Tailoring a cover letter – Page 2

Send a separate, tailored letter for each role if the company allows multiple applications. Each letter should focus on that role's requirements, even if the motivation paragraph is similar.

Tips:

• Check the company's policy; some prefer you to choose one role.
• Make sure the two letters are consistent and not contradictory.
• Do not say each role is your "only" or "dream" job.

Example difference:

• For a Marketing Coordinator role: focus on campaign planning and events.
• For a Content Writer role at the same company: focus on writing samples and editing.

If the roles are very similar, one letter mentioning both may be acceptable, but follow the application instructions.

Keep your core examples, but change the employer details, the motivation and the example you lead with, based on what each employer emphasises.

Example for a Staff Nurse role at two hospitals:

• Hospital A stresses patient education: lead with the discharge leaflet you created.
• Hospital B stresses critical care: lead with your experience on a high-dependency unit.

Each letter should also mention something specific to that employer, such as its specialties, location or patient community. Even when the job is the same, employers are not.

Lead with the parts of your experience closest to the new focus, and show you understand how the new role differs. Many people move between specialisms within a field, such as from accounts payable to financial reporting.

Example: an IT support technician applying for a network administrator role:
"While my main role is desktop support, I have taken responsibility for our office network for the past year, configuring switches, managing Wi-Fi access and monitoring outages. I am now applying for your Network Administrator role to make this my main focus."

Steps:

• Identify the tasks in the new focus that you already do, even part of the time.
• Put those examples first.
• Mention training or study that supports the move.

Adjust the conventions, spelling and details to match the country's norms, and explain your availability and relocation plans clearly.

Things to adapt:

• Spelling: American English for US employers, British English for UK and many other regions.
• Paper size: US Letter for the US and Canada, A4 for most other countries.
• Personal details: leave out information that is not expected in that country.
• Context: explain unfamiliar employers or qualifications briefly, for example "a leading private hospital in Kerala".

Example:
"I am currently based in Cairo and plan to relocate to Doha in June; I am available for video interviews before then."

Check each country's typical expectations and the employer's instructions.

Show that you are already doing parts of the higher-level job and ready for full responsibility. Focus on examples where you went beyond your current title.

What to highlight:

• Times you led others, covered for a manager or managed a project.
• Decisions you made and their results.
• Training or qualifications that prepare you for the step up.

Example:
"As Senior Sales Associate, I have covered the store manager's duties during her annual leave for two years, including staff rotas, stock orders and weekly sales reports. I am now ready to take on the Assistant Store Manager role full time."

Keep the tone confident, not apologetic.

You can, if the advert names them or you know from research, and it helps show you understand the role. Keep it brief and accurate.

Examples:

• "I understand this role reports to your Head of Treasury and supports the cash management team."
• "Working within your regional operations team would let me use my experience coordinating across several sites."

Tips:

• Use the details given in the advert or confirmed by a reliable source.
• Do not guess at reporting lines or internal structures.
• Focus on how your experience fits that team's work, not on the manager personally.

Usually not by name, and never negatively. Criticising competitors can look unprofessional, and you may not know the employer's relationships with them.

When it can be acceptable:

• Describing your own experience at a competitor in neutral terms: "At a regional supermarket chain, I managed..."
• Showing industry knowledge in a positive way: "I have followed how online grocery delivery has grown across the UAE."

Focus on what you can do for this employer rather than comparisons. If you currently work for a competitor, keep confidential information out of your letter entirely.

Tailor the body first, then write the opening. Once you have chosen your strongest matching examples, it is easier to write an opening that previews them.

Suggested order:

• Choose two or three examples that match the advert.
• Write the motivation paragraph about this employer.
• Write the opening, naming the role and your most relevant strength.
• Update the closing with availability and any specific details.

Example: if your best example is reducing patient waiting times, your opening might say: "With experience improving patient flow in a busy outpatient clinic, I am applying for your Clinic Coordinator role."

Use the key terms, not whole sentences. Take the important nouns and skills from the advert and place them in your own sentences about your real experience.

Example advert line:
"The successful candidate will manage vendor relationships and ensure timely delivery of materials to project sites."

Copied (avoid):
"I will manage vendor relationships and ensure timely delivery of materials to project sites."

Tailored (better):
"I manage relationships with 30 material suppliers and track deliveries daily, so our three project sites have what they need when work starts."

Using the employer's language helps the reader see the match; copying their sentences suggests you have nothing of your own to say.

Yes. Company social media can show recent projects, events, values and the tone the company uses. Mention something relevant and professional, in your own words.

Examples:

• "I saw your team's recent beach clean-up event, and I have organised similar volunteer days at my current company."
• "Your posts about training new graduate engineers on site show the kind of learning culture I am looking for."

Avoid commenting on employees' personal accounts or private details. Stick to official company pages and public, work-related content.

Mention what you learned in a way that shows interest and links to your strengths, and only name the person if they agree.

Example:
"Speaking with a member of your customer success team, I learned that onboarding new clients quickly is a priority this year. In my current role, I created onboarding checklists that helped new clients start using our software within their first week."

Tips:

• Use general insights, not confidential information.
• Do not overstate what the person told you.
• Thank the person afterwards and let them know you applied.

The careers page often shows what the company values in employees, how it describes its teams and what its hiring process looks like.

Look for:

• Values or "what we look for" sections.
• Descriptions of teams or departments.
• Training programmes, graduate schemes or career paths.
• Employee stories or quotes.
• Application instructions, such as whether to include a cover letter.

Example of using it:
"Your careers page mentions a structured mentoring programme for new engineers, which is one reason I am applying for your Graduate Engineer role."

Pick one idea from the mission, put it in your own words and show how your work reflects it. Avoid quoting the whole mission statement.

