Employment in New Zealand

Based on all our previous discussions on Cover Letters in Part 1 to 3; here is an example letter that I would like to share with you. Read the job description below Understand the content and tone of the job advertisement See for yourself if the cover letter makes some sense for you.  Job Advertisement on www.seek.co.nz   Exceptional PHP Web Developer "ninja" Required I f you worked for us, THIS is what you would have done last month: Had a good laugh every day at the expense of one of us Filled the water cooler at least once Worked on web services integration to a clients online CRM platform Implemented a complex CMS solution for 2 new major sites Torn your hair out over an old legacy piece of software we developed a long time ago and still need to maintain Solved a number of technical issues for us and our customers Reviewed 1 site by another developer and made a list of amends to happen before release Reviewed po...

Yes, this is a bit tedious, but if you want to beat out your competitors,  You have to do more than your competitors and  you have to do it better.  When your cover letter meets or exceeds employer's expectations, you will know that following a cover letter checklist like this one was truly worth it. Is your letter customized to the specific requirements of the vacancy that you are applying for? (No generic letters!)   Is your letter one page long?   Have you used single line spacing, short sentences and short paragraphs?   Is your font clear and easy to read? Does the general appearance of your letter make a good first impression?   Is your letter concise / focused / to-the-point?   Have you highlighted the best and most relevant parts of your CV while avoiding unnecessary repetition?   Have you addressed your letter to the most appropriate person by name?   Will your introduction get the attention of the r...