Cover letter basics – Page 3

Only if the employer invites it. Most employers expect a written letter, and many cannot or will not open unrequested video files or links. A video does not replace a required written document.

If video is welcome, for example in a creative or media application:

• Keep it short, around one to two minutes.
• Cover the same points as a letter: the role, your fit and your interest.
• Record in a quiet place with good light.
• Provide a written letter or email as well.

For most applications, a clear written cover letter is the safer and more expected choice.

Yes. Enthusiasm helps, but too many exclamation marks, superlatives or dramatic phrases can seem unprofessional or insincere. Show interest through specific reasons rather than strong adjectives.

Compare:

• Over the top: "I am absolutely thrilled and would be beyond honoured to join the world's most amazing company!"
• Better: "I have followed your clinic's community health programme for a year, and I would like to bring my vaccination outreach experience to it."

Keep exclamation marks out of a cover letter. One or two well-chosen words of interest, such as "pleased" or "keen", are enough when the rest of the letter shows real knowledge of the employer.

It depends on the employer. Many tech companies focus on the resume, portfolio, GitHub or technical assessments, and some forms do not ask for a letter. Others, especially smaller firms and roles involving client contact, still value a short one.

If you write one for a tech role:

• Name the main technologies in the advert that you have used, with an example.
• Mention a project or result, not just a list of tools.
• Link to your portfolio or code samples if relevant.

Example: "I built the internal leave-request app for my current employer using React and Node.js, which cut paper forms for 200 staff."

Keep it short; technical readers prefer precise detail over general claims.

Often yes, especially for hospital and clinic roles where the advert asks for one. A cover letter lets you show your clinical area, patient care approach and any licences or certifications relevant to the role.

Useful points to include:

• Your specialty or unit, such as emergency, paediatrics or theatre.
• A short example of patient care, teamwork or safety practice.
• Relevant licences or certifications, if the role or country requires them; list them as the regulator requires.
• Your availability, including shift patterns.

Example: "In three years on a busy medical ward, I have mentored new graduate nurses and led our unit's fall-prevention checks."

Some health employers use structured application forms instead; follow their process.

Usually yes. Many schools ask for a letter of application with the CV or application form, because it shows your teaching approach and how you would fit the school.

A teaching letter often includes:

• The subject and age range you teach.
• A short example of a lesson, project or result with students.
• How you support different learners or manage a classroom.
• Why this school, for example its curriculum or values.

Example: "Teaching Grade 7 science at Riverside Academy, I introduced weekly hands-on experiments, and student engagement in practical work rose noticeably by the end of the term."

Some schools and education departments give a specific format or questions. Follow them closely.

You can, but you will still need to adjust it for each job and make sure every line is true and sounds like you. A letter written entirely by someone else can be hard to defend in an interview.

Before paying, consider:

• You know your experience best; a writer needs your examples anyway.
• Each application needs tailoring, so a single paid letter has limited use.
• Free feedback is often available from university careers services, mentors or friends in your field.

If you do use a writer, give them the job advert and your best examples, ask for a base letter you can adapt, and check every fact before sending.

No. Describe your level honestly. Overstating your skills in a cover letter can quickly come out in an interview or a test, and it damages trust.

Honest wording that still sounds positive:

• "I have a working knowledge of Power BI and use it for monthly sales dashboards."
• "I am completing an online course in Python and have automated two reporting tasks so far."
• "I am an intermediate Spanish speaker and handle routine customer emails in Spanish."

Show you are learning and give a concrete example of what you can already do. Employers often value honesty and steady progress more than inflated claims.

Show personality through specific details and genuine reasons, not jokes or slang. A real example of what you enjoy or how you work tells the reader more about you than any adjective.

Ways to do it:

• Explain what draws you to the work: "I enjoy turning messy spreadsheets into reports people actually use."
• Mention a relevant interest that links to the role, briefly.
• Use natural, plain language rather than stiff formal phrases.

Example: "Running our neighbourhood's monthly food drive taught me that a clear rota and a friendly reminder message can solve most volunteer problems."

Keep humour very light or leave it out, as it reads differently to different people.

A resume summary is two to four lines at the top of your resume that describe your professional profile in general; a cover letter is a full one-page letter that explains your fit and interest for one specific job.

Key differences:

• Length: a summary is a short paragraph; a letter has several paragraphs.
• Voice: summaries often drop "I"; letters are written in full first-person sentences.
• Focus: a summary describes who you are professionally; a letter argues why you suit this employer.

Example summary: "Customer service team leader with five years in telecoms, skilled in complaint handling and coaching new agents."

The letter can then expand on one of those points with a story and link it to the advert.

Start with the job advert, not with a blank page. Your letter should answer one question: why are you a good fit for this job? The advert tells you what the employer needs.

A simple step-by-step approach:

• Read the advert and underline the three most important requirements.
• For each one, note an example from your work, studies or volunteering that shows you meet it.
• Write one sentence on why this employer or role interests you.
• Draft an opening paragraph naming the role and your main reason for applying.
• Turn your examples into one or two middle paragraphs.
• Close with thanks and a line about being available for an interview.

Example opening: "I am applying for the Junior Accountant position at Saffron Holdings. Having completed my ACCA papers while working part-time in accounts payable, I am keen to grow in a team that handles group reporting."

