The required format in the advertisement or portal overrides anything general. Beyond that, a few practical points make submission smoother.
Applying through a recruitment portal
Most APS vacancies are submitted through an online portal. Follow its fields and upload what it asks for. Where a portal provides a free-text box for a covering statement, that box is the cover letter for that application.
Check the file requirements before uploading. Where a format is specified, use it. If no format is stated, PDF is often a practical option because it preserves the layout, but use Word or another format where the instructions require it.
Applying by email
Two situations, handled differently.
Where the email itself is the covering message. Put the complete short message in the body of the email, and attach your resume and any other requested documents.
Where a separate cover letter is required. Attach the letter and keep the email body brief:
Please find attached my application for the Data Analyst position (reference 2024/1187), including my resume and cover letter.
There is no need to duplicate the full letter in both places. It adds nothing and can make the application feel repetitive.
File names
Name files so they make sense sitting in a folder alongside many others. Your name, the document type and the role or reference number is enough:
Jane Nguyen - Resume - Data Analyst 2024-1187.pdf
Names like "resume final v3" are a small thing, and they look careless.
Subject lines
Keep the subject line clear and consistent with the content. For an application, the role title and reference number does the job:
Application - Data Analyst, reference 2024/1187
For an enquiry to a contact officer:
Question about the Data Analyst role, reference 2024/1187
Avoid anything designed to grab attention. It reads oddly in a recruitment context.
Before you submit
- Correct role title.
- Correct reference number.
- Correct department.
- Correct recipient, where you are emailing.
- All required files attached.
- File names clear.
- No previous department or role names left in the documents.
- Any word or page limits followed.
- Dates, figures and role descriptions consistent across documents.
- Contact details correct and current.
Running through that list takes a couple of minutes and catches the errors that are most annoying to discover afterwards.