Job Application Tips: “Should I Use Same Cover Letter For All Jobs?” HR Advices

By Florence Mukunya,

“Cover letters are all about how we introduce ourselves when searching for jobs. We want the employer to know who we are at a mere glance of the letter,” says June Njoroge, a career advisor at Corporate Staffing Services.

Recently James Matu emailed us with a query on some article he had read on line. “I read on an article on line stating that applying for different jobs using the same cover letter could affect your chances of getting the said job. I have been applying for HR Officer Jobs for different positions but I have been using the same cover letter, I haven’t gotten any luck yet, do you think my applying for different positions using the same cover letter is making me not get a job?”

I talked to Mr. Benson Ng’ang’a a HR personnel at Footplus Ltd, A.B.U Bata shoe company on the issue and sort his input on it.

“It could be affecting Mr. James chances of getting a job and what he needs is to do is have a specific cover letter for every job he applies for,” says Mr.Ng’ang’a.

“He should not assume that because he is applying for HR officer jobs that it’s alright to use the same letter for all positions because a HR officer in for example a factory and a HR Officer in the office setting have different skills required to perform their jobs, so each letter for each of the position should highlight different skills needed for the different jobs.”

Mr. Ng’ang’a also says that there are consequences in using the same cover letter to apply for various jobs but he has an advice for that. “Before doing a cover letter do a company analysis and find out what skills they need also analyze the job advert enough to see what the requirements are needed and use that to write your cover letter.”

I also talked to Mr. Martin Githagia a Human Resource Personnel at Corporate Staffing Services and he strongly felt that using the same cover letter to seek for different jobs is plain lazy.

“Using the same cover letter means that you are just an ordinary job seeker who does not go the extra mile in job seeking. A tailored cover letter means some effort was put into it, the same kind of effort an employer would be looking for in an employee.” He says.

I also sort on the length of a cover letter, should it be long enough so as to cover all your skills or should it highlight just some of the major skills?

“A cover letter should not exceed one page. Three paragraphs is the accepted norm. The idea of a cover letter is a brief on the CV and your understanding of the role. Brevity is the key to ensure the recruiter does not get carried away as she/he reads. More like a preface to a book.” Mr Githaiga says.

Listening to all these highly qualified personnel it’s clear that cover letters are a chance to shine beyond your CV, to show some creativity, always write a different cover letter for every job you apply for.

It sells you; more like a company selling bread with a sachet of margarine attached.

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