Compare:

• Weak: "Your mission is 'to deliver world-class healthcare to every community', which I fully agree with."
• Better: "Your aim of bringing quality healthcare to smaller communities matches my experience running a mobile vaccination clinic in rural areas."

One clear connection is more convincing than general agreement.

Indirectly, yes. The job-description comparison in the builder shows which of the job description's most frequent terms appear in your resume. Once your resume reflects the terms that truthfully apply to you, you can use the same terms naturally in your cover letter.

A practical approach:

• Paste the job description into the comparison and see which frequent terms your resume already includes.
• Update your resume honestly where a term describes something you have really done.
• Choose two or three of those strengths as the focus of your cover letter, and write the letter in the cover letter tab.

The comparison checks the resume, not the letter, and it does not judge whether you are a good fit. It is a free tool, like writing the letter itself.

Show experience with similar change, such as growth, a merger, new systems or new markets, and present it as a reason you could help. Base your understanding on public information only.

Examples:

• Expansion: "As your group opens new branches across the Northern Emirates, my experience training opening teams for two new stores would be useful."
• New system: "I helped my current employer move to a cloud accounting system and trained colleagues on it."
• Merger: "I supported HR during the integration of two companies, including aligning employee records and policies."

Avoid speculating about internal problems or job cuts. Keep the tone positive and practical.

Confirm the name from at least one reliable source, ideally two, such as the job advert, the company website or a professional profile. Pay attention to spelling, title and current role.

Checklist:

• Spelling, including accents, hyphens and spaces: "Al-Mansouri" vs "Al Mansouri".
• The correct title: Mr, Ms, Dr, Professor or none.
• That the person still works there and in the relevant role.
• Which part of the name is the family name, especially for names from cultures you are less familiar with.

When you cannot confirm the details, use the full name without a title, or a neutral greeting.

Choose the one from the most direct and recent source, usually the job advert or the company's own website. If you still cannot tell, use a neutral greeting.

How to decide:

• A name in the advert or application instructions is the best source.
• A current profile showing the right job title and department is the next best.
• Older articles or outdated pages may list people who have changed roles.

If neither person is clearly responsible for the role, write "Dear Hiring Manager" or address the relevant team. A safe neutral greeting is better than the wrong name.

Usually not, unless it is a very small company where the owner or CEO handles hiring. In larger organisations, the CEO is unlikely to read applications, and your letter may be delayed.

Better options:

• The head of the department you would join.
• The HR or talent acquisition manager.
• A neutral greeting: "Dear Hiring Manager" or "Dear Recruitment Team".

For small family businesses or start-ups, addressing the owner by name can be appropriate, since they often make the hiring decisions.

Follow the advert first: if it names a contact or an email address, address that person or team. If not, the department head is often the person who makes the final decision, while HR may manage the process.

Practical guidance:

• Advert says "send to HR" or gives an HR contact: address HR.
• Advert names the hiring manager: address them.
• Nothing given: "Dear Hiring Manager" covers both.

Write the content for both readers: HR will check basic fit and requirements; the department head will look for practical experience and results.

Write one letter that works for both: clear evidence of the listed requirements for the HR screener, and specific, practical examples for the hiring manager.

For the HR screener:

• Use the job title and key requirements clearly.
• Make qualifications, experience level and availability easy to find.

For the hiring manager:

• Give concrete examples of doing similar work.
• Show understanding of the team's day-to-day challenges.

Example sentence that serves both:
"I have four years of experience as a Payroll Officer using SAP, and last year I took over payroll for two newly acquired companies without missing a pay date."

Group related requirements and cover them with one example each, focusing on the most important. A single good example can show several skills at once.

Example:
An advert asks for "planning, budget control, contractor management and reporting". One example can cover all four:
"I planned the refurbishment of our head office, managed a budget agreed with finance, coordinated three contractors and sent weekly progress reports to the director."

Leave less important requirements to your resume. Two or three well-chosen examples will cover most adverts.

Describe the customers in one phrase and give an example of serving similar people. Employers value candidates who understand who they are serving.

Examples:

• "Your stores serve busy families looking for value, which is the customer base I have worked with for three years at a discount supermarket."
• "Your software is used by small clinics without IT staff, and in my support role I explain technical fixes to non-technical users every day."
• "Your hotel welcomes many business travellers, and I have managed express check-in for corporate guests."

Base your description on public information, such as the company's website or the advert.

Name the branch or location and mention anything relevant: knowing the area, living nearby, or experience with its type of customers.

Examples:

• "I am applying for the Pharmacist role at your Al Barsha branch. I live nearby and know the area's mix of families and office workers."
• "Your new Muscat showroom will serve many first-time car buyers, and I have experience guiding customers through financing options."

If the company is hiring for several branches, say which you prefer and whether you are flexible: "I would be happy to work at any of your Sharjah branches."

Name the product, platform or system and connect it to your hands-on experience. Be accurate and specific without claiming insider knowledge.

Examples:

• "I see from your advert that your network uses Cisco equipment; I maintain a similar setup of switches and firewalls in my current role."
• "I have used your accounting software as a customer for three years and know its reporting features well."
• "Your production line uses PLC-controlled packaging machines, which I have maintained and fault-found at my current plant."

If you have not used their exact system, mention a similar one and your ability to learn quickly.

You can mention it briefly if it is relevant, especially if you have gained new experience since. Keep it positive and focus on what has changed.

Example:
"I applied for a Junior Analyst role with your team last year. Since then, I have completed a year of data analysis work in retail banking, and I am now applying for your Data Analyst position with stronger experience in SQL and reporting."

If your previous application was very recent or for an identical role, consider whether reapplying is a good idea, and check whether the company has rules about reapplying.