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Writing a cover letter can be a daunting task for new graduates seeking entry level positions, most graduates think ”I don’t have any job experience yet, I graduated less than a year ago” or ”I will be graduating in a few months’ time, where do I start from?” . Cover letters are a great tool to sell yourself to your potential employer or recruiter, BUT it can make or mar your graduate job application. As a new graduate or an about-to-graduate, you probably do not have any job experience related to the graduate position you are applying for, but DO NOT WORRY, the employer knows, except it was explicitly stated in the job description that you need to have prior related work experience, then you do not need to worry (Note: Before starting your job application, make sure you have properly read the job description and make sure you meet the requirements before you apply).

Before you start writing your cover letter, look up the company, check their website, find out what their mission and vision is, go to the ‘about us’ page of the website, if there is a news page on the website check out what they have been up to recently that relates to the position you are applying for, these will help you understand the company, what they want and where you fit in, thereby helping you craft a cover letter that will land you an interview. Also, some companies have a section where former graduate/entry level employee give tips and advice to applicants, this is also very good place to check.

Tip: Always provide a cover letter as part of your job application except it was stated that you should not provide one.

Here are the parts of the cover letter:

1. First Paragraph: Opening.

In this paragraph, you should indicate your interest in the position and where you saw the position advertised, for example, ”I am interested in the XXX (the position) which I saw advertised on your website”, you can also include why you are applying for the graduate position.

2. Second Paragraph: Why You?

Think about your student internships, voluntary works, educational qualifications, student jobs etc, how do they prepare you for this graduate position, match the skills gained from these activities above to skills needed by the company (as stated in the job description and/or as written on their website about what they expect of their employees), for example, if the job description states that they want someone with problem solving skills, you can write in the letter that you have problem solving skills followed by an example of when you took initiative and solved a problem maybe at school, during a voluntary project, at your place of internship etc. In this paragraph, you should try to convince them why they should invite you for an interview or should I say why you are the perfect candidate for the graduate position, why should they consider you, what makes you valuable to them, what makes you special, what makes you an asset to the company. Let the tone of your letter be professional and confident but not boastful.

3. Third Paragragh: Why Them?

In this paragraph, you should talk about why you want to work for the company and why you chose that particular graduate position. On why you want to work for the company, write about things that makes the company unique, different from similar companies, avoid general reasons like ”your company is amazing”, check out the company’s website, you will find some facts and news that makes the company stand out. Giving this unique reasons will show your potential employer that you have done some research on their company, it shows you are very serious and interested in the company, this puts you ahead. Let the company know you believe in their mission and vision, you can give an example from their current projects and how you have done something similar or related in the past, for example, if the company is interested in green energy, you can give example from a green energy project you took part as a voluntary worker, internships etc. as a student. Always make sure you align your skills, qualification and experiences with the values of the company and graduate position.

4. Last Paragraph: Closing.

In the closing paragraph, reassure them that you are capable of handling the position, if given the chance. If the position requires you to travel a lot or relocate, tell them you are wiling to do so. State that you are looking forward to hearing from them and willing to provide any further information they need. If the letter was addressed to a named contact, end with ‘Yours sincerely’, If it is addressed to no one in particular, like ‘To Whom It May Concern’ or ‘Dear Hiring Manager’, end with ‘Yours faithfully’.

Note: In the second paragraph, you can start with ‘why them’, not necessary you have to start with ‘why you’, in this case, the third paragraph will be ‘why you’. Start with what you feel more comfortable with.

