A CV should never arrive without a covering letter. Whether the intended recipient is expecting your CV or not, a letter can only add evidence to that contained within your CV.

This advice has been created following Talent's market research with employers in a multitude of diverse speciality fields.
A letter can enable your personality to shine through and impress a potential employer sufficiently to encourage them to read your CV before any other.

• Provide your full address including post code.
  
  
• Personalise the letter by naming the intended recipient - i.e. Mr Martin Daniels, Personnel Manager - rather than just the Personnel Manager.
  
  
• Date the letter.
  
  
• The letter can be used to pick up on salient points that perhaps you had omitted in your CV, ie why you would be most suitable for the role.
  
  
• Do not be too familiar.
  
  
• Do not make assumptions.
  
  
• Make reference to any previous communications with the company or indicate a response to a specific advertisement.
  
  
• State where you saw the advertisement and in which edition the advertisement was printed.
  
  
• Do not make the letter too long, a brief introduction that encourages the recipient to read your CV should be enough.