The cover letter for a job application is now considered to be a part of the job application. That’s a fair assessment, because the cover letter has a lot of possible uses for job applicants.

The modern job market is looking for "fits" for people and jobs. It also wants motivated people. A CV or resume can indicate objectives, or skills, but it can’t convey personal enthusiasm very well. Nor can it include extra information like quality of experience, beyond fairly basic work history.

The cover letter is a method of expression, above all else. That can be the difference between getting a job and not getting an interview.

Cover letter basics

A cover letter should be one page, preferably. Try to stick to that as the basic benchmark for size. If you absolutely must include more, keep it brief and to the point.

The most important thing about a cover letter is that it can provide additional information to an employer. Define your message well. You’re telling the employer what you want them to know beyond the information they already have from your application.

• If you’re enthusiastic about a job: Say so!

• Use your career path as a guide for the reader: "I want this job as part of my goal to become…"

• If you have special experience, mention it, in context with your motivation. This can be anything from a particular professional reference to personal experience nobody else has.

Drafting your cover letter

The steps of drafting a cover letter might look a lot for a one page letter, but they’re all necessary:

• What do you want to tell the employer?

• What do you need to tell the employer?

• What information do you have that’s obviously useful to your application, but isn’t contained in your CV or resume?

• How to express your information?

If that also looks like an editing process, you’re quite right.

• What you want to tell the employer is what the employer needs to hear: You’re motivated, and you have practical reasons for your application, in the form of your career goals.

• What the employer wants to hear is what the employer is trying to find: Value. You’re telling the employer you can add value.

• The information you have that isn’t contained in your application is your strong suit: Your personality, and personal commitment. If you’re after a position you really want, that’s easy enough to do in a cover letter.

Now we come to the tricky bit:

How to express your information? This is a business letter. Your business, and the employer’s. It should be written like a business letter.

The phraseology varies with each individual, but you know what a business letter should look like:

• It must look professional.

• It must contain useful information.

• It must have a good, unique, stand out style.

Job applications are highly competitive. You may be one of a thousand people going for a job. The cover letter is part of your application. Others going for the job may have similar skills, but they won’t write the same cover letter.

Draft your letter. What’s wrong with it? Does it say what you want it to say? Does it look professional, or like something you wrote at 3AM on the last day to lodge the application?

One basic rule: If it doesn’t look good enough, it isn’t. Try again.

Result: A good cover letter. And now you know you’ve got it right.

Your cover letter can get you a job. Make it do that.