Final Advice

The cover letter usually accompany the CV which already contains your contact information, you can also provide your contact information on the cover letter, it should be located at the top before the body of the letter.
Keep cover letter to one page. Make it professional and concise.
Use keywords: Looking at the job description, there are some skills and experience the company lists that the want the desired candidate to have, For example: excellent communication skills, team worker, problem solving skills etc. include some of these keywords in the cover letter followed by example of how you gained them and/or use them.
Let the main focus of your cover letter be about how you will be an asset to the company, this is what they are looking for, an asset.
If you are sending your cover letter via email or the company’s application tool, name your file in a correct manner, for example, use ‘youthexpat coverletter’ instead of ‘sexybecky cover letter’. Just use filename that presents you as a serious and professional person. Also if sending via email, use a good email subject and write a brief message, stating the position you are applying for, a reference number if available and your full name, indicate that you attached the cover letter and any other required documents to the email.
Salutation: If the company provides a name of the person you should send the cover letter to, use the name of the person in the salutation, get the titles [Mr., Ms., Dr. etc.] right. for example, ‘Dear Mr. Jon Mac’. But if there is no one to address it to (sometimes the company does not want you to address it to anyone in particular), you can use ‘Dear Hiring Manager’ or ‘To Whom It May Concern’.
Do not repeat your CV, but you can explain some parts of the CV that might not immediately seem clear to the recruiter or that need more explanation, if need be.
Do not write a generalized cover letter for all the companies and positions you are applying to. Let each cover letter be unique and be specific for a given position.
Make sure your cover letter is free from error, read through a couple of times, you can get trusted friends and family to check it for you too or even your career counselor.
When proofreading your cover letter, check for your use of ”I”, for example, ”i am”, ”I have” etc. Avoid using it too much, rephrase sentences with the word to reduce the number of usage.
Companies have rules on how the cover letter should look like or how to send the cover letter and other application documents on their website or job poster, if that is the case, follow their instructions.

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Phone interviews are usually the first or second stage of interviews in the tough selection process for international jobs, it is used to screen applicants and determine who to select for the face-to-face interview. Recruiters use the telephone interview because it saves cost especially in this case when most of the applicants live in another country or city. The phone interview is usually used to assess if an applicant meets the basic requirements of the job and most times competency-based questions are asked.

Here are some useful points to help you ace your phone interview:

1. Prepare For The Questions.

While writing your cover letter, you went through the company’s website and got useful information about the company, before the phone interview, do it again to refresh your memory. Most likely, you will be asked competency-based questions, questions about company and questions about the position you are interviewing for. Match your skills and experience gained to the required skills in the job description, the competency-based questions you would be asked will most likely be related to the behavioural skills listed in the job description. Think about one or two scenarios where your skills matched the required skills and company’s work culture, for example, if the job description states that the applicant should be a good at teamwork, think about examples of when you practiced teamwork maybe in school, during internships or during other extracurricular activities and write them down, your examples should be particularly about successful situations, stories with successful endings, you might have many situations where you practiced teamwork but choose examples that are similar to the situations you would face if you were working for them in the graduate position, for example, if the workplace is multicultural and you would have to work together with people of different race and ranks, give examples from when you were in a similar situation and it had a successful outcome. Apart from preparing for the questions, prepare about two or three questions you would ask the interviewer, it puts you ahead of others and shows you are serious about the job and company.

2. Practice.

Practice! Practice!! Practice!!!, it makes perfect. There are many ways to practice, you can practice answering questions with a friend, family member, career counsellor, you can record your voice while practicing to answer, just choose what works best for you. This will help you identify your mistakes and make corrections to improve your communication skills because depending on the position you are interviewing for, the interviewer, apart from assessing your answers to the questions is also assessing how well you speak and sound over the phone.

3. Remove Distractions.

Rest well before the interview, it will help your brains and make you more alert. Before the scheduled time of the interview, let the people you live with know you will be having an interview at a certain time, turn off any source of noise, make sure your mobile phone has enough battery life for the entire duration of interview. Choose a quiet environment.

4. Get Ready.

Shortly before the interview starts, calm down, sit on a solid chair in front of a table or desk, get your cover letter, CV, your practice answers, a paper for taking notes and any other relevant documents you might need closer and within reach preferably on the table or desk in front of you.

5. During Interview.

When you answer the phone, introduce yourself in a professional manner, conduct yourself in a professional manner too. When answering questions, be audible. Address the interviewer in a formal way, use correct titles and last names except he states otherwise. After the interview, ask questions but avoid questions relating to salaries, vacations and starting date, keep the starting date questions to the final round of interviews. Ask questions that show that you want to be an asset to the company and is enthusiastic about the position, questions that relate to the position you are applying for. Shortly after the interview, it is advisable to write down your answers and any other important information that came up during the interview so that you can remember them because you might be asked to talk more about them in the next round of interviews. Avoid asking questions that has already been answered or is readily available on their website, but you can ask for more explanation if these answers are not clear to you.