Job applications for part-time work will usually require a cover letter to accompany your CV. More often than not, cover letters are looked at more closely than a CV given your experience is likely to be limited as a school-aged job applicant.

Our guide to student job cover letters gives you everything you need to write the perfect letter when applying for a part-time position. Our easy-to-edit to template ensures you can put your strongest application forward, highlighting everything relevant to potential employers. This guide covers:

• 10 Tips for Writing Cover Letters
• Cover Letter Template
• Sample Job Description and Cover Letter

Writing cover letters is easy when you know the rules. Our ten tips below define what's important to include, and what is best avoided. For every cover letter, make sure you:
 

1. Have one-page maximum – This is the most important tip of all - keep it to one page and make your points succinctly. Never waffle or write more than one page. 
2. Speak to the job description – Every job advert has ‘keywords’, most likely to be behaviours such as ‘hard-working’ and ‘reliable’. Make sure to mention those in your cover letter in a natural way – this shows you’ve read the job description and you believe you are suitable for the job.
3. Only mention the relevant skills – If the job description mentions they’re looking for someone who anticipates the needs of others, give an example of when you have done that. It’s all about making a connection to the reader.
4. Don’t waste space – avoid listing a bunch of skills that are not relevant or out of context – with a cover letter, less is more.
5. Show your personality – relate personal experiences that are relevant to the job. For example, if you’re applying for a supermarket position, mention any retail or customer-focused experienced you have. That could be guiding roles on school open nights, fundraising activities for sports teams or similar. Mentioning these show you are thinking about serving customers, which is what the employer wants.
6. Get someone you know to read your cover letter – they may think of something relevant you could mention, and/or point out something to fix. A second set of eyes is never a bad idea.
7. Use professional and correct contact details – a cover letter is a business document, so use a professional email address – cats_n_kittens2003@gmail.com doesn’t look good; an email with your name such as Christopher.NZ@gmail.com is a lot better. Make sure your phone number is correct and you check your email regularly.
8. Check for errors – these include spelling mistakes, typos, grammatical errors, and capital letters where they don’t belong. Use a free version of Grammarly to get the basics covered.
9. Be consistent with your CV – make sure your CV reflects what you mention in your cover letter, especially when it comes to jobs or activities you’re involved in.
10. If in doubt, focus on what matters - Your cover letter must never be an essay. If you’re having trouble putting something down on paper, focus only on what the employer wants to hear and what you want to say about yourself.

Download our cover letter template here and edit your own version, taking advantage of our 10 tips above and making sure it reads naturally and is honest. 

Remember, before sending it out, copy and paste the letter into Grammarly, which you can sign up to for free here to find typos and consider other suggested corrections.

Special Thanks: MoneyHub would like to thank Kay Wallace, HOD Careers at Western Springs College in Auckland for her generous contributions. If you're a teacher, recruiter, hiring manager or student with tips to share, please contact us - we value every contribution we receive.