Tips for Cover Letter and CVs

An impressive cover letter and convincing CV are crucial for a successful application. But there is a great deal of debate about what this actually means – and whether a CV should only be one page, for example. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this, as you can see from our experts’ statements below. However, this blog post provides practical tips on how to structure your application.

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Cover Letter

The cover letter is your chance to impress your prospective employer right from the start: although the format is fixed, you are relatively free to choose the content and highlight any aspects that are not covered by your CV. Use it to reveal your personality.

Your cover letter should include the following elements:

• Your address
• The recipient’s address
• The date
• The subject
• The actual content
• A personal greeting
• Your talents

While all these elements and the actual content are important, they are also self-explanatory. So, that’s why we are focusing on the:

Salutation: always try to find out the name of the person to contact. Sometimes this is in the job advert, sometimes on the company’s website and sometimes it helps to look up the company’s HR Manager on LinkedIn or give them a call.

• Introduction: it’s important to generate interest, so your first sentence must arouse curiosity. You can, for example, start with an interesting fact about yourself that is relevant to the company and role, or the motivation behind your application. The only thing to avoid are cliches such as: ‘I hereby apply...’
• Body: the next step is to emphasise your skills without preempting your CV content. Focus on your motivation, soft skills and notable achievements related to your potential new job.
• Reference to the company: create a link between your skills and the company. You may, for example, mention how you could help the company with its current challenges. In short, highlight your added value for the business.
• Conclusion: just as the first sentence must arouse curiosity, the final one must be memorable – overused phrases are also harmful here. If the job advert asks for your salary expectation or earliest possible start date, include this information here.

CV

After an impressive cover letter that reveals your personality, you need a convincing CV that highlights your qualifications and experience. Your CV should provide an overview of your professional career and qualifications. The following information is mandatory:

• Personal details: your name, address and contact details will suffice. There is no need to include your marital status, date of birth, etc.
• Career history: the crux of your CV. You must state every position, including job title, company, location and exact start and finish month. You should also describe your area of responsibility. You can tailor each remit to the job you are applying for so that your CV isn’t too long.
• Education: provide details of your formal schooling, vocational training and, if applicable, your studies, including your final grade(s). Instead of an employer, state the name and location of the school and/or university.
• Relevant skills: if you have additional skills that are not included in the career history or education section, state these here. These include language and IT skills, for example. They need to be relevant to the job you are applying for.

You can also provide additional information, such as:

• Application photo: this is no longer mandatory, but may be helpful. If you decide to include this, it should be a professional photo and relevant to the job.
• Additional interests and hobbies: these can also score bonus points and highlight soft skills, for example. However, it’s best not to include any dangerous hobbies that result in frequent accidents.

Your CV should always be well-structured and easy to skim or read. Only include information that is relevant to the job in question. Otherwise, your CV will be too long, especially if you have decades of professional experience.

Should a CV only have one page?

As already mentioned, this is one of the major disputes when it comes to job applications.

Here’s what our experts say:

• ‘In this day and age, I think a CV should only have one page. A brief, concise and succinct format is reader-friendly and can be beneficial to the applicant. For people who’ve already gained more valuable experience in various roles, I recommend condensing their CV to a maximum of two pages.’
  -Dominik Meier,
  Branch Manager Adecco Hotel & Catering

• ‘I believe the same thing applies to a CV as to a face-to-face meeting – the initial impression. I like them to be clear and include colours and pictograms so I can instantly get an overview and see what skills the applicant has to offer. I’m less bothered about the number of pages. Instead of a cover letter, I prefer an application video. But the position will dictate whether either of these is actually required.’
  -Carla Zotter,
  Consultant Adecco Biel / Bienne Industrial

• ‘There’s no such thing as a perfect CV. Depending on the length of experience, it may be longer than one page, because one page may be far too busy and no longer clear. But I’d never submit a CV longer than two pages.’
  -Lora Odoni,
  Area Manager Adecco Zürich Office & Administration

Bottom line: how long your CV should actually be will vary depending on your career and who you ask. But it should never be longer than two pages.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake, and the one that is most likely to disqualify you, is blatantly submitting a boilerplate application – one that you have sent to hundreds of companies and does not reference either the company or the advertised role.

This goes hand in hand with an ‘information dump’ in your CV. Instead of just providing the information that is relevant to the respective position, every role is described in detail. This mistake often results from an eagerness to provide as much information as possible. In reality, however, it transfers the filtering task to the company – so don’t be afraid to leave gaps!

Typos are a classic mistake. Avoid these at all costs. Regardless of your suitability for a position and the quality of your application, spelling mistakes significantly tarnish an otherwise perfect impression. If you struggle with spelling, don’t rely on spellcheck; if in doubt, ask a family member or friend to read through your application.

Bottom line

A convincing application is key to successful job hunting. It tells the company who you are, what you can do for them and is the ideal opportunity to impress them with a splash of personality.

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