Wondering if a cover letter is worth the effort? Or if anyone will even read it? Here at MT, we absolutely love to see cover letters alongside your application.

A cover letter is an opportunity to showcase your personality, display your interest in Mediatonic and and a great way to include any relevant information that isn’t listed on your CV. It’s not just about if you have what it takes to perform the job, but it’s also about why you want the job and what drives you. Cover letters can be tricky, so we’ve put together some pointers to consider when writing up your next cover letter:

Proofreading is everything

You’d be surprised by how many cover letters and CV’s we receive that are riddled with spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. When you have to read through hundreds of applications mistakes like that can come across as unprofessional or like the person didn’t particularly care about the application. So an easy top tip from us would be to proofread your cover letter (or have a friend take a look) before it lands in our inbox.

Go beyond your CV

Your cover letter should not just be another version of your CV. It’s a space where you can go into specific details and elucidate key points from your CV. Your cover letter should complement your CV by expanding on your key strengths, providing the recruitment team with a better understanding of who you are.

Why should we hire you?

When writing a cover letter, you should be succinct and remain focused on the role’s needs. We want to know what you can bring to the table and how you’re going to deliver. Illustrate your strengths, but avoid using meaningless phrases such as “people person” or “team player” as these terms are overused and it ultimately downplays your individual and unique attributes.

How to get our attention

Well we love to see humour, passion and excitement in a cover letter—it’s nice to be reminded that we’re talking to a human (besides, the machines have a different hiring process). Generic cover letters risk sounding robotic and insincere, not anything like the approachable, friendly and awesome person you truly are. Consider starting your cover letter with a small joke, pun or even a funny opening line. Then tell us what you’re passionate about and most importantly why you want to work for MT!

Keep it short (like this blog)

Yes, we love cover letters but we don’t love when they are too long. There is really no need to go beyond one page and a few paragraphs are plenty.

We hope these tips will help you more easily navigate applying to your future jobs, whether here at MT or elsewhere! And if you have any questions you’d like to have our recruitment team to answer in future blogs, feel free to tweet us @Mediatonic