It is likely you will at least apply for a couple of trainee accountant roles.  It can be tiring if you tailor your CV to each role.  Also, you might not remember which format you had for what application and there is nothing more embarrassing than sending the wrong CV to the wrong company.

“I have a strong desire to work for ABC Ltd” in a CV sent to LMNOP Ltd ….. not exactly a great start! (and it happens a lot more than you might think!)

The advice from your team in Cruncher is not to tailor your CV, but to tailor your cover letter or the free text in your email.  You might not go to this trouble for every application but for those special ones it is well worth it!

Here are a few tips from Cruncher to make those special applications stand out:

Step 1:  The Intro: Personalise, format correctly and make sure you cite the specific role you are applying for.  First impressions count – this one says you are serious!

Step 2:  The Hook:  Let your academic achievements, relevant internships and real desire to train as an accountant stand out!  Take lines from the job description, pull lines from your CV, bullet point and make sure the reader can be left in no doubt as to your suitability!

Step 3:  The Close:  Let them know you are really interested in them, be flexible and available to meet them and personalise with a signature if you can.  Energy, ambition and a keen interest in the company/role will go a long long way with a good hiring manager.

Be sure to read the red text boxes above for a few extra tips.

This format suits a cover letter but it can easily be adapted to form the body of an email application or the free text section of an online portal application.  It is the effort and the tailoring that is key, not necessarily the format.

To make life real easy for you the team at Cruncher have gone and uploaded a copy of a sample graduate Cover Letter – you can download it here or check out our Resources Centre where you can read more about related topics such as LinkedIn and CV’s.