help with covering letter please!!

[thirtysomething]

Was just about to send off an application form for a placement linked to a course I'm doing and noticed it said must also send a covering letter-help!! Haven't done one of these for about 20 years - what do I say? The form itself had lots of qs about relevant experience, why I want to do the role etc so I'm not sure it's worth repeating all that?

[PuzzleRocks]

Bumping for you.

[StirlingTheStrong]

I dont think that the letter would need to be too long. They probably just want to know you can set out a letter.

Make it FOR THE ATTENTION OF

Dear (name or Sir/Madam)

Please find enclosed my application for the role of _(don't forget any reference number they may have put in advert), as seen in the (newspaper name or website).

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Yours (sincerely or faithfully)

hope that helps and wasn't too patronising!

[titchy]

Add a couple of paragraphs to Stirling's example - 'As you can see from my CV/application form/whatever I am curretnly studying xxxx and seeking a placement that will enable me to yyyyy and feel that your company/charity/organisation/whatever would be ideal becuase of zzzzz' And add something about how great they are and how delighted you'r be to do a placement with them.

[pinkdelight]

I used to write these for a living! My tip would be to used bullets, so that the letter acts as a summary for the form.

I would do it:

Par One: as Stirling's example, the basics about what you're applying for

Par Two: what attracts you to the post.

Par Three: something along the lines of

'The skills and experience that I would bring to the placement include:

• x years experience in blah
• x qualifications in blah
• x tangible example of key skill
• x another example of another key skill'

(No more than a couple of lines per bullet, ideally just one.)

Par Four: As Stirling's 'look forward' and sign-off.

When I say par, I really just mean a line or two. The whole thing should be nice and succinct. If you have to squeeze it onto one page or use a smaller font size, it's too long.

Lots of luck!

[thirtysomething]

thanks all some really useful advice here - I hope I know how to set a letter out (having worked in an admin role for years!!) but it's really helpful to know what else to add in and I can use this advice for other application too so thank you!!