cover letter to get hired

In an increasingly digitized world, where customer-centric strategies are vital for business success, I am thrilled to apply for the [Job Title] position at HubSpot."

Unhelpful Cover Letter Introduction:

"To Whom it May Concern,

I am applying for the [Job Title] position at HubSpot. I have some experience in marketing and can help your clients grow their businesses."

Relevant Professional Experience

It can be tempting to use the same cover letter for every job. After all, it‘s about your experience, isn’t it? But it's not enough to rephrase the work history in your resume.

Recruiters and hiring managers are looking to fill a specific role, so you need to show how your experience translates to their unique needs.

So, the body of a great cover letter should showcase the specific professional experiences that are relevant to the job you're applying for. Emphasize your accomplishments and skills that directly relate to what the job needs.

To speed up this part of the cover letter writing process, start by creating a list of your transferable skills . Drafting this list can help you quickly focus on the skills to highlight in your cover letter.

Then, use AI tools to summarize job descriptions and narrow in on where your experience and the needs of the role you're applying for overlap. This post is full of useful AI assistant tools if you're new to AI.

Helpful Cover Letter Experience:

“At [Company Name], I had the opportunity to assist a global ecommerce retailer in enhancing their online customer experience. By conducting in-depth market research and customer journey mapping, I identified pain points and areas of improvement in their website navigation and user interface.”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Experience:

“I also worked with an ecommerce retailer to improve the customer experience. We did some surveys and training, and they were happy with the results.”

Useful Examples

To make your cover letter stand out, add specific examples that show how you've solved problems or gotten results in past roles.

Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible, using data to give the reader a clear understanding of your impact.

Helpful Cover Letter Example:

“I lead a team of five content writers while increasing website traffic by 18% year-over-year.”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Example:

“I have a great track record of leadership and achieving fantastic results.”

Research and Company Knowledge

Hiring teams aren‘t hiring anyone with the skills to do the job. They’re hiring a person they'll work alongside at their specific company.

So, to show that you‘re not just looking for any job anywhere, share your knowledge of the company’s industry, values, and culture in your cover letter.

Spend some time on the company website and take notes on what makes this business interesting to you and why you would want to work there.

Then, explain how your skills align with the company's mission and goals and explain how you could add to their chances of success. This will showcase your interest in the company and help them see if you are a good cultural fit.

Helpful Cover Letter Research:

“I was particularly drawn to HubSpot not only for its industry-leading solutions but also for its exceptional company culture. HubSpot's commitment to employee development and fostering a collaborative environment is evident in its recognition as a top workplace consistently. I strongly believe that my passion for continuous learning, self-motivation, and dedication to contributing to a team will make me a valuable asset to HubSpot.”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Research:

“I have been inspired by HubSpot's commitment to inbound marketing and its comprehensive suite of solutions. HubSpot's dedication to providing valuable content and fostering meaningful relationships aligns with my own values and aspirations.”

Clear Writing

Your cover letter needs to pack in a lot of important information. But it's also important that your cover letter is clear and concise.

To accomplish this, use professional but easy-to-understand language. Be sure to remove any grammar or spelling errors and avoid lengthy paragraphs and avoid jargon or overly technical language.

You may also want to use bullet points to make your letter easier to skim. Then, proofread your cover letter for clarity or ask a friend to proofread it for you.

• Guide to Becoming a Better Writer
• Tips for Simplifying Your Writing

Helpful Cover Letter Writing:

"In addition to my academic accomplishments, I gained valuable practical experience through internships at respected law firms.

Working alongside experienced attorneys, I assisted in providing legal support to clients. This hands-on experience helped me develop a deep understanding of client needs and enhanced my ability to effectively communicate complex legal concepts in a straightforward manner."

Unhelpful Cover Letter Writing:

"Furthermore, as a complement to my academic accomplishments, I have garnered invaluable practical experience through internships at esteemed law firms.

Throughout these placements, I actively collaborated with seasoned attorneys to conduct due diligence and furnish clients with comprehensive legal support. Notably, these experiences fostered a profound comprehension of client necessities, whilst honing my legal acumen to articulately convey intricate legal principles within a lucid and concise framework, adhering to applicable precedents and statutes of limitations."

Genuine Interest and Enthusiasm

Find ways to convey your passion for the role and how excited you are to contribute to the company you're applying to. At the same time, make sure your interest feels authentic and outline how it aligns with your career goals.

Your ultimate goal is an enthusiastic letter that feels honest and leaves a lasting positive impression.

Showing excitement in writing doesn't come naturally for everyone. A few tips that can help you boost the genuine enthusiasm in your letter:

• Record audio of yourself speaking about the role, then use voice-to-text technology to transcribe and add these sections to your letter.
• Choose your words carefully .
• Write in active voice.

Helpful Cover Letter Tone:

“I am genuinely enthusiastic about the prospect of joining [Company/Organization Name] as an accountant. My combination of technical proficiency, eagerness to learn, and strong attention to detail make me an ideal candidate for this role. I am confident that my dedication, reliability, and passion for accounting will contribute to the continued success of your organization.”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Tone:

“Honestly, I can hardly contain my excitement when it comes to reconciliations, financial statement analysis, and tax regulations! Engaging in spirited discussions with professors and classmates has allowed me to foster an unbreakable bond with the fascinating world of accounting, and I'm positively bursting with enthusiasm at the prospect of applying my skills in a professional setting.”

Memorable Conclusion

End your cover letter on a strong note. Summarize your top qualifications, restate your interest in the position, and express your interest in future communication.

Then, thank your reader for their time and consideration and include your contact information for easy follow-up.

To make your conclusion memorable, think about what parts of your letter you‘d most like the hiring manager to keep top of mind. Then, consider your word choice and phrasing. If you’re feeling stuck, this list of ways to close an email can help.

Helpful Cover Letter Conclusion:

"Thank you for considering my application. I am excited about the opportunity to further discuss how my qualifications align with the needs of Greenpeace. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience to arrange an interview.

Together, let's make a lasting impact on our planet.

[Your Name]"

Unhelpful Cover Letter Conclusion:

"Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of discussing my qualifications further and how I can contribute to Greenpeace's mission. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience to arrange an interview.

I’d like to add another stage to the job search: experimentation.

In today’s competitive landscape, it’s so easy to feel defeated, less-than-good-enough, or like giving up your job search.

But don’t let the process become so monotonous. Have fun discovering the qualitative data I’ve discussed here — then, have even more by getting creative with your cover letter composition.

I certainly can’t guarantee that every prospective employer will respond positively — or at all — to even the most unique, compelling cover letter. But the one that’s right for you will.

So, get inspired by these examples and templates. Write an incredible cover letter that shows the hiring team at your dream job exactly who you are.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in October 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

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More From Forbes

Write a cover letter to get noticed (and hired): 4 best practices.

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A great cover letter is a primary step in getting the job.

Despite headlines about layoffs and companies downsizing, the job market is still strong. But to find a great job, you must set yourself apart, and a primary way to make an impression is with a compelling cover letter.

The cover letter is still critical to the way you present yourself—and perhaps more importantly—the way you distinguish yourself from so many other job seekers.

Cover Letters Matter

Fully 56% of employers prefer a cover letter, according to an article published in Business and Professional Communication Quarterly . And 45% of recruiters said that not having one could result in your application being rejected, according to stats collected by Resume Now .

Hiring managers say cover letters make them more likely to pay attention to an application. They say they read them, and they are an important factor in the hiring decision. In addition, 47% of people include a cover letter, based on the Resume Now stats.

Cover letters admittedly require a lot of effort to research, customize and write—but they are worth it and a necessary part of the process. Write one whether or not it is requested , because it will make you more memorable and separate you from the pack. Just make sure you provide a high-quality cover letter, because a poor letter is worse than none at all.

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Best covid-19 travel insurance plans, write on purpose.

When you’re developing your cover letter, be sure you write with its purpose in mind. Use it to introduce yourself and as a vehicle to create your first impression . A cover letter should communicate why you want the role, why you’d value working for the organization and why you believe you’re a good fit to the role and the culture.

A cover letter is meant to provide details which go beyond your resume, expanding on responsibilities, giving examples and highlighting your achievements and results. If necessary, you can also use it to explain gaps in your resume or extenuating circumstances related to your employment.

Include a cover letter whether they request one or not.

Write For Relevance

In addition to writing a cover letter in the first place, perhaps the most important thing you should do in the document is to show a match between your talents and the job you’re applying for.

Do your homework, researching the job and the organization so you can reflect the company’s direction and priorities and make a case for how you can contribute to reaching them. Highlight the way your achievements relate to the role you’re applying for.

In addition, be humble. Talk about making a contribution to something, not achieving it by yourself. Communicate what you have learned about the job or the organization through your research, but stop short of saying you understand it perfectly. Hiring managers want to know you’ve put in the effort to read, review and learn, but they also want to know you get that there’s still a lot to discover .

