Lumber said:
How long is the cover letter generally? Does it ever go longer than 1 page?
Yep. Don't get tied up in the conventions of a cover page being X length.
Have a look at the current poster for positions with VAC: https://emploisfp-psjobs.cfp-psc.gc.ca/psrs-srfp/applicant/page1800?poster=924740
Look at the heading "In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)". Under this heading, there are six Essential Qualifications:
1) Education: Successful completion of a secondary school diploma or an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience;
2) Experience in planning and organizing meetings, workshops or special events;
3) Experience in preparing correspondence and drafting reports;
4) Experience with a word processing program such as Microsoft Word;
5) Experience providing information to internal or external clients in person, in writing and/or by telephone;
6) Experience in providing administrative support services.
For each one of those criteria, you want to write out exactly how and why you meet the criterion. Provide concrete examples, with dates, time frames, where you were working, for whom. What I do, so it's clear for the hiring manager, is I built my cover letters to have headings and subheadings, then my examples:
ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
Ed1 - Successful completion of a secondary school diploma or an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.
I have successfully completed secondary school.
I graduated from Fictitious Secondary School, in Fictitious Town, QC, in June 1993, with my secondary school diploma.
I hold a Bachelor of Fiction from the Fictitious University of Fictitious Town, Class of 1998, with Majors in Fiction and Non-Fiction.
Experience:
E1 - Experience in planning and organizing meetings, workshops or special events;
I have experience in planning and organizing meetings, workshops or special events.
Example 1:
As the Adjutant for B Squadron, Royal Tankers United, from September 2012 to June 2015, I planned weekly meetings for the Senior Leadership. These meetings were held every Friday at 1500hrs, to plan and discuss the following week's training events. I prepared an e-mail reminder and sent it to all stakeholders every Wednesday, and created an agenda attached to the e-mail. I booked the meeting room, reserved and setup the LCD projector, and prepared all written submissions for the meeting.
Example 2:
As the President of the Mess Committee for the Garrison Officers Mess, I planned the Change of Command Dinner for the Armour School Change of Command in June 2015.
And then I would go on to detail everything required in planning, organizing, etc., for the dinner.
I do not hesitate to add more than one example. This shows the breadth and depth of the experience acquired, and how I meet each criterion.
So if there are six criterion, or even just three and they are asking for examples, you will easily go past one page. Any of my cover letters these days are rarely under two pages. The longest one, I think, was eight pages. Applicants had to detail how they met all of the qualifications listed, both Essential and Asset...
I cannot emphasize enough: read the instructions in the poster carefully. For example, under "Information you must provide", it clearly states:
It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.
I have seen too many people skip writing a cover letter, or saying simply, "Please see my attached résumé."
As someone who has again been on both sides of the table, candidate and hiring committee member, if I see "Please see attached", you're in the rejected pile before you can say bang.
