We know applying for jobs can be daunting so with that in mind we’ve listed a few of our top tips for writing or recording cover letters and applying for jobs, at Fierce specifically, but this is advice that should be useful wherever you are applying.
Doing Your Research
Doing some research into the organisation you’re applying to will help you to see if you would enjoy working there. It comes across in applications and even more so at interview if someone knows the organisation and is passionate about their work, it’s definitely something we look out for at Fierce.
We understand, especially for short-term, part-time or freelance contracts that you will need to work elsewhere or do a variety of roles to make ends meet and that not all of those are necessarily where your passion lies. However we still need someone who is committed to the role so showing an understanding of our work is essential.
Writing a Good Cover Letter
In most job packs you will find a Job Description and a Person Specification, at Fierce we call them ‘About the Role’ and ‘About You’ but whatever the wording, this is how you want to structure your cover letter. Address each point and say how your experience and skills make you suited for the role. If there are some points you don’t have experience of, suggest how you might go about developing those skills. The cover letter is where you get to show why you’re the best person for the job, so it pays to put some time into writing or recording it. We shortlist against the criteria in the Job Description, we won’t be looking for anything we haven’t made public.
At Fierce we often accept cover letters in the form of voice notes and videos too and all the same rules apply here. Make sure you have planned out what you want to say in advance so you’re clear and concise.
Make sure your cover letters are specific to each job you apply for, it’s very obvious when someone has a generic cover letter they are sending out to every organisation currently hiring, particularly when they don’t reference the job title or any of the specifics of the job description.
Finally, make sure you proof what you’ve read or listen back to what you’ve recorded, and if you’ve read or heard it too many times to notice any mistakes, ask a friend to look over it for you.
Updating Your CV
This might sound obvious but make sure your CV is up-to-date and, if you have a portfolio career or work in different fields, make sure your most relevant experience to this role is more prominent. You can also update the paragraph that’s usually at the top of your CV where you introduce yourself for each role you apply for to keep it relevant.
CVs should never be longer than 2 pages and don’t need to include photos.
We recommend you don’t use those online CV builders, or at least if you do, don’t use the suggested text that pops up when you put in a job title. When the CV is full of language that’s very generic or written in a completely different voice to your cover letter, it’s clear you haven’t written it which makes it hard to judge what
Following the Instructions on How to Apply
At Fierce we will usually ask for a CV, Covering Letter and Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, but always double check what is required, forgetting something that’s been asked for can show a lack of attention to detail. Similarly, make sure you read all the other instructions, if it says covering letters should be no more than 2 sides of A4, don’t write 15, no one will read it, however good it is!
At Fierce we will not penalise applications that are a few minutes late but we ask everyone to be respectful of other applicants by not submitting applications hours or even days late. Not all organisations are this flexible so make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to do everything you need to.
There are some things that aren’t explicit but are also good practice. For example, everything should be attached as separate documents to your email rather than in the text of the email itself. This is to make it easier for the people reading your application, so they don’t have to copy and paste the text of your email into a document and do that work for you.
Hopefully these tips will demystify the job application process a bit, but the last Fierce top tip is that if there is anything you’re not sure about or is unclear, get in touch. We would always rather you asked than sent in something which doesn’t meet the criteria or misses something out. You can read our full recruitment policy here.
For more top tips on all things CV-writing, interviews and thriving in the workplace, check out Career Related on Instagram.
Good luck!