The concept of "cover letter" has recently become part of everyday life in connection with the development of Internet technologies. Usually this short letters, which accompany the main document and contain Additional information for the recipient. Under the guidance of an experienced HR manager, we figured out what rules for such letters exist in the business environment.

Cover letters are read before the analysis of the resume itself, so they play a major role in the interpretation and perception of subsequent information. The letter must certainly be composed correctly, then it will win over the reader and distract from critical perception. A bad letter is a reason to throw even the perfect resume in the trash: 36% of HR managers admitted that they turned down candidates because of incorrect cover letters.

The practice of writing cover letters is more common among senior and middle managers. In these positions, the letter requires a fundamentally different quality of execution. Let's look at the main features of successful cover letters.

Strict structure

Transmittal letter contains:

1. Greetings(“Dear [name/position]”, “[Name], good afternoon”, “Dear”)

   The greeting should either be personalized or refer to a specific department if the name of the recipient is not known.

2. main part

   2.1. tell what position you are applying for if you send a resume to work mail to the employer. You do not need to do this on the site;
   2.2. Explain why this job attracted you: an interesting product, new features, or complex tasks;
   2.3. smoothly move from motivation to experience and a list of projects that are not described in the resume, but are useful for this vacancy;
   2.4. remind again of your motivation for the position. The further the content of paragraph 2.3 is from the required experience, the more necessary paragraph 2.4.

3. Parting(“Best regards”, “Respectfully”) and duplicated contact details

It is important to remember that all points except 2.3 are well-established clichés created by successful candidates over many years of practice. They are standard, obvious, are already etiquette when communicating through cover letters, should not exceed one or two sentences and are written strictly from a new indented paragraph.

Let's take an example from a letter from the head of the sales department of a large western FMCG company. It is quite long, but for a managerial position it is quite acceptable.

"Irina, good afternoon,

I am writing to you regarding the vacancy "Head of Channel Sales modern trade».

The described duties and purposes of this position seem to me extremely interesting. I have always been attracted to complex and ambitious projects.

I want to immediately note that the experience of working with household appliances I don't, but unlike most candidates I have the following strengths:

• more than 5 years of experience working with federal networks at the level of top officials;
• successful launch and introduction of new products in highly competitive categories (dairy products).

My professional experience also includes:

• command management sales representatives and supervisors from 30 people;
• closing accounts receivable for key customers.

In case of mutual interest, I suggest calling at any time convenient for you.

Sincerely,
Alexey Kh,
Tel.»

Although in most cases the name of the recipient is not known, it is very important to observe personalized and thoughtful treatment. Remember that a copied template cover letter will most likely leave your resume unread. Possible inquiries to the site can be: "Dear Company X Human Resources", "Dear Company X Recruiting", "Dear X Company Recruiting Manager", "I have carefully studied the position of Modern Commerce Channel Sales Manager, etc. ."

Small but capacious

Remember that the cover letter should be read in 10 seconds. Unfortunately, the common practice Russian culture is to write in the cover letter absolutely all projects and life experiences that are not at all related to the vacancy. Such letters reveal a total misunderstanding of both the position and its role in the company.

Try to write a small but informative and useful letter with only quality information.

business style

The style of the cover letter should be consistent with the company's industry and corporate culture.

For most engineering, medical, banking, consulting and other employers, an aged business style described above. It is a win-win for 95% of vacancies posted on the Internet. It is distinguished by the most easy and informative form of writing: a simple structure, terminology, the absence of cumbersome subordinate and complex sentences.

The remaining 5% - Hi-tech, creative, IT start-up, private and small companies with niche products - allow for a more free and emotional appeal.

Mistakes

A common mistake that instantly kills the interest of the reader - template letters. If for you this application for participation in the competition for a position is so typical that you copy your letter, then for the recipient you become an equally typical candidate.

Do not duplicate your experience in a cover letter in other words.. No one wants to spend extra time reading the same information twice.

Creativity in writing and humor only relevant if the company in question is among the small percentage of employers for whom originality and humor are part of the professional activity and consistent with the internal corporate culture.

So what's the secret to great cover letters? They are structured, small in volume, but extremely capacious, stylized for the company's culture and do not contain errors. And most importantly, such cover letters focus on the interests of the company, and not on the personal interest of the candidate. Show that you know what the company needs and how to help.

Dear friends! Due to the large number of requests received, the service suspends its work until they are completed. Perhaps among the requested ones there are those resume samples that interest you. Keep for updates.

Transmittal letter

The cover letter is an supporting document to the submitted resume.

