Writing a cover letter for a Jamaican vacancy

Address the officer the notice names, as it names them: "The Director, Human Resource Management". If it names a person, write "Dear Mrs Brown" and close "Yours sincerely". If not, write "Dear Sir or Madam" and close "Yours faithfully".¹

Not "Dear Hiring Manager", and not "To whom it may concern".

Give the post's title exactly as the notice does, and its reference number if it has one. Put both in the subject line too. Then one line on who you are: your job now, and for how long.

Take the notice's two or three main requirements and set each beside what you have: "The notice asks for three years in accounts. I have four." A reader can check that in a second.

Don't skip it, and don't stretch it. Name what the notice asks for, then what you have instead: "The notice asks for a diploma in business administration. I can offer a degree in mathematics." Never call it equivalent.

Write "I enclose my resume." Name any other document only if you're really sending it. If the notice says its own application form is required, fill it in: a letter doesn't replace it.

One page: about 150 to 300 words. Stop when the facts run out. End with one line offering to attend an interview, then your name and phone number. Your address and the date go at the top.¹

• Praise for the employer, and "hard-working team player".
• Your age, religion, marital status or a photo.
• A start date, before anyone has offered you the job.
• Any qualification you don't hold.