The client was about to Graduate from a Bachelor of Education and was searching for her first teaching role. After several applications that had not progressed to interview, the client contacted us to review their documents and write a new, targeted cover letter. Working with the client, we recognised that the current cover letter did not highlight her diverse skillset. We drafted a new letter that not only drew attention to the client’s professional skill base but also their academic achievement and speciality areas. The new cover letter strongly demonstrated the client’s high value as an applicant for graduate teacher roles and provided a succinct and attention-grabbing summary of her professional and personal profile.
The one-page cover letter addressed the following areas:
- Academic achievement and qualifications, including specialist training.
- Student engagement and relationship building
- The client’s strong ability to adapt to new teaching environments
- Knowledge of curriculum
- Teaching philosophy, including high impact strategies, differentiated learning and proficiency in ICT.
To put together this application, I engaged the client in a discussion about transferable and specific skills and experience. Asking the client to reflect on her values, professional interests and career goals, we were able to identify the client’s unique strengths which would help her stand out in a competitive market.
I prepared for the consultation by familiarising myself with the position requirements of graduate teacher roles, which assisted me to guide the client through a deeper analysis of her strengths and skills. I am confident that the cover letter assists the client to present as a strong applicant, and that we have assisted her considerably to increase the likelihood that she will be called in for an interview.