Write For Alignment

Be sure your cover letter is aligned with your resume, but doesn’t repeat it. Be consistent in the format you use for both documents, and ensure your name and contact details are identical between the two.

In addition, align what the reader will see on each document. If your cover letter includes an example of the results you drove in your project management role with a volunteer association, be sure you reflect the details (for example, the name of association and type of responsibilities) similarly so they can make easy references. In addition, be sure the experiences you’re referring to in the cover letter are actually reflected in the resume.

The cover letter is also an opportunity to highlight which elements of your resume are most relevant. You may be a brilliant financial mind and previous roles demonstrate this—but if the job you’re applying for doesn’t include a finance component, you should use the cover letter to highlight the skills which are most related to the job you’re pursuing.

Write For Accuracy

Your cover letter should include a header (your contact information as well as the organization’s) as well as a salutation. Be sure to address it to a real person if you can determine the name of the proper recipient.

After these, your letter should include an introductory paragraph which talks about why you’re interested in the job and a body which provides details about how your experience is a match. Finally, it should include a concluding paragraph which summarizes your interest and invites the hiring team to contact you.

Be descriptive in your cover letter, but also concise. Fully 70% of hiring leaders prefer a shorter letter, according to the Resume Now stats. In addition, be creative and let your personality show, but avoid being goofy or gimmicky.

Always be sure to proofread your letter multiple times and even ask a friend to check it for you—to be sure it strikes the right tone and is error-free. When you’re deciding what to include in your cover letter, also be sure to follow directions from the organization, including all the necessary specifics they request.

A Reflection of You

Your cover letter is a reflection of you. It demonstrates your commitment to making the effort and putting in the work to make a case for yourself in relationship to the job and the organization. These will send a strong message to the potential employer about how you’ll perform and present yourself in a job .

Done well, a cover letter takes a significant investment of your time, but it will surely pay off in finding a great role!

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4 Cover Letter Examples (Plus Tips on How to Write Yours)

We love having examples. It’s so much easier to decorate a cake, build a model, or yes, even write a cover letter when you know what the end product could look like. So that’s what we’re going to give you—all the cover letter examples and tips you need to make yours shine (unfortunately we’re not experts in cake decorating or model building). 

You'll see that writing a cover letter is all about highlighting your relevant skills, professional experience, and accomplishments, while emphasizing your interest for the role in an engaging manner.

Want to get right down to business? Skip ahead to:

Why bother with a cover letter at all?

We bet when you see a job listing that says “ cover letter optional ,” you breathe a sigh of relief, gleefully submit your resume, and move on. But you’re truly doing yourself a disservice by not including a cover letter (or by writing one that’s super generic or formulaic).

“When you’re writing a resume you’re oftentimes confined by space, by resume speak, by keywords—you’re up against a lot of technical requirements,” says Melody Godfred, a career coach and the founder of Write in Color who’s read thousands of cover letters over the course of her career. “In a cover letter you have an opportunity to craft a narrative that aligns you not only with the position you’re applying to but also the company you’re applying to.”

Whether you’re writing a cover letter for a data scientist or marketing manager position, an internship or a senior-level role, a startup or a Fortune 500 company, you’re going to want to tailor it to the role, company, and culture. A strong, customized cover letter will help you explain your value proposition and stand out from the stack of applicants. 

If there’s a gap in your resume , you have the opportunity to explain why it’s there. If you’re changing careers, you have the chance to describe why you’re making the switch. If your resume is pretty dull, a cover letter helps you show some personality . And yes, cover letters still get read.

Deep in the job search, or just browsing? These open jobs on The Muse could be your ideal next step »

What do I write in a cover letter? The 3 basic elements

You'll notice from our cover letter examples that the body of your text can vary a lot depending on factors like the position you're applying for, your career stage, and the type of cover letter requested by the hiring manager. For instance, a writing sample cover letter is different from a traditional professional cover letter (we'll get there soon.)

However, there is some information that you can't leave out. It's important to highlight your most relevant experience, skills, and qualifications for the role in any type of cover letter. Plus, make sure to write an engaging first paragraph to grab the reader's attention, and an effective final paragraph, ideally followed by a call to action, in order to leave a lasting positive impression.

You could say that cover letters are a little like puzzles. When you put each component in its proper place (and remove any parts that don’t fit), you create a complete picture. Even though that picture is always different, the types of pieces are basically the same. We've broken down these three key elements for you:

1. An engaging opener

How you start a cover letter is everything. Your opening lines influence whether someone keeps reading—and you want them to, right? “Starting with something that immediately connects you to the company is essential—something that tells the company that this is not a generic cover letter,” Godfred says. “You have to say something that tells the employer, ‘I wrote this just for you.’”

It can be a childhood memory tying you back to the company’s mission. It can be a story about the time you fell in love with the company’s product. It can be an anecdote from another job or experience showing how hard of a worker you are. Whatever you decide to open with, make it memorable.

2. A clear pitch

Use the next few paragraphs of your cover letter to “hit them with the strongest results you have that are aligned with the opportunity,” Godfred says. Ryan Kahn , Muse career coach and founder of The Hired Group , calls this your pitch. In other words, the part where you’re “selling yourself for the position and why you’re qualified for it.”

Additionally, Godfred says, “If you’re someone who’s transitioning careers, and you need to explain that transition, you do it there.”

This section should have a balance of soft and hard skills . Talk about your experience using Salesforce or doing SEO work, but also highlight your ability to lead teams and communicate effectively.

“Companies are embracing authenticity, they’re embracing humanity, they’re looking for people who are going to fit their culture,” says Godfred. “So what are your values? What do you stand for? These values should be as much a part of your cover letter as the super specialized hard skills.

3. A great closing line

Your closing line could include your next steps or a call to action, Kahn says, such as “ I welcome the opportunity to speak with you more about how I can contribute to the team ,” or, “ I would love to schedule a time for us to discuss this role and my experience. ” But more importantly, “You want to make sure that you’re gracious and thanking them,” he says. While seemingly cliché , it never hurts to end on a simple, “ Thank you for your consideration. ”

Does that sound a bit overwhelming? Don’t panic! We’ve got examples of four types of cover letters below: a traditional cover letter , an impact cover letter , a writing sample cover letter , and a career change cover letter . So let’s take a look at these examples, why they work, and how you can use them to craft your own.

1. The traditional cover letter example

A traditional cover letter is similar to what you’d come up with using position-based cover letter templates . It moves in reverse chronological order through your career history, highlighting parts of your past jobs that make you well suited for this position.

You might want to use this type of cover letter if:

• You’re applying to a more formal company (like a law firm or major healthcare company ) or a more conventional role (like a lawyer or accountant).
• You want to play it safe and conservative with your application materials.

What does the job description say?

Imagine you’re applying to a paralegal job opening at a law firm. The job description might include:

Responsibilities

• Draft routine legal documents for review and use by attorneys
• Coordinate and organize materials and presentations for legal proceedings
• Research legal and related issues and report findings and conclusions to team
• Provide overall legal administrative support to the legal team
• Maintain calendars and ensure timely filings

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent of relevant education and work experience
• Strong communication skills (oral and written)
• Strong organizational , multitasking, and prioritization skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and LexisNexis
• Trustworthy, positive, energetic, and optimistic attitude with a willingness to roll up your sleeves

The cover letter example

Here’s an example of a traditional cover letter you could write for this role—keeping things strictly professional but without sounding too boring or jargon-y:

Dear Ms. Jessica Sanchez,

In my five-year career as a paralegal, I have honed my legal research and writing skills, and the attorneys I’ve worked with have complimented me on my command of case law and litigation support. Spiegel Law Firm’s 20 years in practice proves that the firm has strong values and excellent attorneys, and I’d be eager to join such a talented team.

I currently serve as a paralegal for Chandler, Chandler, and Greene, where I work closely with the partners on a number of high-priority cases. During my time here, I implemented a new calendar system that ensures timely filing of court papers. This system has prevented missed deadlines and allowed for better organization of internal and client meetings.

Previously, as a paralegal for the Neuerburg Law Firm, I received praise for my overall support of the legal team and my positive attitude. While working there, I came up with and implemented a plan for digitizing their old files while still ensuring security and privacy. This led to more efficiency when preparing for client meetings and legal proceedings.

My further qualifications include a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University, a paralegal certificate, and training in LexisNexis, Westlaw, and Microsoft Office Suite.

I would love the opportunity to discuss how I can contribute to your legal team. Thank you in advance for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Chase Broadstein [email protected] (222) 222-2222

Download this example

Why this works

This cover letter example is short, sweet, and to the point. It shows the candidate has a knack for getting things done in a thorough and timely manner and a track record for helping out wherever needed. The opening lines also express a genuine interest in this specific firm. Plus, there are some important keywords in there like “calendar system,” “bachelor’s degree,” “paralegal certificate,” and “LexisNexis.”