Then cut anything off-topic, keep it to one page and check names and spelling twice. Your first letter takes longest; later ones get much faster.

Check the details that are easiest to get wrong first, then read the whole letter slowly, ideally aloud.

A short proofreading checklist:

• Company name, job title and reference number are correct.
• Recipient's name is spelled correctly, with the right title.
• No leftover text from another application.
• Dates, numbers and facts match your resume.
• No spelling or grammar errors; run a checker, then read it yourself.
• The letter fits on one page and the file opens correctly.

It helps to leave the letter for an hour and come back to it, or to ask someone else to read it. Mistakes are much easier to spot with fresh eyes.

In effect, yes. When a form offers a short message box instead of an upload field, use it as a condensed cover letter: a few focused sentences that make your case.

What to write:

• One sentence naming the role and your main qualification.
• One or two sentences with your strongest relevant example.
• One sentence on availability or interest.

Example: "I am applying for the Store Supervisor role in Al Barsha. I have supervised a team of eight at a busy supermarket for two years, handling rotas and stock checks. I can start within two weeks and am available for weekend shifts."

Stay within any character limit, and do not paste a full letter if it would be cut off.

Yes, in some situations: a text box with a word limit, an email to a recruiter who already knows you, or applications for hourly roles where a short note is normal. For a formal application that requests a cover letter, one paragraph usually looks too thin.

A strong single paragraph still needs:

• The role you are applying for.
• One clear, relevant strength with an example.
• A brief closing about availability or interest.

Example: "I would like to apply for the Delivery Driver role. I hold a valid light vehicle licence, have three years of delivery experience across Sharjah and Ajman, and keep a clean driving record. I can start immediately and am happy to work early shifts."

Read the advert and the application form carefully; employers usually say so. Look for words such as "cover letter", "covering letter", "letter of application", "motivation letter" or "supporting statement".

Signs it is required or expected:

• The advert says "Please send your CV and cover letter".
• The form has a mandatory upload field or text box for it.
• The advert asks you to explain how you meet specific criteria.

Signs it is optional or not expected:

• The field is marked "optional".
• The advert says "CV only" or the form has no place for one.

If it is genuinely unclear and you are applying by email, a short letter in the email body is a safe middle path.

A short one helps if there is a place to send it. Part-time employers mainly want to know your availability, reliability and whether you can do the work, and a few lines can answer all three.

Include:

• The role and branch or location.
• The days and hours you can work, and your start date.
• One example showing a relevant skill.

Example: "I am a university student available on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and all day Saturday. At my previous part-time job in a bookshop, I handled the till and helped customers find titles."

If the form asks only for availability and a CV, you do not need a separate letter.

Usually not. Recruitment agencies normally ask for your CV and then present you to their client with their own summary. What they need from you is accurate, relevant information.

Instead of a formal letter, send a short email that includes:

• The role you are interested in, with any reference number.
• Your current position, notice period and location.
• Two or three points that make you a strong match.

Example: "I am interested in the Quantity Surveyor vacancy (ref. QS-117). I have six years of post-contract experience on residential towers and am available on one month's notice."

If the agency or its client asks for a cover letter, provide a tailored one.

Many do. In both countries it is common to send a cover letter with your resume when applying directly, and many job adverts ask for one. Some roles, especially in government, use structured application forms or selection-criteria statements instead.

Common expectations:

• One page, addressed to a named person where possible.
• Clear links between your experience and the job's requirements.
• A professional but direct tone.

As in other countries, practices vary by employer and industry. Follow each advert's instructions, and if a letter is optional, a short, tailored one is generally worthwhile.

Generally no. A cover letter is for showing why you fit the role. Weaknesses are better discussed in an interview, where you can explain how you are working on them.

If there is a clear gap between the advert and your experience, address it positively in one sentence:

• "While I have not yet used SAP, I use Oracle daily and am completing SAP's introductory training."
• "My experience is mostly in residential projects, and I am keen to apply my site safety knowledge to commercial builds."

This shows awareness and a plan, without drawing too much attention to what is missing. Do not apologise for your background or start with what you lack.

Specific evidence and genuine interest make a letter stand out, not unusual design or clever phrases. Most letters are general; a letter with clear examples linked to the job is memorable.

Ways to stand out:

• Open with a concrete reason or achievement rather than "I am writing to apply...".
• Use one short story with a result.
• Mention something real about the employer, such as a project, service or value.
• Keep it short and easy to read.

Example: "Last year I redesigned the returns process at Oasis Electronics so that refunds were completed in one visit instead of two. I noticed your stores are expanding their repair service, and I would like to help make it just as simple for customers."

No, there is usually no reason to. Your age does not show whether you can do the job, and many hiring guides advise leaving it out of application documents. Focus on your skills, experience and results.

If you are worried about how your age might be perceived:

• Emphasise recent, relevant achievements and up-to-date skills.
• Avoid phrases like "over 30 years of experience" if a shorter focus on the most relevant years makes your case better.
• For early-career applicants, focus on what you have done, not on being young.

Example: "Over the past five years, I have managed the payroll system migration and trained the team on the new software." The work speaks for itself.