A well-written Covering Letter can pave the way for your dream career. It is a letter that is used to sell yourself to your future employer so as to get an opportunity for an interview.

To read carefully the requirements of the post as advertised.

To collect information of the company.

To address to the relevant person of the organization and to ensure the correct spelling of the name, title and address.

To tailor a Covering Letter for the company and the position that you are applying for. Do not send a standard Covering Letter for every job.

To spell out clearly that your aims, qualifications and experience meet the requirements of the post.

To emphasize and elaborate several strong points as stated in your Résume.

To be concise and clear.

To take a polite, positive, enthusiastic and confident tone.

To keep your letter neat, well-spaced and in short paragraphs.

To check the spelling and grammar of the letter.

To confine your letter to one-page A4 white colour paper.

To print your letter on good quality paper and to use a matching envelope.

To give your full name in the Covering Letter and remember to sign the letter.

To make a copy for your future reference.

To send out the Covering Letter as soon as possible.

The most commonly used format for a Covering Letter is "Full Block" format:

All lines of the letter start from the left side.

Open punctuation is adopted. (i.e. no punctuation is used for the address and salutation)
e.g. Dear Mr Chan
Yours sincerely

Sample format (Full Block format)

Sample format (Traditional British format)

Résumé (or Curriculum Vitae) is another important document to market yourself and interest your prospective employer in inviting you to attend an interview. It should summarize your qualifications, experience, skills, strengths and achievements which are related to the job that you are applying for.

To tailor a Résumé for the company and the position that you are applying for. Do not send a standard Résumé for every job.

To sell your strong points and achievements sincerely, specifically, honestly and concisely. You can quantify your achievements by numbers and facts.

To state your education, working experience and extra-curricular activities in reverse chronological order.

To limit your Résumé to one or two pages. Do not include irrelevant information as the employers will only skim but not study your Résumé.

To present your Résumé in a neat and tidy way. It should be organized, systematic, easy to read, with clear headings and indentations, well-spaced and using point form.

To use full form and avoid abbreviation.

To include a professional photo of yourself (optional). Please ensure that you are dressed in proper business attire and have smiles when taking the photo.

To check the spelling and punctuation before sending out your Résume.

To print your Résumé on good quality A4 white colour paper.

A Résumé will normally include the following items: Personal Particulars, Career Objective, Education, Working Experience, Extra-curricular Activities, Skills, Professional Affiliations, Interest, Availability, Salary Expected, Reference.

Sample format