2. The impact cover letter example

The impact cover letter puts your accomplishments front and center rather than organizing your paragraphs by past roles. You might use a cover letter like this if:

• You’re applying for roles where you’re expected to deliver on certain goals or results (for example, if the jobs involve sales quotas or marketing metrics).
• You haven’t followed a straightforward career path and your past job titles don’t show the extent of your qualifications.
• You want your personality to stand out a bit more than it might in a traditional cover letter.

What does the job description say

Imagine you’ve come across an opening for an email marketing manager . Part of the job description states:

• Manage email marketing strategy and calendar, including copywriting, optimization, monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on campaigns
• Improve campaign success through conversion optimization, A/B testing, and other experiments
• Collaborate with the design team to ensure brand guidelines are followed in emails
• Partner and collaborate cross-functionally with sales, product, product marketing, and data teams
• 3+ years in email marketing
• Experience with Constant Contact, Google Analytics, HTML, CSS, Photoshop, and Microsoft Excel, a plus
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written) and an eye for copyediting
• Strong interpersonal , relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills
• Excellent project management, problem-solving , and time management skills, with the ability to multitask effectively

Here’s an example of an impact cover letter where the writer’s hard skills and successes stand out:

Dear Russ Roman,

I have a problem. See, my inbox currently (and embarrassingly) hosts 1,500 unread emails—including newsletters from at least 50 different brands.

But this problem only fuels my passion for creating emails that are worth opening. Because from my perspective, as someone who can barely get through their own stack of mail, that’s a true win.

I’ve been following Vitabe for years, and can proudly say that I open every single email you send to me. I’m a sucker for a good subject line—“Take a Vitamin-ute—We’ll A-B-C You Soon” being my favorite—and the way your email content feels both fun and expert-backed really speaks to me. This is why I’m thrilled to submit my application for a role as email marketing manager at your company.

I have over four years of experience working in the email marketing space. In my current role at Westside Bank, I was able to implement new email campaigns centered around reengaging churned clients. By analyzing data around the types of clients who churn and the engagement of our current email subscribers, as well as A/B testing headlines and newsletter layouts, we were able to increase email subscribers by 15% and convert 30% of those subscribers to purchase our product, a significant increase from the previous year. 

I also launched a “Your Credit Matters” newsletter focused on educating our clients on how they spend and manage their credit—which became our highest performing campaign in terms of open-rates and click-through to date.

Previously, as a member of the marketing team at Dream Diary Mattresses, I collaborated with the sales and product team to understand how I could best support them in hitting their quarterly goals. One specific project involving creating personalized emails for customers drew more people to come back to our site after 30 days than direct paid ad campaigns, leading to a 112% increase in revenue from the last quarter.

I take the content I write and the calendars I manage seriously, editing and refining beyond detail-oriented and into meticulous territory, and I feel my experience and drive would greatly help Vitabe further develop their email program for success.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Lad Miller [email protected] (987) 654-3210

This sample cover letter concisely highlights the applicant’s most significant, relevant achievements. By adding context to how their projects were created, monitored, and completed, they’re able to show just how results-driven they are and how they’ve successfully leveraged some of the skills the company is looking for.

One thing worth noting: This person didn’t include keywords such as Constant Contact, Google Analytics, HTML, CSS, Photoshop, or Microsoft Excel—all of which are listed in the job description. But those skills are most likely in their resume already, and leaving them out gives them the space to discuss specific projects and tell a story not visible on other parts of their job application.

3. The writing sample cover letter example

For roles where written communication is key, such as PR, copywriting , or journalism jobs, your cover letter will likely be the first writing sample your future employer sees. So it’s just as important to show your skill set in action through eloquent writing.

• Writing or editing is a key component of the role you’re applying to.
• You want to show off your creativity.

Here’s part of a job description for a staff writer position:

• Pitch and write articles, reporting on timely issues and trends
• Collaborate with editorial and other teams to launch each digital issue and other special projects on schedule
• Evaluate content performance and digital trends on a daily basis to constantly adjust pitches and packaging
• Utilize CMS tools, strategically select photos and videos, and request original graphics to optimize all written content for maximum engagement
• At least 2-3 years of experience creating content at a digital-first outlet
• Strong writing and reporting skills, and the ability to write clearly and quickly
• Familiarity working in a CMS and with analytics tools such as Google Analytics
• Deadline-driven, strategic thinker with a knack for crafting click-y headlines
• Strong collaborator who thrives in fast-paced environments

Have fun with this one, but triple-check for spelling and grammar mistakes, and make sure you’re showing off your best writing. Here's the cover letter sample:

Dear Tai Chen,

Since I could walk, I’ve been dancing. And since I could read, I’ve been glued to Arabesque Weekly. At one point, you featured one of my local heroes—a ballerina who struggled with an injury early in her career and went on to become a principal dancer at Pacific Northwest Ballet—and I plastered the article above my childhood bed. It’s still there today.

That article—and so many others you’ve published—taught me that dancing was about more than just pirouettes and arabesques and that the right kind of writer can shed light on aspects of the art that make it surprising, impactful, and universal. I can be that writer.

As an editorial assistant at TheImprovGroup.com for the past two and a half years, my main responsibility was to get all of our content ready to go live on the site. This included fact-checking, proofreading, adding in HTML where necessary, and finding photos, videos, and GIFs that would complement the content and optimize audience engagement. 

As I tinkered with each post, I became intimately familiar with our internal CMS. Reviewing every single article we published and following reactions and engagement helped me gain a deep understanding of what makes a piece really land with our audience.

But by far my favorite aspect of this role has been writing. Each week, I pitch and write at least one article, from 250-word news items to 900-word advice pieces to even longer profiles, features, and personal essays. I love the challenge of developing pitches that align with the trends we see in the data, reflect with the company’s brand and mission, and allow me to flex my creative muscles.

Collaborating with my team to form the best content library we can has been a dream come true. I would be so excited to use my experience to help Arabesque Weekly achieve its goals. And I hope to one day write a story that another little dance lover tapes to their wall forever.

It would be an honor to be a part of your editorial team, and I look forward to the possibility of discussing the opportunity with you.

Hoping to be your next staff writer,

Marlee Wood [email protected] (555) 666-4433

This candidate is clearly passionate about this specific publication and leads with a unique personal anecdote tied to the company’s mission that demonstrates their ability to tell stories in a compelling way. There are relevant keywords and phrases, sure, but they’re not just thrown in there. Their voice comes through in every sentence, proving this person knows how to communicate effectively and creatively.

4. The career change cover letter example

Cover letters can play a big part in helping career changers prove their qualifications—especially when it’s unclear how their skills transfer over to this new field.

You might write a career change cover letter if:

• You want to highlight the transferable skills you have that relate to the job description.
• You want to explain why you’re making the switch and what’s driving you toward this specific industry, company, or position.

Imagine you’re someone who has experience supporting a sales team as an administrative assistant , and you’re now looking to become a sales representative. You come across a job posting that includes:

• Develop new sales techniques and strategies to build pipeline and hit team goals
• Coordinate with other teams to increase lead-generation efforts
• Assist in the processing of new business, including contacting customers to finalize sales and service transactions
• 1-3 years of successful sales experience
• Strong communication skills
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment
• Ability to work independently to plan, set priorities, and effectively organize work
• Proven ability to be persuasive, persistent, and confident in closing a sale

Typically, this type of cover letter should include a compelling narrative about your career change and how you can transfer your past experiences to this new role. Here’s how you might translate your past experience over to this new (and exciting) prospect:

Dear Maria Russo,

The head of sales at Sunshine Inc. was in a bind. She needed six client meetings scheduled, 18 service transactions processed, and a summary of the team’s new lead generation campaign drafted before getting on a flight to Austin—in three hours. So she turned to her cool-headed, sales-savvy administrative assistant for help. That assistant was me. Not only did I execute everything on her to-do list, I did it all before her plane left the ground.

For three years, I worked in lockstep with a busy, growth-oriented sales leader to support the business development team. As the sole administrative assistant in the department, I balanced a swath of competing priorities, ranging from coordinating meetings and inputting data to contacting customers, finalizing transactions, and creating promotional materials. This role helped me develop a comprehensive understanding of the sales cycle, sales strategy, and pipeline growth.

Like many others, my career path hasn’t been entirely straightforward. After leaving Crabapple Media, I enrolled in a local coding bootcamp. Six months later, I emerged with a certificate in computer programming and a certainty that I did not want to be a coder. But education is never wasted. I’m now an aspiring sales representative with experience supporting a thriving sales team and extensive knowledge of the tech space.

Here’s a little bit more about how my experience would translate into this role:

• At Crabapple Media, I assisted in coordinating three annual sales strategy rollouts, yielding an average increase in pipeline of 26% YoY.
• At Sunshine Inc., I supported 12 independent team members in their lead-generation efforts. I also assisted in processing an average of 300 sales transactions every quarter.
• I thrive in busy, ever-changing environments that require me to communicate clearly and concisely. Supporting a high-volume team and a busy executive helped me to hone these skills—I typically sent more than 200 emails a day!

