Content of the application letter: This is important
What information belongs in a letter of application? With these tips you will convince your future employer.
The content of the application letter is of central importance for the job search. Since it gives the applicant the opportunity to draw a personal picture of themselves, it should definitely be created individually. Of course, a variation of the always same cover letter does not do that. But how can the content of the application letter be made convincing?
Are there instructions for my cover letter?
You can find numerous templates for application letters on the internet . They primarily serve as a guide for the uniform design of the cover letter. Since an individual content of the application letter is a basic requirement, it is also advisable to adapt the templates in detail.
What belongs in a cover letter?
The content of the application letter should mainly consist of information and facts that are relevant to the position in question . This includes points such as motivation and relation to the company, but also key professional experiences and soft skills .
How do I structure the content of the cover letter?
- The text should begin with the introduction . Here you describe your motivation for exactly this position. What do you want to achieve there?
- Then comes the main part . It starts with the technical qualifications. Relevant stations from the CV are highlighted and illustrated with examples from everyday work.
- In the last section , the cover letter describes special skills such as PC or language skills and soft skills. Finally, if required, the earliest possible starting date and the salary expectations of the applicant follow. In the final sentence, the candidate emphasizes the interest in a personal interview.
Who do I address the application letter to?
The address in the letter of application should always match the content of the job advertisement . The salutation is usually aimed at a single person who you address specifically.
If the job offer does not list a contact person, it is advisable to find out about this by making a preliminary telephone call. Only if the person’s name cannot be found should the impersonal address “Dear Sir or Madam” be used. If, on the other hand, the advertisement names two people, the cover letter always addresses both of them.
What does a successful introduction to the application letter include?
Successful cover letters in an application begin with a company-related introduction. It signals to the employer that you have dealt with the company. Standard sentences such as “I hereby apply for the position of …” are taboo. It indicates that this may be a copied standard cover letter and that you are probably not specifically interested in this position.
How do I stand out positively with the application letter?
The cover letter is, so to speak, the applicant’s calling card – after all, it is the document that the HR manager usually reads first. Personnel officers usually only spend a few minutes with the content of the application letter. It is therefore all the more important that the document stands out from the crowd and provides convincing arguments for your employment in just a few lines.
How do I state salary expectations correctly in the application letter?
Many sample cover letters include a sentence about salary expectations. However, they should only be mentioned if it is required in the job advertisement. Especially with wages regulated by collective agreements, you even attract negative attention with such information, since the remuneration is firmly regulated in this case. Of course, anyone applying for a position should know this.
Enter numbers in the letter of application: What do you have to consider?
On the one hand, an annual salary should always be stated – at least for positions that are open-ended or for more than one year. In this way you signal that you want to stay in the company in the long term and also cover the topic of additional payments. Some companies pay holiday and Christmas bonuses or even bonuses. The monthly salary, on the other hand, leaves open how much the applicant would like as a total income .
Secondly, you should make sure that you always give round sums , for example a gross annual salary of 38,000 euros.
Incidentally, HR officers prefer to give specific figures . On the other hand, indirect sentences such as “I am willing to negotiate on my salary requirements” give the impression of an applicant who would accept the job at any price.
Which closing sentence is recommended in the application letter?
The final sentence is best actively asking for an invitation to an interview. So it could be: “I look forward to being invited to a personal interview” . Some sample cover letters offer usable variations that are ideal as a closing formula.
What does the word “attachments” mean in the application letter?
Examples of cover letters sometimes contain the word “installation” . In the past, the term was required with a subsequent, complete list of the enclosed documents – however, this specification has long since become obsolete. Instead, the applicant is now free to expressly refer to the attachments.
Since other documents follow the application letter, it is not necessary to mention the attachments separately. Referring to them nonetheless does not count as a fatal error . Incidentally, this also applies to the system directory . Although it is also outdated, it does not usually lead to the application being sorted out if it is available anyway.
Above all, professional qualifications and evidence from relevant job references remain important . It is usually irrelevant whether the content of the letter of application refers to the attachments.
