Over 90% of CVs fail to secure an interview for their owners. Besides the ones who are rejected because they lack the right qualifications, the majority of the other rejections are down to poor writing, poor presentation and unfocused content. This is down to two things. One is lack of research into the company, and the second is candidates who are not sure what the recruiter is looking for.

This leads to an unfocused cover letter, which inevitably ends in the recycle bin along with the accompanying cv. writing a good letter is crucial to getting the recruiter to look at your CV. If the letter is bad, poorly presented and unfocused, the recruiter will not bother to look at your CV.

Here's a few cover letter tips to improve your writing.

• Research the company. Not only is this common sense and courtesy, it's crucial if you are going to present them with the right cv and letter. The more thorough your research is, the more you will understand about the company and why the position it is advertising is important. It will enable you to focus your CV and cover letter to what exactly the company is looking for.
• Always address your cover letter to the person dealing with the recruitment. The days of "Dear Sir/Madam" are well and truly over. There's no excuse for not addressing your letter direct to the person. If you are unsure about whom this is then phone and ask, or email.
• Use only one A4 sheet of good quality paper.
• Do not fold the letter. Post in an A4 envelope.
• Your cover letter is the first point of contact with the recruiter. You have to sell yourself without sounding desperate.
• Avoid using too many sentences starting with "I". After reading fifty plus cover letters with nearly every sentence starting with "I", recruiters get tired of it. To pick a letter up that avoids using this is a refreshing change and can get you noticed straight away.
• Avoid conversational language like: "I'm, don't, won't etc" Keep it formal. There's a time and place for different writing styles. A cover letter is a place to be formal and professional.
• It should go without saying that spelling mistakes are definitely to be avoided. A badly spelled cover letter is binned. It shows sloppiness and no one wants to employ a sloppy worker.
• Keep it short and to the point
• Make sure all your paper and envelopes match. Cover letter, resume and envelopes should all match and be of the best quality.