I would, of course, love to schedule a time for us to discuss this role and my experience, and I truly want to thank you for considering me.

All the best,

Olu Abiola [email protected] (123) 456-789

The opener draws you in and makes you want to learn more. It toots the person’s horn, but in a way that’s substantiated. Then, the next couple sections explain their experience in the sales space and other relevant qualifications, before eventually tying that back to why they’re applying to this specific job. 

Similar to the impact cover letter, the author lists some of the more important qualities they bring to the table, doing a bit of keyword inclusion and resume gap explaining along the way.

Bonus cover letter examples

To further guide you, check out some more cover letter examples:

• Pain point cover letter example
• Internship cover letter example
• Recent graduate cover letter example
• (Another) career changer cover letter example
• Stay-at-home parent returning to work cover letter example
• Sales cover letter example
• Email marketing manager cover letter example
• No job description or position cover letter example (a.k.a., a letter of intent or interest)
• Example cover letter with no experience

Let’s break down one of our example cover letters real quick

All three professional cover letter examples have some key elements that make them great and able to grab the hiring manager's attention. Check out this handy infographic that breaks down our impact cover letter:

A few more cover letter tips

Here are a few more tips to help the cover letter process:

Start with a “brain dump” 

If you’re staring at a blank page, Godfred always recommends that her clients start by getting all their ideas on the page without paying attention to length. Then “ask yourself how you can cut half of it,” she says. You’ll likely find that repeated information and very generic phrases are the first to go. (If it’s still too long, here are some tips for getting your cover letter down to one page .)

Don’t just repeat your resume

You only have so much space to get your point across, so focus on the information that isn’t stated elsewhere rather than simply regurgitating your resume. A good cover letter should complement your resume, so use the opportunity to elaborate your skills and qualifications further, as well as your accomplishments and why you're a good fit for that position.

Focus on quality over quantity 

Target the jobs you’re most closely drawn to and qualified for and give them all your energy, rather than trying to churn out hundreds of cover letters, Kahn says. You may not be able to apply to as many jobs, but you’ll have a better response rate.

Remember the ATS 

Much like your resume, an applicant tracking systems, or ATS , will be sifting through your cover letter. So you’ll want to scatter relevant keywords from the job description throughout your pitch where it makes sense.

Don’t stress over formatting 

You may see flashy cover letter examples across the internet, but for the most part, it just isn’t necessary. An ATS can’t read text that has been formatted beyond using bold, italics, underline, and color, so keep your font and layout simple—especially if you’re submitting your cover letter through an online portal.

Don't forget your contact information

Include your contact information on every page, including your name, phone number, and email. “Imagine you come across a cover letter and you print it out with a bunch of applications to review and it doesn’t have the person’s contact information on it,” Godfred says. “You never want to put yourself in a situation where you’re the right person and they can’t find you.”

Edit your cover letter before submitting

Never submit a cover letter right after you finish writing it—there could be critical errors that you didn't notice while typing. Take some time away from your text, then revisit it like you're reading someone else's letter. Be sure to double-check all the information you've included, paying special attention to:

• The company's name
• The hiring manager's name
• The job title
• Your contact information
• Basic grammar and spelling

You're ready to go

If you've come this far, you're equipped with all the information you need to craft a great cover letter. Hopefully these cover letter examples help as you go to tackle your own. Remember: This is just one small step in the process! Take your time, but learn to move on when you’ve given it your all.

Amanda Cardoso contributed to the latest version of this article.

How To Write An Amazing Cover Letter That Will Get You Hired (Template Included)

By Austin Belcak

Writing a cover letter can be one of the most stress inducing aspects of the job search.

The reason writing them is so difficult is because we don’t have a defined framework to follow.

If you need to update your resume, you download a template and fill in the blanks. When you’re applying to jobs, the employer lays out the fields you need to complete right there in the application.

But when you’re writing a cover letter, you probably find yourself staring at a blank Word document wishing the right words would will themselves onto the page.

Most of us don’t consider ourselves to be the next Walter Isaacson, and the task of crafting the perfect story sits well outside of our comfort zone. It doesn’t help that most of the advice out there on the subject is vague at best.

I did a quick Google search for “How To Write A Cover Letter.” Here are a few things the “experts” recommend:

• Assess the employer’s needs and your skills. Then try to match them in the letter in a way that will appeal to the employer’s self-interest.
• Arrange the points in a logical sequence; organize each paragraph around a main point.
• Basic fonts like Arial, Calibri, Helvetica , Verdana, and Open Sans work well. A font size of 10 or 12 points is easy to read. Standard margins are 1” on the top, bottom, and left and right sides of the page.
• Be sure to include positive traits like “Focused,” “Hard Working,” and “Results Oriented”

While all of this advice is technically correct, did you feel your confidence skyrocket when you went back to type out that first sentence?

Yeah, me neither…

Writing A Cover Letter That Actually Gets You Hired

Here’s the thing – most career “experts” out there give vague advice that they’ve seen work in their corner of the market. It doesn’t get too specific because many career coaches (even recruiters) have never been through the application process at a world class company. They don’t know the nitty gritty.

When they do give specific advice, it’s usually tailored to a niche – software development, tech sales, finance, etc. But what works for one person in one industry or role might not work for a similar person in a different situation.

I’m hoping to change things with this article.

Over the course of this post, I’m going to lay out the cover letter strategies that thousands of my clients have used to land jobs across industries and at companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Deloitte, ESPN, American Express, and more.

If you’re not getting the results you want from your resume or cover letter, check out my free resume builder . It lets you create a recruiter-approve, ATS-friendly resume in minutes and it’s 100% free (no fees, subscriptions or limits!).

The Truth About Cover Letters

Before we dive into the actionable stuff, I want to provide some context on where cover letters fit in the hiring process.

Cover letters are a strange animal. People seem to think that they are the missing link that will suddenly skyrocket the response rates of potential employers.

When I asked my audience to choose between a guide on cover letters, resumes or LinkedIn profiles, cover letters won out by a significant margin.

The truth is, in the mind of a recruiter/hiring manager, your cover letter is a tie breaker that is only read after the rest of your application has been reviewed. 90% of hiring managers don’t even read cover letters. However, over half of employers noted that they prefer candidates who submit a cover letter:

This leaves us in an interesting place.

We need to craft a good cover letter to help boost our chances, but we don’t want to spend several hours doing so because there are far better ways to spend our time to get results during the job search. If you follow the networking and value-add strategies in my other articles , those strategies are going to be far more effective at breaking ties than a 3-5 paragraph document.

My hope is that this guide will give you a framework that enables you to efficiently craft cover letters that are more likely to get you hired.

The 7 Cover Letter Mistakes That Cost People Jobs

If we want our cover letter to be as effective as possible we need to make sure we avoid the mistakes that employers hate to see, yet most people still make.

In order to be as accurate as possible, I went out and spoke to recruiters from Google, Microsoft, and a few Wall Street firms on top of my own research. Then I cross referenced that information with the several hundred cover letters that have come across my desk at Cultivated Culture.

After all was said and done, here are the 7 most common mistakes people make on cover letters that will cause recruiters to throw out their application:

1. Typos, grammatical errors, and general sloppiness

This is the most obvious and most common issue. Over 70% of recruiters noted that they would automatically toss a cover letter with some type of spelling or grammatical error. The good news is that it’s also the easiest mistake to fix.

Before you submit your cover letter, make sure it’s reviewed by at least two other parties. You might want to consider hiring a professional editor/proofreader as they’re not too expensive for a short document and they will pick up on things most people would miss. It’s easy enough to find one on Upwork .

Another trick you can use is including an obvious mistake about 75% of the way through. If you have “catching Justin Beiber’s sweaty t shirt at a concert” sitting in there and someone doesn’t call you out, you know they probably didn’t read it very carefully.

2. Going over a single page

99% of the resumes and cover letters I receive are over a single page. Funnily enough, 99% of the recruiters I speak to tell me that they absolutely hate resumes and cover letters that are more than one page.

The ideal length for a cover letter is 3-5 paragraphs. Changing the margins, font, and font size are all fair game – just keep things on one page, ok?

3. Regurgitating your resume in a slightly different format

Your cover letter is a space for you to truly differentiate yourself. If you’re just taking the bullets on your resume and turning them into full sentences, you’re missing out on a HUGE opportunity.

Use the cover letter to show a little personality and share something that people wouldn’t know if they just scanned through your resume (more on that in a sec).

Remember, this is a tie breaker. If your cover letter isn’t holding people’s attention it’s probably going to lose out.

4. Focusing on training or arbitrary credentials instead of results

Many of us feel unqualified for the jobs we want. As a result, we try to twist our experience to match the traditional qualifications for our target role.

The problem with this approach is that you are competing against people who qualify for the traditional credentials, no matter what role you’re applying for. If you try to beat them at their own game, you’re going to lose 9 times out of 10.

Am I saying you should forget about trying to spin your experience to position yourself well? Absolutely not. However, adding that business class on your resume when you’re 4-5 years out of college isn’t going to help much.

