Are you so happy in your job that even considering life in another role would seem a betrayal? Are you confident that you won't ever find yourself unceremoniously dropped out of work and left on the grubby pavement that runs past the job market? Or, more simply, are you retired, cheerfully living a life of leisure after many years of finally-rewarded toil? Well, if you answered yes to any of those, you might want to take yourself off to a different article, because we're going to be looking at finding our dear readers a new job.

Still here? Good. After all, there are many reasons why any of us might want or need something new. It might just be about better pay or conditions, it could be a search for work in a better location, perhaps a desire for something new or more enjoyable. Alternatively, any of us might find ourselves without any work at all, hunting for something that'll keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. Yes, any of us might be after a new job - which means that at any time, looking for a new job means facing a lot of competition. If you're sending out the standard covering letter and CV, they'll need to make the right impact, both in content and appearance; an employer may be faced with hundreds of applications, and yours will need to be just right if it's going to stand out from the crowd.

Let's look at things from the employer's point of view. Colin works in human resources, and as the closing date for applications approaches, another stack of envelopes lands on his desk. First envelope opened, he's faced with a covering letter, much the same as any other: 'I'd like to apply for this job. I have x years experience, and y qualifications, and I believe that the position would challenge me to develop my skills and my career'. Unfortunately, Colin has already read through that letter many times before, so it goes straight into the bin without further ado. Perhaps the applicant had some hidden brilliance in his or her CV, but the identikit covering letter means that no-one will ever know. Whatever your application is for, the first thing to remember in your covering letter is that it should be yours, distinct and reflecting yourself, not simply following a template.

However, making sure the letter is your own doesn't mean it has to be entirely about yourself. Try to avoid letter's that simply say 'I did this', 'I can do that', I, I, me, me. Remember, you're not just writing about how effective a worker you are - you're aiming to persuade an employer that you fit their specific needs. So address in the letter those requirements that match your own skills, and do some research into the company: this way, you can make clear that you're focused on working for them, not just sending the same covering letters to everyone (as well as making sure that you have the right name and address at the top - you might be surprised just how many people make this mistake, and nothing rules out an application more quickly).

It's also essential to find the right tone for the circumstances. If you're applying for a creative position, inventiveness and a degree of informality are essential, as employers may first detect that individual spark in the way you put your covering letter together. But you cannot take the same approach for a more serious and formal role, in a law office perhaps or as an accountant.

Tailor the way you present yourself in your letter to the kind of person they'll be looking for. And for all jobs in all industries, avoid cockiness - self-confidence is fine, but don't overdo it - and try to keep things to a good length. A few paragraphs of four or five lines apiece is fine, brisk and focused on the job and what you bring to it, each addressing a particular aspect of your application; too long, and you'll lose their attention, too short and they won't know enough about you.

Finally, once you've written that individual, focused, reasonably sized, personal covering letter, read it! Run it through a spellchecker, check it again, and proofread it until you're absolutely certain it couldn't be a more correct use of English. After all, you really don't want to give an impression of sloppiness, carelessness or inaccuracy; you want to convince the employer that you have the skills they need, and it's fair to assume that a sound grasp of English and a willingness to be thorough are amongst those skills.

Keep these in mind, and you should be able to convince the employer to consider your CV - and that, ultimately, is the whole point of a covering letter, an advert to get the employer interested in what you have to offer.

Your CV can show in more detail why you'd be an ideal candidate, can hopefully earn you an interview, and from there onto the job itself - but the effective covering letter is the vital first step, without which nothing else can happen. Of course, you'll also want your letter to look as professional as possible; as with the proofreading, sloppiness and imprecision give an impression of a lack of care which will speak far louder than anything you've actually written.

With Microsoft Word, you can be confident of having the most professional appearance for this key document - the perfect layout, the ideal font, and stylish and appealing formatting. And what's more, Word can provide assistance for constructing a formal letter, as well as all the spell- and grammar-checking tools that you could need.

If you've found the perfect job, and you're the perfect candidate for it, there shouldn't be any obstacles in your way. Knowing how to create the most impressive covering letter, in content, layout and formatting, removes a decisive first obstacle - and with that obstacle out of the way, you'll have the chance to really shine.