Contract job hunting is in a league of its own. Contractors are highly skilled professionals with vast experience, which can make creating the perfect covering letter a tedious task. Although 90% of the recruitment process has moved online, contractors shouldn’t underestimate the persuading power of the covering letter. Furthermore, it is problematic to fit vast skill sets into one CV, so there is no better way to extend an application than with a covering letter, proving it’s done right. Here are contractjobs.com’s top tips to do exactly that.


• Don’t get too technical- leave the critical information to the CV. Technical information such as specific skills and work experience are best placed on a CV. Contractor CV’s are passed around from HR departments, to recruitment agencies to direct employers and more often than not, the covering letter gets held back in the process.

Therefore think of your covering letter as your ticket to the latter stage. Include information that is going to make the employer WANT to read your CV, such as company knowledge and personal work ethic. By doing this you are not only circulating an effective covering letter, but ensuring that all the vital facts are kept on the CV when the covering letter gets left behind.

• Do not repeat information from your CV- There is nothing worse than a covering letter that repeats information from a CV. This will not only frustrate the reader but give out the impression that you haven’t put enough thought into your application. The covering letter should be personal and give the reader a taste of who you are as a freelance professional.

• Do not write an essay- Pardon the cliché but short and sweet is the best approach when creating the perfect covering letter. We all get carried away with word counts sometimes but it is vital that your covering letter fits easily on one page. By getting the balance right between what to include in your CV and what to include in your covering letter, this should be achievable.


Aim towards three to four snappy paragraphs. The first should include information as to who you are and the job you are applying for. The second, and probably the most important paragraph should include information as to why you ARE the person for the contract job, including information of any previous projects you have done that have equipped you with the appropriate skills for the role. Additional information such as transferable skills should be left to the latter paragraphs.


• Keep it real! - This rule goes for both covering letters and CVs. Do not include information that simply isn’t true, it will hinder you later on in the recruitment process or even after you have got the job. With this in mind, leave out any information that may be detrimental to your application such as salary expectation. This should be left for AFTER the interview stage and when you have been offered the contract. So remember keep it real, and keep it positive.

• Complement your CV- Think of your CV and covering letter not as twins, but as siblings. Though they should not be identical, they should definitely complement each other, through appearance and content. Use the same font style and layout for each document. The key with content is to add any additional information that isn’t appropriate for the CV into the covering letter. For example, if you worked on major project, include the key facts coherently on the CV and save the more specific information for the covering letter.


Making a covering letter stand out from the rest is, to a certain extent, down to the individual writing it. However by following these tips in the process, contractors can rest assure that they are already half way there.