Instead, focus your time outside of work on building tangible results that you can showcase in your cover letter (and resume). If you want to be a developer, take a few coding courses and build something cool. If you want to be in digital marketing, land a few clients and run their ads for them.

Telling a story about how you took proactive steps to build experience in a field will beat traditional credentials in most cases. Companies love to see that you’re hungry to learn.

5. Not addressing your cover letter to an actual person

I die a little bit inside when I see cover letters addressed as “Dear Hiring Manager” or “To Whom It May Concern.”

Anyone who reads that is immediately going to mentally bucket it as impersonal. It’s far better to address your cover letter to an actual human, even if it doesn’t end up in their hands. Here is my strategy.

Let’s say I’m applying for an Account Manager role at Google:

I’m going to head over to LinkedIn and start by working to find the specific person who would manage the role I’m applying for. If I can’t find them, or I’m unsure, then I’ll aim for the most senior person that my target role would fall under.

The ladder for Account Managers typically follows with Senior Account Manager, Account Director, and VP. I’m going plug in “Account Director” under LinkedIn’s title filter to cover all of the bases there. Then I’m going to add “Google” in the company filter and “Greater New York Area” in the location filter:

That search is going to bring up a slew of people that I could address directly in my cover letter:

Regardless of who reads your cover letter, they’ll know that you did your research. On top of that, your cover letter might even make it into the hands of the person you addressed it to!

6. Failing to showcase any personality

As mentioned earlier, your cover letter is one of the few opportunities for you to truly differentiate yourself from the competition. If you’re applying for jobs online (which I don’t recommend), the only thing you have to sell yourself is your resume, your cover letter, and your application.

Instead of rehashing the experience on your resume, tell a story about how you got that experience. Make it unique and personable. I had the most success when I talked about how I transitioned from a job in medicine to the tech world by starting a side business generating leads for real estate agents. I’d speak openly about the challenges I faced, the mistakes I made, and why I went through it all in the first place.

Use this space to tell your story. Remember, people don’t buy what you do – they buy you why you do it.

7. Writing about an uncomfortable situation

While we’re on the topic of telling stories, there is one thing you want to avoid – talking about something extremely uncomfortable. What might have worked for your college essay isn’t going to work here.

You want to keep things professional. It’s okay to talk about business-related mistakes and challenges, but try to steer away from deeply personal stories. They are far more likely to hurt than help.

If your cover letter doesn’t violate any of the rules above, you’re off to a good start!

The Anatomy Of A Highly Effective Cover Letter

When I was job searching, one of the most frustrating things was trying to get a clear picture of what to include in my resume/cover letter/application. There is so much conflicting “expert” advice online it makes you feel like you’re shooting in the dark.

When I started Cultivated Culture, I began tracking how different factors influenced the success of my students. After working with hundreds of job seekers over the past few years, I’ve found a strong correlation between the following factors and a high rate of successfully landing interviews:

1. Capitalize On Your Cover Letter’s Header

Most people don’t realize that when they hit “submit” on their app, their cover letter gets scanned by a robot that’s looking for specific words and phrases.

One of the major keywords the look for is a matching or relevant job title. If you’re applying for a Project Manager role, are you including Project Manager, Project Management, PMP, or something similar in your cover letter? That’s what the robot is looking for and the header is a great place to inject it. I recommend dropping it in right below your name.

Once you get past the robots, your cover letter is going to end up in the hands of a real human.

We want to make it as easy as possible for this person to learn more about us and get in contact if they want. I always recommend that you include the following right at the top of your cover letter:

Email Address – Make sure it’s simple and professional. 76% of applications are rejected for having unprofessional email addresses. Also, don’t forget to hyperlink it! You want the employer to be able to click and get in touch.

LinkedIn Profile – A recent study showed that applications that include a link to a comprehensive LinkedIn profile increase their chances of hearing back by 71%!

Phone Number – If they like what they read, make it easy for them to pick up the phone and dial.

Relevant Links – Your header is also a great place to share links to things like Github, relevant social profiles, personal websites, your blog, etc.

Finally, a lot of people ask me about including a location. I don’t recommend adding your location when writing a cover letter unless the application requires it.

Your address and location are private, personal information and putting them on a resume or cover letter that you're upload across the internet is a major risk. You're putting yourself at the mercy of the company's data practices and, if they don't follow good data security practices , you could end up doing your best Jason Bateman impression chasing down data thieves in Florida.

2. Tell A Story In Your Opening Paragraph

This is an overarching theme that you want to include in each section of your cover letter.

Science has proven that people are more likely to remember information (or candidates in this case) when it’s delivered in the form of a story. Stories also help build a positive psychological association with the reader (or recruiter/hiring manger here).

Remember Dan Brown’s book The Da Vinci Code ?

It was a novel about cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings leading to to holy grail. While the book itself is fictitious, the artists, pieces, and much of the history behind them is accurate.

Now, if you asked most people about their opinion on art history, they’d tell you it was boring. They’d also groan in disappointment if you tried to get them to read a book on the subject. However, Dan Brown’s novel skyrocketed to the top of the New York Times bestseller list and became an international sensation. In fact, it caused applications for art history degrees to jump up 25% in the years following its publication.

Why were all of these people suddenly interested in field previously considered to be “boring?” Because Dan Brown fed historical facts in the context of an interesting story!

We’re aiming to do the same in our cover letter – specific examples below.

2. Talk About Why You’re Interested In The Company

In the first section of your cover letter, you want to briefly talk about why you are interested in the role and the company. Remember, we want to drive the message through a story.

When I was applying at Google, I wanted to work there because they were a household name that was focused on cutting edge technology, but they also cared about impacting lives. Here is the story I used to drive that point home:

I wanted to recount a story from my referral [Name]. He’s in the education vertical and spends a significant amount of time at rural schools. When he was down in South Carolina, a teacher asked him about the possibility of getting wifi for the town and its students. [Name] said he would do his best and upon returning he asked around. He sent an email to Astro Teller who responded and they discussed the feasibility of implementing project Loon in the area. I don’t think it panned out but the fact that the communication took place over a tiny town in South Carolina sold me. That’s the kind of stuff I want to be doing.

If you don’t have a story that immediately jumps to mind, the best way to get one is by talking to people who work at the company. Look up the company’s mission or their core values beforehand and ask that person to tell you about the best example they’ve personally experienced.

You can check out this article if you want to know how to find someone’s corporate email address.

3. Highlight What You Bring To The Role

The second section of your cover letter should showcase what you’re going to bring to the role by talking about your past achievements. Be sure to use measurable metrics (actual numbers and quantitative results) to support your points.

If you’re coming from a non-traditional background (and don’t feel like you’re “qualified”) this is the time to address that objection. Here is another excerpt from my Google cover letter that addresses my background using measurable results:

You might notice that there isn’t much “traditional” digital experience on my resume. That is because, coming from a scientific background, I needed to take a different path. In an effort to gain experience, I created my own agency called OpenWater Analytics. I specialized in using AdWords to generate real estate leads for private communities. I managed the entire sales process from cold outreach, to closing, to servicing the accounts on your platform. Most recently, I helped a community in South Carolina sell every listing on their site (about 15 homes) in less than 6 months. Our cost per lead was half of the competition and we did it all for less than the commission the realtor would have made on a single house (including ad spend).

When I wrote this, I didn’t have much digital experience to speak to. Rather than trying to spin what I had, I went out and built the experience myself by starting a digital marketing firm. Again, if you feel like your experience is lacking, get out there are create your own!

4. Reference Your “Value Validation” Project

If you’ve read my article on How To Get A Job Anywhere With No Connections , you know that I always advocate for creating what I like to call a “Value Validation Project.”

This consists of having a conversation with someone at the company you want to work for and identifying their largest challenge or upcoming initiative. You then use that information to research on your own and come up with several solutions/suggestions for your contact.

In the final section of your cover letter you want to mention this project and include a call to action to discuss it. It could look something like this:

In hopes of learning more about [Company], I had a meeting with [Name]. She told me that her team’s largest challenge was upselling customers into the company’s new, complementary platform. She noted that, despite the platform increasing retention and lowering costs for clients, the upfront cost to onboard was a major obstacle. In my previous role, we dealt with a similar situation. Our clients were receptive to adopting a new platform despite the data showing that it would be beneficial for all parties. I spearheaded an initiative where we tested and analyzed several revenue models that maximized adoption rates and profit margins. In the end, we increased adoption rates by 30% without impacting revenue. Using the information that [Name] gave me, I outlined the process in detail as it relates to your platform. I believe that your team could implement these strategies immediately and see similar results. If you’d like me to send it to you, please let me know! My email is [email protected].

This section is incredibly powerful because it shows that you are not only interested, you went ahead and proved out the value you could bring to the team. Additionally, the call to action can lead to conversations with the very people who will make the decision to hire you!