If you are sending your resume to foreign company with a worldwide reputation (brand), then the requirements for compiling the accompanying are quite high. The document must be drawn up on a separate sheet; all details, which, in particular, include the title, date of compilation, name and address of the recipient, signature - are affixed in accordance with the rules for registration business letters. If information is sent to e-mail, then the cover letter, as well as the resume, should be attached in Word format.

A resume sent by E-mail to less pretentious structures can accompany the correct text in the body of the letter, without putting it on a separate sheet. last name, initials (or last name and first name) and contact information must be visible.

A short version of the cover letter looks something like this (examples 1-3):

Example 1

Dear Maria,

in response to your vacancy "sales manager of refrigeration equipment", published in the magazine "Job and Salary", I send my resume. I would be very grateful if you do not leave it unattended.

Best wishes,
Ivanova Anna, tel. 8-916-111-11-11

Example 2

Good afternoon, Maria.

Attached resume file. I am applying for the position of Financial Analyst. Source of information about the vacancy www.zarplata.ru I am ready to provide any additional information necessary for the consideration of my candidacy.

Example 3

Dear Sirs,

please consider my resume for the vacancy of an accountant, deputy chief accountant.
I would be happy to receive an invitation from you for an interview.

Sincerely, Ivanova Anna, tel. 8-916-111-11-11

The full version of the cover letter (intended for companies professing the Western style of personnel management) is built in a similar way. The body of the cover letter must include:

1. The title of the position (possibly two related or similar positions) for which the resume is sent; it is also desirable to indicate from which source you learned about the vacant position (positions); proposal for his candidacy.

Example 4:
After reviewing the information on your website, I learned that your company has opened vacancies in the field of sanitary control of meat and dairy raw materials. In this regard, I want to propose my candidacy for consideration for a position related to the implementation of the function of quality control, sanitary and veterinary control of raw materials and finished products. I believe that my work experience can be in demand both in the position of an expert in the procurement of meat and dairy raw materials, and in the position of the head of the sanitary control service.

2. A very concise, but precise and informative summary of the resume, intended to justify the conformity of your professional and personal qualities the position for which you are applying.

3. Your readiness for work, dedication, and professional growth in the area indicated in the vacancy, or better - within the walls of this particular company.

Example 5:
Over the past years, I have been successfully working in the chosen direction as part of the state veterinary and customs control authorities, I have established contacts and experience of cooperation with both the largest Russian enterprises food industry and with leading foreign suppliers. The attached resume will give an idea of ​​my professional experience, qualifications and potential opportunities..

Example 6:
All my experience labor activity, professional knowledge and skills, as well as expectations of further advancement, lie in the field of active direct sales and work with clients (both at the executive and administrative levels). On the this moment I have more than 5 years of experience in sales in the B2B market in the manufacturing area, as well as management experience in this area during the last year of work. On the last place During my career, as the head of the sales department, I was personally responsible for the activities and results of the B2B sales service (medical and cosmetology equipment).

4. Readiness for a personal interview in the company, during which you will more fully present information about yourself.

5. Contact information.

Example 7:
I would be happy to accept an offer to meet and tell a little more about my work experience and possible potential. You can contact me by phone ... or email ...
Sincerely,…

Example 8:
If you are interested, I will be happy to answer all your questions during the interview. You can contact by phone. Thank you in advance for your attention and time devoted to my candidacy.
Sincerely,…

A cover letter cannot be universal for the entire range of vacancies you are interested in. Since the addressee of the letter is different people and different organizations, the text of the letter, in accordance with each requested vacancy, should be slightly modified. A cover letter always refers to a specific job opening in a specific company.

A cover letter for documents performs several useful functions. Let's look at how to compose it, and also show sample cover letters for various business situations.

The main functions of a cover letter are confirmation, recommendation and explanatory.

The list given in the letter allows you to certify the sending of exactly those documents that are indicated in it. Clear instructions and recommendations will indicate what to do with each document received, for example, acknowledge receipt, stamp the signature and send back, inform, etc. Explanations will help to understand the contents of the letter, for example, in the case of sending an updated tax return to the inspectorate.

Sample cover letter download

How to write a cover letter for documents

There is no set format for a cover letter. You can use the general structure of business letters.

The form of a cover letter may consist of a header, title, body text, a mark with the number of attachments and a final part with details.

Compose a cover letter on the letterhead of the organization and write the date when it was compiled and the registration number.

In the header on the left, indicate the addressee company, as well as the position, full name of the person to whom you are sending the letter.

Make a headline. Start the main text with a polite address to the addressee. Observe the ethics of communication, do not allow familiarity. List the documents to be transferred and their details, give the addressee instructions with explanations on how to deal with each received document. If you give any explanations, clearly describe their essence and, if necessary, provide calculations.

