A cover letter can mean different things in different APS applications. Sometimes it is a brief introduction. Sometimes the advertisement expects a fuller explanation of why you suit the role. And sometimes the application does not ask for one at all.
That variation is the first thing to sort out, because it decides how much work the letter needs to do. Writing a page of prose for a vacancy that wanted three sentences, or three sentences where the advertisement asked you to explain your interest and suitability, both create avoidable problems.
Check what is requested
The advertisement and the candidate information pack should list the required documents. Read both before writing anything. Where the instructions are clear, follow them; where they are genuinely unclear, the contact officer can tell you what is expected.
The term itself covers several formats. A cover letter might be an attached document, the body of an email, or a free-text field in a recruitment portal asking you to say something about yourself. What matters is the purpose the application gives it, not the label.
A few sentences may be enough when
- The letter is really an introductory email accompanying your application.
- The portal asks for a short covering statement.
- The advertisement asks for a brief cover letter without requesting evidence or examples.
- Your other required documents carry the detailed claims.
A fuller letter may be needed when
- The advertisement asks why you want the role or why you are interested in the work.
- You need to explain a career change or an unusual background.
- There is relevant evidence the panel would not otherwise see.
- The letter appears to form part of the assessment.
- A word or page limit is given, which usually signals the letter is expected to carry some substance.
You may not need one at all when
- The application lists the required documents and a cover letter is not among them.
- The portal provides no place to upload one.
- Adding one would complicate the stated process.
This is not an absolute prohibition, and there are situations where a short covering note is a reasonable courtesy. But adding an unrequested document is not automatically an advantage, and where the instructions are specific, following them is the better choice.
How much work it deserves
The amount of effort should match what the application asks the letter to do. A short covering statement for a portal field is a small task once you have a base version. A letter that has to explain a career change and connect your background to the role's requirements is a real piece of writing and worth the time.
What does not vary is that the letter should be clear and relevant. Application documents may be reviewed quickly, so the connection between your experience and the role should be easy to find rather than buried in general statements about yourself.
Before drafting, read cover letter, pitch or statement of claims? for the differences between a short covering message, a conventional cover letter and a written pitch.