I am starting to apply for jobs post-PhD and I wondered if anybody has any advice regarding COVERING LETTERS?
Cheers in advance!

It depends somewhat on the nature of the application procedure. If it involves an application form with lots of bonkers personality profiling questions then your covering letter should be minimal (i.e. please find enclosed my application for X position etc.). At a push, you might be able to emphasise a particular point you'd like them to focus but keep it simple.

At the other extreme, if you're writing a speculative application you'll need a detailed covering letter written specifically for the person to which it is addressed, detailing who you are, what you're looking for and what you can bring to the organisation. You put this in front of your CV.

What sort of application is it?

I have a job description and they ask for a covering letter and CV. Spoke to professor who will be doing the recruiting and he said you really need to say why you want the job etc. etc. in the covering letter. So it needs to be to the point and grab their attention. First job I have ever applied for (working in supermarkets don't count as they are an application form)...and so it begins!

Yes, he is right. The covering letter is where you sell your strengths and motivations for applying for the job. So this needs to be 1-2 pages, but no more.

Thanks Sylvester. Sounds like you have a lot of experience in this.

Years ago, I did the whole "graduate job" application thing. The careers office gave us seminars on how to prepare the different sorts of applications from the overly long and arduous blue chip application forms to speculative applications and their covering letters.

In the case of explaining your experience, don't go too mad on detail - the objective is to bait them so that they are tempted into giving you an interview to find out more (so keep some things back). Indeed, it is possible to say too much in a letter/CV. Only at the interview do you provide the greater detail.

Dear hillyg. Coming back to academia from a full-time career, I think it is important to write your cover letter according to its industry and the position. Because you mentioned a professor on your previous message, the job must be academic. If it's a post-doc research fellow type of position , someone with that kind of experience would be more useful to you. But if not, perhaps you can tell us what kind of job it is, and we can all try and help about what to include in the cover letter and what should be avoided.

Hi 404, it is a position for a postdoctoral researcher. 4 years, full-time. Not totally on my subject, but from the response so far they sound pretty open-minded.

Okay, this may put a slightly different slant on things. What I described is the etiquette used for applying for graduate jobs in the commercial world. I suspect that this differs a bit in the world of academia where I'm guessing a bit more detail is required in the initial application.

I'm sure someone who's already been there can have better suggestions. But in the meantime, the key things can be:
- As the subject is not exactly same as yours, try to address the similarities and apply your expertise in your subject to these similarities. (in other words, show how the difference of your own subject can have a positive contribution to this one)
- See this letter as a personal statement, tell them what you are capable of and what you can develope further but without stating the obvious
- It is important to do your background research about the job and refer to some of this information you collected.
- I'm sure you already know this; be polite but do not over-do the politeness.
- Your PhD itself is the biggest reference in terms of research skills. Use some references from your research skills and illustrate them by joining these with the person requirements.
- Keep it to maximum 2 pages. One page is perhaps too little for the level of this post, but do not exceed 2 pages.
(apparently i've exceeded the max words allowed, I'll continue on another message)

- Never state negative-sounding facts. If there are any and you know that you need to mention this, rephrase it as a chance for personal development.
- Also, it would be good to ask someone who has experience of such applications to read the letter before you send (if you have enough time)

Good luck, and sorry if I was repeating things that you already are aware of.