off as “Yours sincerely” for named recipients or “Yours faithfully” for non-named headings.\"}]","Covering Letters - Application Letter Guidance | DOCX"]