If you think a cover letter is a formal approach reserved for old-fashioned application processes, then you should banish your pre-conception. When you email your CV to a recruiter or employer you must include text in your email. This is your cover letter. Every single application or e-correspondence you make with a prospective employer forms part of your ‘pitch’.

This week, we talked to Keith Corbin, who spent 15 years within senior HR management roles at Thomas Cook, to ensure employers agree with this sentiment. Here is Keith’s advice:

In my experience the cover letter is alive and kicking and still an important part of the job search process. If the CV can be described as a foot in the door, then the cover letter could be described as that vital first impression of the person at the door.

Making that first impression with a prospective employer in an age of social networking becomes ever more vital. Suspend your judgement and make sure that your cover letter gets you through the door before your competitors.

• Having identified your objectives and designed your CV you now need one further piece of marketing literature and then you are ready to launch “product you” onto the market

• A covering letter is the most effective method to prompt a recruiter to read your CV

• A well worded letter presents you with the opportunity to demonstrate that you understand all the features and requirements of the job you are applying for

• The cover letter allows you to explain why you want to work in that area; and shows how your skills, experience and achievements match the vacancy.

Here are some good examples:

Example 1

• Start with your interest in the job, where you saw it advertised etc.

• Market yourself i.e. what you have to offer in terms of skills and achievements

• Give some more detail about your job

• Tell them what you hope will happen next

• End on an enthusiastic note

Example 2

• Start by telling them what you know about the company and why you would like to apply for a job there

• Tell them what you can do for them

• Tell them what you have done and how well you have done it

• Tell them what you are worth now and what you are expecting to be paid

• End on a positive note

Example 3

• Use the name of a network contact to set the scene for your first paragraph

• Provide them with some background about you

• Tell them what you have done and how well you have done it

• Tell them what you hope will happen next

• End on an appreciative note

Example 4

• Mild flattery about the company or the person you are writing to can be useful as a good start point

• Tell them what you can do for them

• Tell them why you are applying e.g. redundancy, restructure, relocation etc

• Tell them what you are worth now and what you are expecting to be paid

• Tell them what you hope will happen next and thank you

Having reviewed thousands of applications, there is not one template alone I could advise you as the most effective. However, it is clear cover letters that work are structured very carefully.