Cover Letter Templates – Steal The Exact Cover Letter I Used At Google, Microsoft, & Twitter

At this point you should have a solid understanding of the science behind writing a killer cover letter. You should also have a good handle on what mistakes to avoid so your cover letter makes an awesome first impression.

Now we need to apply all of that to ink on paper! In order to make that easy for you, I’m including a copy of the cover letter templates that I used to land an interview at Google so you can see exactly how I wrote it.

Context For The Template

Before we dive into the exact cover letter template, I want to give you some context so you can better understand the content of the letter.

I was applying for a Digital Advertising Sales Account Manager at Google’s offices in New York. I started by doing some research on LinkedIn to find who I believed to be the hiring manager (her name was Emmy).

I knew that my non-traditional background was a big red flag for most employers so my goal was to proactively address it in my cover letter by calling it out, talking through what I’d done to build the right skills, and highlight the results I’d achieved from those efforts.

Finally, I had spoken to several Google employees who all told me that “Googliness” (cultural fit) was a huge factor in the company’s hiring decisions. If I wanted to have a chance, I needed a compelling narrative around why I wanted to work for them and why I was a good fit.

With all of that in mind, here’s the cover letter I wrote:

Austin’s Cover Letter Template

Dear Emmy Anlyan, I grew up with Google. When I was seven years old, I used to sneak down to my Dad’s office at five in the morning to play video games. I still remember opening the browser and seeing the bright, multi-colored letters above the search box for the first time. I’ve always been interested in the tech space and, while my background has mainly been in the sciences, I’m ready to dive head first into the digital world. I believe I would be a great fit for the Digital Advertising Sales Account Manager role because I have a deep understanding of the businesses that partner with Google and how they define success. You might notice that there isn’t much “traditional” digital experience on my resume. That is because, coming from a scientific background, I needed to take a different path. In an effort to gain experience, I created my own agency called OpenWater Analytics. I specialized in using AdWords to generate real estate leads for private communities. I managed the entire sales process from cold outreach, to closing, to servicing the accounts on your platform. Most recently, I helped a community in South Carolina sell every listing on their site (about 15 homes) in less than 6 months. Our cost per lead was half of the competition and we did it all for less than the commission the realtor would have made on a single house (including ad spend). Understanding how these small businesses worked was critical to my success, and I believe those skills will help Google acquire happier, more successful customers who are inclined to spend. In addition, I’ve done some research on your team and have come to understand that your largest challenge is around successfully growing smaller accounts at scale. Based on my experience, I’ve put together a few suggestions below this letter – I’m happy to chat through them in more detail if you’d like. I wanted to close with a quick story about Google that solidified my choice to apply. My referral, [Name of Referral] , works in the education vertical. He services the southeast and many of his accounts are rural. On his last visit down there, in a South Carolina town of 1,500 with no wifi, a teacher asked him if Google could help bring the internet to them. When [Name of Referral] made it back to the office, he emailed Astro Teller asking about the potential for Project Loon to help bring this town in the 21st century. To his surprise, Astro wrote him back within the week mentioning that he’d look into it. While things didn’t pan out, the fact that director of Google’s moonshot project division wrote back an employee about an elementary school in South Carolina blew me away. That is the kind of work I want to be doing. Thank you for taking the time to read my note, I’m incredibly excited to have the opportunity to be considered for this position. Best, Austin

Download A Free Copy Of Austin’s Cover Letter Template

If you want a copy of that cover letter template with the header included and everything formatted, here’s a link to a copy on my Google Drive.

After you click through the link, just hit File > Make A Copy > Organize to add it to your own Google Drive! You can also download it in a variety of formats.

If you still have questions or thoughts about writing an awesome cover letter, drop a comment below — I’m happy to reply with an answer!

Want the inside info on landing a dream job regardless of your background and without applying online?

Click here to get the 5 free strategies that my students have used to land jobs at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and more without applying online.

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• Cover Letters

10+ Cover Letter Examples (+ Different Types & Formatting Guide)

Whether you’re looking to land your first job, changing careers, or simply exploring new job opportunities, writing a great cover letter might seem daunting at first. However, once you read this comprehensive guide and check out our superb cover letter examples, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an expert cover letter crafter.

Cover Letter Examples (By Career Situation and Seniority)

Our resume cover letter examples are just what you need if you’re going to learn how to write one for yourself. Keep in mind that all cover letters have a similar structure that you should follow:

• Contact Info –  Add your name, address, phone number, and email address.
• Greeting – Always start with a professional greeting that addresses the hiring manager by name.
• Introduction – Grab your reader’s attention with a first paragraph in which you introduce yourself and state your intention to apply for the open role.
• Body paragraphs – Write one or two paragraphs that highlight your professional experience, achievements, skills, and education.
• Closing paragraph – Insert your call to action and ask the hiring manager to invite you for an interview. Don’t forget to sign your name at the end.

With this information in mind, let’s check out some of the best cover letter examples!

Cover Letter Example 1: Returning to Work after a Job Gap/Relocation

Dear Mr. Hennessy,  My name is John Young, and I’m applying for a software engineering position at your company. I’m excited about your organization’s mission to change the world, and I’m passionate about your tech stack that includes Scala, Java, React, and Python, all languages I’ve used in the past. 

Recently, I took a year-long hiatus to aid my friend who launched a startup accelerator. During that time, I learned quite a bit about business strategy and going from zero to one hundred while working on a very limited budget. I’m confident that I can turn those skills into new products for your company. 

I’m prepared to get back into the game and restart my career as a software engineer in your beautiful city. I’m positive that I’m the perfect person to lead your middle-out engineering team. I would love to schedule a meeting and discuss this further. 

Our Take: The candidate starts by expressing his excitement about the company’s goals and then seamlessly proceeds to highlight the programming languages that he excels in. This way, he showcased that he is the right person for the job. He then explains that the job gap that appears in his resume was due to working on a personal project that has taught him some valuable new skills.

Cover Letter Example 2: Changing Careers

Dear Ms. Garcia,

Blending a formal background in marketing with proven success in retail sales and customer service roles, I am looking to transition into public relations and believe I would make a great fit for the advertised position of Public Relations Specialist at your company.

Having both used and sold your products, I am already well versed in your brand and both present and past years’ offerings. I have followed with excitement as you launched in European and Asian markets and incorporated an international feel into your product line. I would bring both passion and expertise to championing your company with the press and public.

I am already trained in creating buzz and awareness through social media channels including Twitter and Facebook. When my sales team decided to participate in Walk for a Cure three years ago, we used social media to heighten our sponsorship support and raised more than $20K for the event.

Confident my transferable skills make me a solid candidate for this opening, I respectfully submit my resume for your review and request a meeting to discuss the opportunity further. I will make myself available at your convenience and look forward to your call to arrange a time. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Our Take: This candidate leads off with a strong statement about her career change goal and her fit for the specific position at hand. She uses the rest of the letter to discuss her interest in the company and some of her key transferable skills/experience.

Cover Letter Example 3: New Graduate/Entry Level

Dear Ms. Morris:

I am writing in response to your listing in the Memphis Gazette for a nurse’s aide. Please accept my enclosed resume for consideration.

As a CPR-certified lifeguard and an LPN student at Memphis Community College, I have the formal training necessary for this position. Additionally, with two years of experience in retail sales, I have excellent customer service skills that can translate well to patient relations.

After you have reviewed my resume, I hope to meet with you to discuss how I can be beneficial to your team. I look forward to hearing from you to schedule an interview at your earliest convenience.

Our Take: Nice concise approach for an entry-level candidate. She doesn’t have years of nursing experience to point to, so she highlights her training and how her non-nursing work experience has also helped to prepare her.

Cover Letter Example 4: Professional

Dear Mr. Carter,

As an Accounts Payable & Receivable Specialist , I offer a proven ability to accurately process invoices, payments, reimbursements, and tax reports. I quickly learn and adapt to software changes and updates and help team members resolve issues and problems they are having with data input and processing.

Examples of my accomplishments include:

• Handled biweekly accounts payable processing of checks and ACH payments; reconciled payments made to accounts payable software and addressed any discrepancies that arose.
• Created a spreadsheet that listed bank and routing numbers to expedite the processing of expense reports.
• Uploaded and reconciled monthly phone bills for approximately 200 branches and 4 operational centers; total billing amounts were coded for various departments and branches as required.
• Confident I will prove valuable to your company, I respectfully submit my resume for your review. I would also like to request a personal meeting to discuss your upcoming goals and how I can help you achieve them. I will make myself available at your convenience and look forward to your call. Thank you for your consideration.

Our Take: For an experienced candidate, a bit more detail is expected. This candidate customized the bullet points to specifically communicate his experience with the position responsibilities listed in the job description.

Cover Letter Example 5: Manager

Dear Ms. Nguyen,

As a Human Resources Manager with a strong customer service background, I offer expertise in employee relations, benefits administration, and generalist duties. I have made significant contributions to succession planning and workforce engagement as well as ensuring compliance with employment and labor requirements.

