This cover letter below is a real cover letter by an anonymous applicant, who applied for a job at one of the most well-known PR companies in the UK, which is an industry standard for its work.

This cover letter won the applicant the job last year so read it to know what works in cover letter writing.

To protect the graduate’s identity, certain details such as the respondent and university name have been blotted out.

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Dear XXXX,

I have just finished a postgraduate diploma in magazine journalism at XXXX. I would like to apply for the position of media assistant at XXXX. I would like to work at XXXX, as it is a successful and growing brand in the PR and Journalism industry. It is a name that is regularly mentioned by people in the media.

I worked as a marketing executive for six months at XXXXX, a company that does marketing for restaurants, which involved organising trade shows and festivals. Here I had a largely administrative role with varied tasks ranging from taking charge of distribution teams to organising what was required for the venues. The role also involved coming up with marketing strategies and cold calling hard sales. As part of the sales team, I learnt to motivate my team members, which was crucial to success in sales. Even those with the strongest tenacity sometimes get disheartened.

I have also had experience working for magazines and newspapers. I completed many researching tasks while working for different magazines. While at XXXX, I rang all the PCTs across the country to find out who they had tendered their GP-led health centre and if they hadn’t the reason why not, as the deadline had passed. I put all the information I gathered into Excel. At XXXX, I used the phone to find out what different supermarket stores’ locally sourced products were. I’m confident in carrying out research tasks and have done many vox-pops for articles as part of the diploma. Every placement requires some sort of internet research. One example is that while at XXXX I researched calorie counts for takeaway meals .Completion of the statistics module, as part of the magazine course, means that I’m comfortable and adept with figures. In terms of administrative packages, I have used Excel and Access and I have an AVCE (equivalent to an AS) in ICT.

My work experience placements have taught me to multi-task and prioritise, as many staff members, all at the same time, gave me different jobs to do. So I am confident I will be able to maintain a solid level of support to PR clients. Working on news teams, for B2Bs and a national newspaper in Kenya, has developed a shrewdness that enables me to execute a task quickly and efficiently. I worked to deadline producing a few news stories each day. In journalism circles, accuracy has been heralded as a pillar of journalism. This and my meticulous nature ensures that I am precise at all times. Also, as a journalist I’m accustomed to working with other journalists and so I understand their personalities and daily pressures. I’m confident I will be able to build good relationships with editorial staff.

Yours Sincerely,

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1)Do you think graduates have it harder this year to land a job in PR?

I do not think it is any harder this year than any other. The PR industry has always
been a highly competitive one and takes a great deal of resilience and determination
to break through.

2. What kind of qualities would you look for in a candidate for work?

Passion, determination and creativity.

3. What key growth areas do you think graduates should look at in PR?

I would say it’s worth getting experience of every possible aspect of PR rather than
just one sector. Looking at the trends today, the future belongs to those who can
work across all disciplines of PR.

4. Why is ethnic marketing & PR important?

I strongly believe that ethnic PR is here to stay and hopefully, when the 2011
census is completed, governments and businesses will have a clearer picture of the
diversity that now exists in Britain and how important it is to know and understand
different cultural nuances.

5. How does it feel to have one of your own employee’s listed in PR Week’s
‘rising stars’ features?

I am very happy and indeed proud of Miss Sarpong’s achievement.

6. What is your future vision for Rich Visions?

To devise new plans, including a blueprint for a new, wider marketing agency;
generating business across the UK, Europe and the US which is focused on equality
and diversity.

7. Do you think the PR industry in the UK could do more to encourage more
applications for ethnic minorities?

Absolutely-by encouraging the engagement of specialist agencies like Rich Visions
which has the expertise to fill the gap between mainstream agencies and diverse
communities since there still seems to be fears and misunderstanding in the
mainstream world about ethnic PR.

For more on Rich Vision’s awardwinning work, check out their website here.