Help with cover letter

Question

Hi all,I am an unemployed banking graduate and I am trying to write an email cover letter to some banks' HR departments. Where I come from, we rarely have banks with websites that have a "careers assessment centre" like most international banks do or provide vacancies available in the bank. Most of them just provide an email like "careers @ xbank . com" and ask us to send our CVs to these emails. As a result, we send our CVs and wait for their reply without knowing if there is a vacancy for us or not or did they actually open the email and had a look at our CVs.With the financial meltdown, most of the unemployed graduates are hopeless and send their CVs to these banks repeatedly filling up the inboxes, which decreases the chance for my email or CV to be seen. So, I am trying to find a way to have a unique email compared to the other emails meaning that I must have a distinctive subject line and a distinctive cover letter as I am sure that most graduates do not even bother to write a cover letter as they were not asked by the banks to write one.Can any of you provide me with tips on how to write a unique cover letter?Also, for my own reasons and like any graduate, I want to work for a specific department. However, I have been unemployed for 6 months now and it seems that I will never get the position I want. I am willing to inform the banks that I am prepared to work at any position as a start rather than stay home (contrary to what I have in the Objective section of my CV). How can I write this without seeming too desperate? Should I mention this?

Rocky-Road · Accepted Answer

Hello Elle,

From my own personal experience speaking; I would suggest that you try phoning the company you wish to apply at, instead of continuously emailing your CV with no luck. Most companies prefer to meet with the person, so taking a short visit to the company you’re applying at and seeing the manager in person hand in your resume to them will be less stressful and more likely that you will become employed. A Casual position would be the best start for you as a graduate. Yet, applying for casual positions is better than nothing at all-and that’s how I first started. In order for you to gain plenty of experience and get to see how different companies operate, try applying at more than one company, for example apply at 6 to 8 companies. Also make sure your resume is well presented and grammatically correct. Good luck!

Here are some helpful tips I found you:

Never submit a handwritten letter. When going for graduate jobs, it's essential you look like a pro. Always type up your letter using Microsoft Word and, if possible, convert it to a PDF document (if you're sending it by email or submitting it over the internet).
Choose your font wisely. Use a familiar, professional-looking typeface like Arial, Verdana or Times New Roman. Keep it consistent with the style used in your CV. The font size should be clear and easy to read – 11pt or 12pt. All this will make it easy for the person hiring graduates to read and absorb your CV.
Include your details. Always put your contact details at the top of the page – this includes your name, address, phone number and email.
Don't go over one page. A cover letter is always just a single page and should never go beyond this.
Sign it personally. If you're printing the letter and sending it in the mail, make sure you sign it. This will give it more of a personal touch.

The following is a cover letter sample. I hope it will help you in writing the cover letter you wish for.

Date Month Year

Mr/Ms full name
Address your application to the name given on the job ad. If a name isn’t specified, call the company and ask whom you should make the application to.

Title
Company name
Street address
Suburb State Postcode

Dear [name of contact]

In the first paragraph you should briefly explain who you are and why you are writing to them. Name the position you are applying for and where you saw the position advertised. While it’s fine to start this paragraph with ‘I’, try not to start every paragraph in the same way.
Never forget to mention which job you’re applying for. If the company is advertising more than one position, and you don’t say which position you’re interested in, they may not even consider your application – especially if they receive loads of applications.

Explain why you think you are qualified for the position, emphasising how your previous experience and transferable skills make you ideal for the role. Mention your most important qualifications (for example ‘I have just graduated from a Bachelor of Business Administration’) and what you think you would bring to the company. If the job advertisement lists selection criteria, this is the place to say how your skills and experience meet the criteria they’re looking for.
If a job has asked that you address selection criteria separately, this can go in a separate document.

In the third paragraph, explain why you would like to work for this particular company, showing that you have done research regarding the position.
Companies want to know that you’re interested in them and understand what they do, and what they want from their employees. You may be applying for hundreds of different jobs but you need to make each prospective employer think that their job is the only one you want.

Lastly, politely request that they consider your application, conveying your appreciation for their time.
Being polite and enthusiastic will help to create an overall good impression.

Yours sincerely

[Signature]
If you have the technology to do so, scan your signature and insert it into the document.

Print full name

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I tried to help with all my best of knowledge; hopefully this will assist you enough in succeeding in your job application. Best wishes to you on finding your dream job.

Rocky-Road

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Welcome to the Forums!

We are not career councillors, but I would ask you this: what is your "elevator speech" and what is the tag line for your elevator speech?

Cover letters should be readable within 15 seconds, and entice the reader to open the attachment. You will have to spend many hours crafting it. It is a sales pitch, and what you are selling is yourself.

Make sure you use business (not scholastic or street) language. Make it perfect, no errors.

Make sure you personailize it for each bank you write. There is nothing so discernable and discardable as a form letter.
Make sure it expresses the tone "tell not what the bank can do for me, but what I can do for the bank"

Make sure you don't get discouraged.....

Elle Fat Mat · Answer

Rocky-RoadFrom my own personal experience speaking; I would suggest that you try phoning the company you wish to apply at, instead of continuously emailing your CV with no luck. Most companies prefer to meet with the person, so taking a short visit to the company you’re applying at and seeing the manager in person hand in your resume to them will be less stressful and more likely that you will become employed. A Casual position would be the best start for you as a graduate. Yet, applying for casual positions is better than nothing at all-and that’s how I first started. In order for you to gain plenty of experience and get to see how different companies operate, try applying at more than one company, for example apply at 6 to 8 companies. Also make sure your resume is well presented and grammatically correct. Good luck!

Thank you Rocky Road. I was told to do the same thing by my family and friends and it seems that there's no other way to go this

Elle Fat Mat · Answer

AlpheccaStarsWelcome to the Forums!

We are not career councillors, but I would ask you this: what is your "elevator speech" and what is the tag line for your elevator speech?

Cover letters should be readable within 15 seconds, and entice the reader to open the attachment. You will have to spend many hours crafting it. It is a sales pitch, and what you are selling is yourself.

Make sure you use business (not scholastic or street) language. Make it perfect, no errors.
Make sure you personailize it for each bank you write. There is nothing so discernable and discardable as a form letter.
Make sure it expresses the tone "tell not what the bank can do for me, but what I can do for the bank"

Make sure you don't get discouraged.....

Thank you AlpheccaStars. Yes, it seems that I have to craft it as a sales pitch and I just have to find a suitable tagline

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