"You don't get a second chance to make a first impression," warns Hilary Freeman in her article The basics of writing a covering letter. She feels we can learn more about the perfect letter from the personal columns — where it is important to be concise and compelling — than we can from the jobs pages.
Our live CV clinics have been getting a great response from savvy readers keen to whip their CVs into shape. But what about the covering letters that need to accompany them?
According to Ian Wylie in Covering Letter No-Nos, there are a litany of mistakes that could harm your chances of making the cut for interview — such as talking too much about yourself and being too informal.
To ensure that you write a covering letter that counts, join our live Q&A tomorrow when a panel of experts will be here to advise on everything from format, length and font to the details best left in — and out.
The panel will include:
Elizabeth Bacchus, career coach, change management consultant and founder of The Successful CV Company providing interview winning CVs, cover letters and career coaching to clients at all stages of their careers.
Ben Rosen, managing director of Inspiring Interns, a recruitment company that specialises in finding graduates three-month internships in their desired field of work.
Adam Kaveney, writing coach at The Writer, the UK's largest language consultancy that trains individuals and companies including the BBC, BT and Barclays in better writing habits.
Lisette Howlett, HR and recruitment consultant with more than 20 years experience with firms including ICI and Zeneca/Astra Zeneca, as well as local government and the public sector.
Steve Szita, director of Dazzling CVs, a professional CV writing service with a commitment to striking and unique CVs and covering letters.
Scott Davidson is the marketing manager for MyJobGroup.co.uk — a UK network of regional jobsites. Having been in the post for almost five years, Scott has a wealth of experience in online recruitment.
The discussion is now open for advance questions, so get posting!
