Cover Letter

A cover letter is attached in front of your résumé, persuading the employer to review your application and give you an interview opportunity. In order to respond to the employer’s request on applicants, and to better express your strengths, relevant skills and experience, you should write a tailor-made cover letter to show that you are the most suitable candidate.

  • Place the application letter in front of your résumé;
  • Limit to one page;
  • Maintain a positive tone;
  • Tailor your cover letter;
  • Respond to the requirements of the employer in the advertisement;
  • Specify the position you are applying for and the reference number if available;
  • Address the name and salutation (e.g. Mr. / Ms. / Mrs.) of the recipient correctly;
  • Highlight your relevant skills and demonstrate your knowledge as well as the understanding of the company.

  • Sign your name in color pen other than blue and black;
  • Discuss your emotions, feelings or sensitive issues (such as chronic illness);
  • Mention your salary history;
  • Include negative information of any kind;
  • Repeat words or phrases from your résumé;
  • Use correction fluid;
  • Use over-polite or old-fashioned language;
  • Make any spelling or grammatical mistakes;
  • Use abbreviation, e.g. use “Do not” instead of “Don’t”; use “University of Macau” instead of “UM”.

Types of Cover Letter

There are typically two types: solicited and unsolicited cover letters.
1. Solicited Letter
A solicited cover letter is written in response to a specific advertisement for a job opening.
2. Unsolicited Letter
An unsolicited cover letter is written for initiating a job opportunity.

Full Block Style

Full block style is the most commonly used letter style for cover letters. There is no indentation for new paragraphs. Punctuations within the main body of the message are included, while punctuations in dates and addresses are omitted.

Anatomy of a Cover Letter

1B, YY Building
XX Street, Macao

30 April 2019

Mr. Tom Chan
Human Resources Manager
ABC Lifestyle Magazine
Edificio Da China
Avenida Doctor Mario Soares Macau

Mr. Tom Chan
Human Resources Manager
ABC Lifestyle Magazine
Edificio Da China
Avenida Doctor Mario Soares Macau

Dear Mr. Chan,

Dear Mr. Chan,

Re: Application for the Position of Marketing Executive [Ref. No. 123]

Re: Application for the Position of Marketing Executive [Ref. No. 123]

I am writing to express my interest in the position of Marketing Executive opened to the Career and Internship Fair of the University of Macau. With my strong analytical skills, relevancy of major of studies, and fulfilling experiences, I am confident of being a suitable candidate for the position.

I believe that my education and skill-set are very well suited. I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing from the University of Macau. In my academic studies, I trained myself to be a creative person and obtained satisfying grades in Marketing-related courses. As you can see from my résumé, I worked as a Marketing Intern. During my internship, I learned how to approach potential customers and promote services to them strategically. In my work as an Office Assistant and Student Trainee, I demonstrated my clerical skills to be highly efficient and respond as quickly as possible to questions. Last but not least, I found my volunteer experiences as a teacher and reporter rewarding and beneficial to my personal development.

Through my leadership in the associations of the Students’ Union in the university, I led the Choir and the Marketing Society in organizing and promoting various shows and events. Leading a diverse group of people was a challenge and I received positive support from my teammates due to my mature interpersonal and organizational skills. My work experience and extracurricular activities helped me to enhance my qualities that I believe will enable me to fit in the new workplace well.

I believe my creativity, pursuit of good work quality, efficiency and team spirit would make me qualified to the position. My résumé is enclosed to give you more detailed information. I appreciate that if you could give me an interview opportunity. Please reach me at 6666 6666 or michaelfong@mail.mo if you have any questions. Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to speaking with you.

Yours sincerely,
Michael Fong
Michael Fong Tai Man

Enc. Résumé

Useful phrases

You can select suitable phrases to highlight your skills in the cover letter. You can search for more on the Internet.
Phrase List

Sending a Cover Letter through E-mail

  • Follow the employer’s instructions;
  • State the position that you apply together with your name in the Subject Line. For example: Application for the Position of Marketing Executive － Michael Fong Tai Man [Ref No. 123];
  • Include all your contact information, such as full name, mailing address, phone number, and email address, so that HR manager can contact you;
  • If the employer requests you to include the cover letter and résumé as attachments, save the files using your name and applying position, so that your files will not be mixed up with other applicants’ materials;
  • If the employer requests the cover letter and résumé in the body of an email message, you should paste your cover letter and résumé into your email message. Use a basic font and remove the formatting as the employer may not see the formatted message in the same way as you do.

Sending a Cover Letter through E-mail

  • Follow the employer’s instructions;
  • State the position that you apply together with your name in the Subject Line. For example: Application for the Position of Marketing Executive － Michael Fong Tai Man [Ref No. 123];
  • Include all your contact information, such as full name, mailing address, phone number, and email address, so that HR manager can contact you;
  • If the employer requests you to include the cover letter and résumé as attachments, save the files using your name and applying position, so that your files will not be mixed up with other applicants’ materials;
  • If the employer requests the cover letter and résumé in the body of an email message, you should paste your cover letter and résumé into your email message. Use a basic font and remove the formatting as the employer may not see the formatted message in the same way as you do.
Participate in our activities to polish your application documents. Details can be found through Student E-bulletin Board and our Wechat:
Interview