If you delegated the execution of the assignment referred to in the letter to another employee, indicate his full name, position and contact details so that the addressee can easily find him for interaction.

Compiling a cover letter of a certain sample in case of sending documents to companies or government departments is an optional but desirable step. About how to correctly develop the correct form of such a document and some of the nuances of working with it - right now.

The document is drawn up in any form, since there is no unified sample. The main purpose is to give the addressee a correct idea of ​​what kind of documents were sent and, most importantly, what purpose is pursued by the sender.

Although a company is not formally required to write cover letters, however, in a business document flow, this is a fairly well-established norm that should be followed. It allows you to solve several problems at once:

1. First of all, it is it that contains the main explanations of the sender, which he wants to convey to the addressee. AT this case this matters, since business correspondence is an indirect communication that must be perfectly clear to both parties.
2. The cover letter also contains a list of documents - in fact, the list of the full name and number of documents that were sent is duplicated. This eliminates possible design errors.
3. By specifying a list of documents, it is possible to avoid certain difficulties in restoring them in case of loss. In addition, it indicates the outgoing and incoming document numbers, thanks to which they can be easily found and control the direction of movement.
4. Finally, the addressee, who has accepted not only the documents, but also the cover letter to them, will be able to quickly understand the essence of the sender's wishes and quickly respond to them in accordance with the situation.

Therefore, we can say that the competent design of the cover letter to the documents, the creation of their own uniform samples to make the process uniform is in the interests of the sender himself.

Cover Letter Sample 2019

Although approved form there is no such document, and each organization is free to determine how to draw it up, there are generally accepted rules that should be followed.

1. In the header, as usual, the full official names of the addressee (“To ...”) and the sender (“from ...”) are indicated.
2. Next comes a note about the number for which the letter is registered in the sender's company.
3. Then comes the actual text of the document. It is very important to start the phrase correctly. There are 3 options for this case:

• "sending to you"- for those cases when the documentation is sent to the same companies (for example, counterparties);
• "We present to you"- the letter is sent to tax office, courts, head office - i.e. all institutions with a higher position;
• "we are sending you"- if we are talking about documents that are sent, on the contrary, to subordinate departments (for example, departments, branches of the same company).

1. After describing the purpose of sending, you need to provide a complete list of documents (inventory), which is conveniently presented in the form of a table. It should contain the following columns:

• the full name of the document;
• number of copies;
• if necessary, it is also indicated in what form the document was sent - the original or a copy (certified or not certified).

1. At the end of the table, the total number of documents sent along with the cover letter is indicated.
2. Finally, an attachment is indicated, which lists additional documents, if any, are also sent to the addressee. It is important to understand that the word "Application" is written in the singular only when there is only one document. If the documents are plural, then "Appendices" is written. Along with the title of the document are:

• date of acceptance of the document;
• the total number of copies sent;
• the number of pages in each document (the total number of sheets for all copies is written);
• if necessary, indicate the need for firmware.

Signs a cover letter to documents, regardless of its sample, not only CEO but also the respective authorized person. The signature is traditionally put by the employee whose activities are directly related to the sent documents:

1. The general director or head of a branch or subdivision signs documents of the general flow that apply to the entire company at once, as well as documents of particular importance (for example, annual reports sent to the head office).
2. The chief accountant signs letters that accompany financial documents - usually they are sent to the tax office.
3. The in-house lawyer of the company sends cover letters in case of documents that are related, for example, to litigation, the conclusion of contracts with potential counterparties, etc.

NOTE. In cases where it is mass mailing documents of the same type (for example, several invoices or contracts of the same type with counterparties), you can combine them into one group and write the total number of sheets in all copies at once.

How to register a cover letter

It is important to observe the specifics business etiquette from the point of view of the design of cover letters - first of all, it is better to use the same sample, document template, and the same person whose signature is on the letter itself should sign it on the part of the sender.

It is sent using the Russian Post or private mail - as a rule, it is better to do this by registered mail. The number of the shipment must be put down, which is recorded in the journal of the document flow of the sending company. Under this address number, he already puts his number - and thus the risk of confusion is significantly reduced.

As a rule, a cover letter is issued in at least 2 copies - 1 for the addressee, 1 for the sender. Such a document is stored for a period, the expediency and duration of which are determined by the company itself. Usually in the modern workflow of companies, all documents are backed up in in electronic format– this allows you to quickly find them and securely store until required.

Response time

As for the timing of the answer, this is a less clear-cut question. On the one hand, it works general rule, according to which the processing time of any appeal in government bodies, as well as in firms, companies, public associations, should not exceed 1 month, i.e. thirty calendar days . The countdown starts from the business day following the day the mail reaches the addressee.