I am also known for my ability to help identify and implement key technology and process improvements. I am well-versed in Six Sigma methods and have led projects which produced significant and sustainable savings. Other examples of my work include:

• Creates positive employee engagement for 2,000+ personnel at Company XYZ via proactive communications, prompt issue resolution, and fair/equitable treatment.
• Led Six Sigma project related to FMLA administration and online orientation programs for Lean Belt training.
• Proved instrumental in the deployment of an E-recruitment system that serviced a Fortune 200 company; defined policies, procedures, and communication planning for the project.

Confident I will make a positive impact on your organization, I respectfully submit my résumé for your review. I would also like to request a personal meeting to discuss your goals for this position and my potential contributions. I will be available at your convenience and look forward to your call to arrange a time. Thank you for your consideration.

Our Take: This cover letter highlights the applicant’s relevant accomplishments as a leader and manager. It goes beyond stating familiarity with the required job duties and emphasizes results in key projects. Remember that you don’t want to copy and paste your whole resume into the cover letter. Think about the key selling points that you want to feature prominently. The goal is to make them excited to learn more about you.

Cover Letter Example 6: Senior-Level Executive

Dear Mr. Jones,

As a Senior-Level Finance & Operations Executive , I offer proven success in maximizing productivity and improving profit margins. My work spans companies and business units at various stages of growth, including start-up, established, and turnaround settings.

Believing profitability requires strong revenue generation and cost controls, I monitor budgets and sales performance closely to identify areas for improvement. I am known for enhancing overall performance through technology upgrades, advanced employee training, and implementation of best practices.

Examples of my work include:

• Drove successful launch of start-up company by hiring a talent team, defining product development plans, and leading go-to-market strategies to achieve $35M+ revenue and 50% margins within two years.
• Managed daily operations of a $150M subsidiary that provided a complete suite of manufacturing solutions in the US and Canada; improved profit margins on overall product line by 10%.
• Proved vital to reorganization leadership that cumulated in a 10% productivity improvement in the sales and service organization and a 20% improvement in support organizations.

As CPA and MBA, I am confident I will prove valuable to your company and respectfully submit my resume for your review. I would also like to request a personal meeting to discuss your upcoming goals and how I can help you achieve them. I will make myself available at your convenience and look forward to your call. Thank you for your consideration.

Our Take: This cover letter nicely distills years of experience into a concise overview that really “sells” achievements most relevant to the specific advertised role. Each bullet presents a compelling high-level overview of a specific position, complete with impressive data points. It’s hard to be this concise when talking about a long career! However, a concise letter is always more effective — make the most exciting information jump out of the letter and grab the recruiter’s attention.

Cover Letter Examples (By Industry)

Teacher cover letter example.

Dear Principal Townson,

With five years of experience in teaching high school and a master’s degree in Chemistry, I believe I am an ideal candidate to fill the science teaching position you have open with the retirement of Stacy Jones. My teaching experience was at John Smith High School in Smallville where I taught all levels of Chemistry and helped host the science fair each year.

I keep up with all developments in teaching and chemistry by reading literature and attending conferences hosted by the American Association of High School Science Instructors. I have also volunteered my time at the community center, tutoring all levels of students in general sciences.

I look forward to working in this community and teaching at Rosewood High School. Please review my attached resume. I will be contacting you next week to schedule an interview. Thank you for your consideration.

Our Take: We love how this cover letter emphasizes the applicant’s relevant qualifications in the first line. This puts emphasis on her ability to do the job. Later, she briefly explains how she has kept current with industry developments and shows passion for her career by mentioning her volunteer work.

Nursing Cover Letter Example

Dear Dr. Manning,

Five years ago, I worked my first shift as an emergency room nurse and have never before left the workplace more fatigued and fulfilled. Today, I am proud to declare that I am still an ER nurse. I love this work partly because I flourish in a fast-paced environment. I also take great pleasure in the opportunity to care for patients every day and be there for their loved ones. This is not easy work, but I can’t see myself doing anything else which is why I am applying for the position of Emergency Room Nursing Lead. I believe that I can be a great asset to your team and that I have a proven track record when it comes to patient care as further shown in my attached resume. 

I have reviewed the qualifications required for this position. I am confident to say that I possess all the skills and experience needed. I have a BSN in nursing and have held a nursing license in good standing for over five years. I have experience working in emergency rooms at several large hospitals, and I fully understand all of the regulations that are in place. I also have the kind of team leadership that you need to ensure that even the busiest nights in the emergency room go as smoothly as possible. 

I would love to sit down with you and discuss my qualifications along with your needs when you are free. Meanwhile, please review the rest of my application package. There you will find all the information you need. 

Our Take: The candidate starts by stating her experience and expresses how difficult a nursing job can be. However, she then turns it around by stating that the rewards are worth the effort. We like her storytelling approach and how she highlights her passion for working with patients and transitions into why her abilities qualify her for the job.

Business Analyst Cover Letter Example

Dear Ms. Sousa,

I am applying for the advertised business analyst job at your company that was posted on your website. I am a data-driven critical thinker with excellent interpersonal skills who holds teamwork in high esteem but can also function independently. I am always searching for fresh ideas and solutions that I can bring to the table to increase the company’s efficiency. 

During my time at XYZ Group, Ltd., my previous employer, I developed and implemented a new program designed to drop needless business expenses. In just one year, the costs were reduced by 15%. Apart from project management, I spearheaded the collection and analytics of business processes and data toward creating more efficient business models. Thanks to my achievements, I was ranked as one of the best employees in the company and received recognition from top stakeholders.

I would be delighted to join your team because I believe that the experience, skills, and vast knowledge that I bring to the table could improve the company’s operational performance. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to speaking to you soon. 

Our Take: Adopting a confident tone in your cover letter is a good way of showing the hiring manager that you have the necessary skills and experience to shine at the job you’re applying to. It’s also great when candidates state their accomplishments and showcase the contributions they can make to a company if hired.

Cover Letters: Basic Rules to Follow

What is a cover letter and how do you write one? It can feel like a chore but it’s actually one of the surefire ways to get an actual job interview.

There are five simple rules to follow if you want to write cover letters that make hiring managers giddy with excitement before meeting you:

1. Your cover letter should be grammatically correct and error-free

Avoid making grammar and formatting mistakes to give your cover letter a professional appearance (regardless of the job you’re applying for). If you’re not a particularly good writer, use a tool such as Grammarly to clean up your text, or kindly ask someone to read and edit your document.

Hiring managers get turned off when noticing mistakes in your cover letter. It sends them the wrong message about your professionalism and attention to detail.

2. The maximum length of your printed cover letter should be one page

If an employer asks for a physical cover letter, make sure it’s only one page long. You’ll want to add essential information highlighting your professional experience and best personality traits. The letter should also be printed on high-quality paper just like your resume.

If you send your cover letter digitally, cut and paste it into the email and attach your resume. Make sure that the letter is easy to read with minimal scrolling. Get to the point and be succinct. 

3. The letter should include examples of your qualifications

You can write a cover letter in paragraph or bulleted formats, but either way, you should include examples of your achievements and credentials. While you want to be brief, you also want to encourage the reader to review your resume for greater detail. The best way to do that is to call out two or three things you have done professionally to catch their attention and make them want to know more about you.

4. Your letter should address a specific person

Whenever possible, do some research and learn a few things about the person who will be reading your cover letter. This is a minor detail and some hiring managers won’t care, but it can distinguish you from your competition all the same. More importantly, don’t send an obviously-generic letter that has not been customized for the company/position.

5. Your letter should end with a call to action

When you close your letter, be sure to ask for a meeting. It is obvious that you want an interview when you submit a cover letter and resume, but job hunting is usually helped along with a proactive approach. Therefore, at every point in the application process, you should seek to move along to the next stage of consideration.

Don’t miss the opportunity to encourage a meeting with the hiring manager when ending your letter. Also, be sure to thank them for their time and consideration.

Do You Need a Cover Letter?

Second chances to make good first impressions in the job search are scarce. Adding a great cover letter at the beginning of your resume gives you the opportunity to “wow” the hiring manager. It also helps you influence their opinion prior to meeting you. Remember that your resume cover letter will be reviewed by a real live person who will be deciding whether or not you are worth their time to interview. It makes the difference between your resume going to the “yes” pile rather than the “file for future opening” (or the real or digital garbage can).

Even though there are times when a recruiter or hiring manager will skip right over your cover letter and focus on the resume, other screeners won’t even look at your resume if the cover letter doesn’t get their attention. Why take a chance? Write a strong cover letter and you’ll know that you’re doing everything possible to get past the gatekeepers and score an interview.

There are plenty of resources on the internet that you can learn from. A simple Google search might take you a long way when looking for a job. But once you find one you really want, you start thinking that you’re not ready to go get it.

A strong cover letter can give you confidence in your application. Send one along with your resume and you’ll know that you might have already stirred a potential employer’s curiosity.

