The HR Assistant Cover Letter

How to start your cover letter is an important factor that is often over looked by people when writing their cover letters. The introduction to your cover letter is vitally important because it will set the stage for the rest of your letter – it will ensure that the person reading your letter understands that you are someone who can be taken seriously and that you are a viable candidate for the job you are applying for. You must ensure that your cover letter conveys these particular elements or else your introduction will be seen as lacking in depth.

It is also important too that your introduction should be brief. Your entire letter shouldn’t be a lengthy document as whoever your employer is, the chances are they will be receiving a great deal of applications so making your letter stand out its a priority. The best way to do this is to make sure that it is short but informative. This particularly goes for your introduction – your introduction should simply introduce you in a formal manner and allow the rest of the cover letter to work as your main selling point. It is important, however, when writing your introduction to show both your passion for the job and some element of your personality. This is often lacking from cover letters and leaves your prospective employer feeling as if you don’t have any real interest in the job and that you don’t have a strong enough personality to shine through. Personality is particularly important when applying for a job like a HR Assistant as so much of your job will involve people it is crucial that you ensure that your prospective employer knows that you have a shining and engaging personality that can help you to deal with any situations that you may encounter whilst working as the assistant to the head of HR. It is essential that you ensure that your introduction is as rigorous and well written as it can possibly be because it is the very first thing that any possible employer will see, and you need it to be as eye catching and convincing as possible. Without a strong introduction, that is clear in its purpose and will ensure that your prospective employer is convinced as to your worth to the HR department you are applying for, you will be less likely to get the job you want.

When writing a cover letter for any job, it is important to remember there are certain things that you should and must include and other things that you cannot include. For example, you should not include too many references to your CV. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t mention your CV – of course you should, it is an important part of your application. But as you will be sending your CV alongside your cover letter, it would seem repetitive. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your main letter does not dwell on your CV too much or when you apply for your job your prospective employer may feel as if you haven’t done enough to convince them why you are the right person for the job.

• Good language. When writing your cover letter, it is important to ensure that you endeavour to use the best language you can. This doesn’t simply mean that you must use persuasive language – you must also ensure that you use language that is formal but shows off your personality. This means that you must be careful with how you use your language. For example, it would make your cover letter less impactful if you attempted to use too much colloquial language or made use of language in an unclear and unconcise way. The language you use will be the main feature of your letter – it is the element that, more than anything, will convince your prospective employer that you are the right person for the job. This is particularly important when you are applying for a job in an area such as HR. Human Recourses is an area of work which is, more than any other, is heavily connected to language and with human communication. It is important that you remember that the job you are applying for is not about dealing with figures or with something that you will entirely emotionally disconnected from. Is it an area of work in which empathy and compassion are vitally important and, without that, you wouldn’t be able to do your job as well. This is something you must demonstrate through your letter and make sure that your prospective employer understands that you can be trusted to deal with emotionally vexing situations and that you will maintain a professional outlook at all times. Your letter as strongly should illuminate this as possible and if you don’t make it clear to your prospective employer, you may not get the job you are applying for.
• Don’t rely on your CV. It is important that, when writing a cover letter, you don’t rely on your CV. As mentioned above, your use of language is important but also what exactly you want to convey in your letter is as well. You want to demonstrate that you are not simply a fax file or a list of achievements – you are a person who will endeavour to make sure that their place in the HR department is positive and important. You have to make sure that it is clear to your prospective employer that you can deliver the work that is required of you and that you can do it easily and without any problems to the industry or company you are applying to work for. Personality and perseverance are two important features of cover letter writing that are often overlooked, however they are vital elements to ensuring that your cover letter stands out from the rest of the crowd. Rather than attempting to appear as simply a machine, you must interject some of your passion and personality into your letter to demonstrate that there is a real person behind it. This isn’t to say that your cover letter should ever be a love letter to the company or industry you are applying for – your cover letter must have some passion in it but not so much that it might seem as if you are lacking in any professional decorum or that you are simply trying to fill up the word count of your letter. It must be natural and be interwoven with the rest of your letter.
• Conciseness. When writing your cover letter, it is important to remember that you are writing a letter and not dictate. You must be a ruthless as you can with your editing and make sure that your letter does not become a rambling monologue with no consistency or any sense of order. It is important that you don’t try to linger on any particular element of your application for too long – remember, you are hoping to be asked for an interview where your prospective employer can ask you any question about your cover letter or general application they like. It is wise to just make sure that there is enough to perk the interest of a prospective employer but not so much that they are bored.