On the other hand, very often in practice there are cases when the sender expects the addressee to respond to his request as quickly as possible. Then separately you need to write down such a wish, for example: “We kindly ask you to sign Required documents and give an answer on the merits within 7 working days. In the case of a branch, structural unit, which is directly subordinate to the sender, the wording is more categorical: "The deadline for response is 3 business days from the date of official notification of receipt of this cover letter."

NOTE. If the contract between companies initially prescribes a certain procedure for working with claims, pre-trial settlement of possible disagreements, it is necessary to proceed from their text of such contracts. An example text is shown below.

Storage procedure

Cover letters are private documents of the organization, the contents of which it can disclose or classify at its discretion (this applies to both incoming and outgoing documents). Therefore, the choice of a specific storage method depends on the decision of the management.

In general, the following rules are followed:

1. Since the main legal significance is not the cover letter itself and its sample, but the documents that it precedes, the main attention is paid to their safety.
2. After all attachments (i.e. the documents themselves) have been withdrawn, the retention period is determined individually.
3. In some cases, companies create a special “Cover Letters” folder, in which they put the relevant documentation. This option is suitable for small firms with small workflows.
4. If the document flow is too large, and the company has several branches, then special nomenclatures of cases are drawn up - i.e. lists of documents grouped general purpose, for example, “Supply Agreements”, “Lease Agreements”, “Judicial”, etc.

Thus, the best option is to create your own single sample of cover letters for documents and organize a storage system that is adequate to the volume of the company's document flow.

When sending documents to one or another instance, you need to accompany them with a letter with explanations. The success of the appeal largely depends on how competently and convincingly it is written. Therefore, it is worth paying a little attention to studying the procedure for compiling such a document.

Below we will talk about the cases in which a cover letter is required for documents and how to write it correctly. In addition, for clarity, we have prepared a sample of such a letter, the use of which will greatly simplify your task.

When is a cover letter written for documents?

When submitting documents to any organization or official, including personally, through a courier service, regular mail or e-mail, it is necessary to accompany them with a letter, from which it will become clear what exactly is being sent, for what purpose the papers are sent, who and to whom they are transferred.

This is the so-called cover letter. In addition to notification of the transfer of documents, it plays the role of a guarantee that the attachment will be received by the addressee. The letter accompanying the documents, depending on their content and the purpose of sending, may take the form of an inventory, request, attachment, gratitude, refusal, confirmation, etc.

How to write a cover letter for documents?

When preparing a letter that accompanies the sending of any documents, you should follow certain recommendations for its design:

• Although there are no strict rules for writing or a sample cover letter in the legislation, it should be remembered that this official document, and in its execution it is necessary to adhere to the rules of office work.
• This email doesn't need a header. As a rule, it begins with the words “we are sending an inspection report”, “we are sending an order”, “we are returning documents” and the like, after which it is described what exactly is being sent.
• The cover letter should contain the following information:
  • Information about the sender (last name, first name, patronymic, position and company name, if the author of the cover letter is acting on her behalf);
  • Information about the addressee (last name, first name, patronymic, position and name of the organization). A letter can be sent without specifying a specific official;
  • The purpose for which the documents are sent. Wordings such as “for signature”, “for approval”, “for familiarization”, etc. can be used;
  • The procedure for actions to be taken with documents after they have been signed, read, etc. The letter may indicate, for example, that the papers attached to it must be returned, sent to a specific address, or left with the addressee;
  • List of documents to be sent as an attachment to this cover letter. This is the main element of the cover letter, since it is precisely for the purpose of transferring documents that it is drawn up. It is necessary to make a detailed description with the name, registration number, date of preparation (sending), number of pages and copies of each of the papers. If information about the document is contained in the main text of the letter, it may not be described in detail in the list of attachments. When sending several documents, their list must be numbered. At the end, the total number of papers and pages in them is indicated;
  • Date of sending the letter and its registration number;
  • Signature of a person with the appropriate authority, with a breakdown of his position, surname and initials. This may be the head of the organization, his deputy, the head of the department or another responsible person. So, a cover letter to documents of a financial nature can be signed by the chief accountant, and to contracts and papers related to litigation, the head of the legal service.
• The cover letter should be short - half a page or even less. It is necessary to avoid overloading the letter with unnecessary data. Its main purpose is to accompany documents, so it is important that the content be specific, concise and presented in a business style.
• If the documents are sent on behalf of the organization, the cover letter must be written on its letterhead.

Important: special rules and nuances should be taken into account when drawing up

There is no unified form of such a letter, but in practice there are some rules for its preparation. To make writing a cover letter easier and faster, you should use a sample of such a document.