| Your CV, rather than you is what will sell your skills as a candidate and explain what your earlier employment consisted of, it will at first anyway, long before the interview stage. For this very reason, it is advised that you include a cover letter with your CV that will explain any questions that there may be.
But what can a cover letter do for you?
It will undoubtedly allow an employer to get to know you better as it is less formal than your CV. You can inject a bit of your personality into it here and come across in a friendlier way. A very important aspect of this is that it can provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate what may be be perceived as weaknesses is quite the contrary. In fact it is all in the way that you explain it to the reader, you can definitely turn around negatives into positives with some creative thinking. What are the ways that you can accomplish this?
Focus on Your Special Skills
If you don't have a lot of jobs to list on your resume/CV, but you do have relevant skills that you've acquired over the years, you can use your cover letter to explain what looks to be a lack of experience. A great way to get started is by creating a list of skills you've developed that match the company's job posting, mission and culture. Next you can use the cover letter to explain how those skills can enhance the company.
For instance, you may be a fantastic typist and surpass many of the skills that a secretary has, but the only negative thing is that you cannot say that you accumulated these skills with 10 years of being a cleaner etc. Rather, you picked up this skill whilst doing your husband's accounts or volunteering at a local charity. This will impress them as it is showcasing your charitable nature. It will also elucidate how you attained those skills for the reader, and you will therefore not be regarded as having a lack of office experience.
You can mention your hobbies too.
There are a substantial amount of people who turn their hobbies into careers because of the vast quantity of knowledge base they have on a particular topic, indeed they can be very successful when they take this avenue. For example, you may love to write as a hobby which has very little to do with your job as a teacher.
You decide that you are interested in applying for a position with a small start-up company that needs an entry-level IT technician. You know you're perfect for it but don't know how to prove it. That is, until you remember that you keep up with all of the technology, have taken some classes at a local college, and have years of experience fixing computers in your community. When you explain this in detail in your cover letter it will give you the occasion to display the experience and knowledge that you have acquired, even if you have not worked officially in this environment.
Keep Your Explanations Simple
While you want to use your cover letter to fill in gaps in your job history, you don't want the employer to spend too much time thinking about the possibility of you being a weak candidate. So instead of spending a lot of time clearing up why your skills and hobbies are stellar, it is a good idea to instead keep this part as brief as you would in any other cover letter. Another important point to rememeber is that you may find yourself going off target if you concentrate toomuch upon your interests and waffle a bit. Remember that this is a job application and you still have to remain professional at all times. Even though your employer may share your love of insects, it is not the times or place to wax lyrical about it. Always remain focused and you won't go too far wrong.
Having gaps in your work history doesn't have to define your capabilities as an employee. You should therefore try to use your cover letter to illustrate how good you would be for the job, if you are not confident yourself then an employer won't be either. By brainstorming you will be shocked at how many new things that you come up with! Good luck.
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