6 useful tips for your application letter

References, CV, cover letter. These are the three tools you can use to successfully apply for an apprenticeship. However, as it isn’t always easy for everyone to write a super-creative cover letter that virtually guarantees you an apprenticeship, we’ve put together a few useful tips. And don’t worry, we won’t just tell you to ‘be creative’ – because that advice often isn’t much help :-)

1 | Introduction

Perhaps you haven’t even read this far (ok, that’s a bit of a strange assumption, as you’re doing just that right now). The fact is that texts with an original or ‘relevant’ opening are simply more likely to be read right through to the end. We all know this from our own experience: If something reads a bit boring or doesn’t interest you, you stop quite soon and read something else. So, to ensure your application letter gets the attention it needs, take your time and work on this ‘door opener’ or ‘ice breaker’ – or, to put it simply: on a successful opening.

You could, for example, explain why you’re interested in the apprenticeship. Where did you find it? Be personalised – so don’t use the same opening for every application letter – but read up on the company and show just how keen you are on this particular apprenticeship.

2 | You & the apprenticeship. A perfect match.

Try looking at it from the other side and put yourself in the shoes of someone sitting in front of a pile of application letters. If, at the end of the day, they’re asked which application letters they can still remember, yours should be one of them! So don’t write anything boring; gather information about the business or company and refer to it. If, for example, you’re applying for an apprenticeship as a pre-press technician at druck.at, you could demonstrate that you know exactly what the apprenticeship involves. And that you enjoy working with graphics and text, perhaps have even been involved in publications and their printing yourself, and are therefore exactly the right person for the job!

3 | The perfect candidate for the apprenticeship: You, of course!

You might need to strike a balance here: on the one hand, you should show that you’re exactly the right person for the apprenticeship. But bear in mind: don’t come across as a show-off; keep your feet on the ground, and even if you feel you’re the perfect fit for the apprenticeship, your application letter shouldn’t turn into your autobiography. On the other hand, you shouldn’t play yourself down either, because companies are currently desperately looking for apprentices and would be more than happy to take you on! Look for objective arguments, describe your strengths and explain why it would simply be a win-win situation if you were to get the apprenticeship.

4 | Introduce yourself in person – please send an invitation

Are you keen to showcase your strengths, your personality and your skills in person and on site, and are you looking forward to getting to know the people behind the company (or at least a few of them)? Even if you’re not the outgoing type, tend to shy away from meetings, or – as described above – are essentially a ‘real-life top performer’, asking for a face-to-face meeting is always a good idea! Firstly, it shows your interest, and secondly, companies almost always want to get a first-hand impression of you. That’s only natural, after all – would you hire someone you hadn’t at least met once yourself? After all, you do need to get on well and ‘click’ with one another.

PS: particularly at times when there are restrictions on face-to-face contact (we all know what we’re talking about), it may be that the meeting is only an almost face-to-face one via video call. But even then, both you and the person you’re speaking to can get a good impression of each other. Just make sure you’re well prepared technically before the meeting (What does my background look like? Is the microphone working? etc.).

5 | It’s all about the format

“Spelling mistakes are embarrassing.” Right? After all, it’s often the little things that determine the outcome of a decision. Two equally good candidates? One application letter looks great, the other doesn’t? How do you think the decision will turn out? Here are a few things you should bear in mind:

Length: No more than one page (and here we are back with the memoirs)

Font: It should be easy to read (no overly ornate fonts and font sizes between 10 and 11 for the body text).

Page margins: Leave a bit of space at the edges – it simply looks better that way (2 to 2.5 cm from the left edge and at least 1.5 cm from the right edge).

Address: 5 to 6 cm from the top edge, in the following format:

Ms XY

XY Street

XY District, XY Town

Subject line, 2 blank lines, then the salutation using the polite form ‘Dear Ms/Mr’ (IMPORTANT: never spell names incorrectly!).

Structure: It should look good – you can usually tell just by glancing at the finished piece. Break your message down into paragraphs, structure the topics clearly (introduction, main body, conclusion) and keep the formatting fairly relaxed – it’ll read much better that way!

6 | Be proactive

Have you found your dream apprenticeship, but there aren’t any vacancies advertised at the moment? Never mind – give it a go anyway. As the saying goes: ‘It costs nothing to write and send a cover letter’. Perhaps your personality and skills might just inspire the companies to consider taking on an apprentice. Or perhaps they’re already planning to do so but haven’t got round to it yet – in which case, you’ll be starting right from pole position.

You’re not quite sure yet which apprenticeship to choose. There are A few tips that might help you find the right apprenticeship for you.