If you’re struggling with writing your cover letter, the samples that you’ve seen so far will supplement Big Interview ’s Resume Curriculum. Everything you need to know about writing persuasive resumes and cover letters can be found there including structure formatting, writing great summary statements, and meaningful ‘Thank You’ notes.

It’s really easy to use. Just log in to your Big Interview account, select ‘My Resume’, and press the ‘Watch Lessons’ button under Resume Curriculum.

You’ll then be taken to the lessons page where you’ll have access to some great advice like how to add high-value details to your letter, how to follow a job application’s requirements, and how to turn them into advantages.

Three Situations When a Good Resume Cover Letter is Critical

1. when you need to include information that should not go into the resume.

A resume is a formal business document with strict rules that must be followed. These rules include not writing in the first person or including personal information like your desire to relocate.

However, there are times when you need to communicate this type of information in order to make the case for your fit for the position.

​​ Example: Your cover letter can be used to communicate your intention to make a transition in your career or move to another city/state. Recruiters receive thousands of unqualified resumes for every position. They will look at your resume and cover letter and immediately trash them if they don’t see a fit — assuming that you are another one of those annoying applicants who applies for every job posted. This is always a challenge for career changers and individuals looking to relocate and a good cover letter can make a big difference.

Example: Your cover letter can also explain away other aspects of your particular career situation that might not be appropriate to include on your resume. For example, if you took some time away from the workforce, but have kept your skills and knowledge up-to-date.

In some job ads, the company will ask for specific information to be included in your cover letter. This technique is used to make screening easier – if someone can’t follow simple application directions, why waste time on an interview? Pay careful attention to the information they request and be sure to address it.

One problematic area is if they ask for salary requirements to be included in your cover letter. Companies make this request to help them rule out individuals with higher salary requirements than they have budgeted for the position, but it can also lock you into a lower pay range than they might offer you otherwise.

However, ignoring the request could disqualify you as well. Ergo, I suggest you research the average salary for the position you are applying to in the state of the opening and include a range slightly above and below that number .

2. When you want to reference a network connection

There is no right way to include in your resume, “Our mutual associate John Smith referred me to this role and says he thinks I will make a great fit for the job opening.” That is a reference line reserved solely for the opening paragraph of a cover letter. There are multiple ways you can mention a network connection or mutual friend in a cover letter, but such a statement has no place in a resume whatsoever.

Note: In professional resume writing, it has become passé to include a list of references on your resume or even the line “references available upon request.” Such information takes up valuable real estate on your resume (which should be 1-2 pages max) and it is best to focus on your achievements and qualifications instead. Besides, the hiring managers know you will give them references when they request them.

Rather than waste space on your resume, prepare a reference sheet with the same header as your resume and give it to the interviewer at the end of your meeting.

This sheet should include the first and last names of your references, their titles and company names, city and state, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses if possible.

You can even be proactive and have letters of recommendation ready to hand to the hiring manager at the end of your meeting, but don’t send them prior to that initial interview.

3. When you want to emphasize why you’re interested in the company

One way to distinguish yourself as a job candidate is to research the company you are interviewing with and talk about things you like or ask questions about the work they have coming up. This demonstrates your interest in their particular organization as opposed to them being just another job ad you responded to in your desperate attempt to find employment.

You can use your cover letter to show that you’ve done your homework and see a strong fit with the organization. Within the second or closing paragraphs of your cover letter, you can mention being interested in the specific work the company does, recent grants they have been awarded, a product they recently released, etc.

Again, this is not appropriate for inclusion on your resume, but adding it to your cover letter can help you stand out from the stack of applications the hiring manager is sorting through on the day your resume passes by him/her.

Cover Letter Format Examples

When choosing a cover letter format, consider what stage your job search is in and how you want hiring managers to perceive you. Cover letters are used for many different reasons and the proper format for each one varies.

The three main types of cover letters are the application cover letter, the prospecting cover letter, and the networking cover letter. You may also send cover letter emails which are an effective and increasingly common way to introduce your resume.

Let’s take an in-depth look at each type of cover letter and see exactly what sets them apart.

Application Cover Letter

This is the most common cover letter used alongside a resume during a job application. It’s geared toward a specific job, and it is designed to highlight the skills and specifications listed in the job posting.

The application cover letter is a vital instrument that gives you the ability to sell yourself as a job candidate. It rounds off your resume and expands on relevant parts of your work history and qualifications.

Application Cover Letter Example

Dear Ms. Osbourne,

I am writing this letter to express my interest in the graphic designer opening as advertised on your website. 

If hired, I believe I can begin making valuable contributions to the design team of your company from day one. I possess a wide range of abilities that combine fresh art and design principles. Furthermore, my knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, HTML, and CSS will allow me to play a pivotal role in the implementation of your design initiatives. 

During my previous job, I led a team of six designers to develop and implement the graphic, layout, and production of communication materials while helping clients cut their costs by an average of 17%. I also oversaw the efficient use of production budgets running from $3,000 – $20,000 and developed a myriad of marketing programs including advertisements, presentations, infographics, newsletters, brochures, and logos that have improved client transactions by an average of 35%.

I look forward to discussing face to face how my skills and strengths can best serve your company. In the meantime, please review the enclosed resume and portfolio. Thank you for your time and consideration. 

Our Take: In the first paragraph , the candidate is quick to mention all the tools they employ to bring value to the company. They use the second paragraph as a canvas on which to paint all of their accomplishments and relevant experiences.

Prospecting Cover Letter

Prospecting cover letters are also known as letters of inquiry or cold call letters. They are useful if you’re looking to apply to a company that isn’t actively hiring or isn’t widely advertising. A prospecting cover letter shows your interest in learning about available positions while at the same time demonstrating eagerness and initiative.

If the company decides to expand its talent pool, sending a prospecting cover letter could put you at the top of the list of desirable candidates.

Prospecting Cover Letter Example

Dear Mr. Patel,

Your company recently came to my attention while reading a very interesting LinkedIn article about how you’re becoming innovators in the industry. I’d very much like to embark on this journey with you. I haven’t seen any open positions on your website, but I’d like to be considered for open positions in the future. I’m interested in pursuing a career in software engineering. The hybrid work model that your company employs couples well with my extensive remote experience. 

I have a bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering, and in the following months, I will obtain a certification from the Institute of Certification of Computing Professionals. In addition to my two years as a freelance software engineer, I also have four years of software engineering experience at a publicly traded corporation. 

Please review the resume I’ve attached which contains additional information on my skills and experience relevant to your company. I’d love to discuss any openings you may have coming in the near future. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.  

Our Take: This candidate took the bull by the horns and went straight to knocking on the company’s door. Even if there is no open position, their chances will grow when a job becomes available.

Networking Cover Letter

Networking is a highly effective method of finding a job. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70% of all jobs are found through networking. It can help you discover job opportunities that might not be advertised yet or it can provide you with a job opportunity that was previously non-existent.

Sending a networking cover letter during your job search is a good idea if you need help from a contact in your industry or career field to introduce you to a potential employer.

Networking Cover Letter Example

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m reaching out about possibly meeting to get some information from you as a top professional in our field. 

As you might remember from our time as co-workers at our previous company, I have always thrived when working in client-facing positions. I’m looking for a new career opportunity in that direction and I wanted to ask for your advice. 

As I’m aware of your experience and your vast area of expertise in working with job seekers on a more personal level, I feel confident that you are the right person to discuss this matter with. 

I know that it’s a busy period for you right now, but I’d appreciate it if you’d let me buy you a drink and pick your brain. I’d also value your thoughts on the matter via reply if we can’t meet. 

Our Take: This candidate knows that a networking cover letter has a casual tone. He uses an informal greeting but still sounds professional throughout. He makes sure to emphasize his former co-worker’s skills and success before asking for a casual meeting and some friendly advice.

Email Cover Letter

This simple, short, and professional cover letter is sent over email when a formal cover letter is not requested in a job posting. It does not follow a specific format but usually includes a greeting and a simple body of text explaining your experience and interest in the company. You should also include a closing with references to any attachments such as your resume, portfolio, samples, or any other necessary documents.

An email cover letter should be a maximum of two paragraphs long and the writing style should be casual but still professional. Remember to create a subject line that includes the position you’re applying for.

Email Cover Letter Example

Subject line: Following Up on Your Content Writer Job Posting on LinkedIn

Dear Mr. McClane, 

This letter is being submitted as an introduction. I am applying for the position of Content Writer with your company. I believe my verbal skills and writing style would be of great value to your team and I can guarantee that if hired I would offer original content with a quick turnaround time. 

I’ve been writing content for over six years and have contributed to several notable blogs in the IT, Finance, and Cryptocurrency industries which I’ve mentioned in my resume. I would like to continue my passionate journey toward advancing my writing career within your company. I am adept at writing SEO (search engine optimization) articles that convert efficiently which would suit your article marketing business model well. I also write highly engaging copy for social media campaigns as seen in my portfolio. 

I read in your job posting that you’d like a candidate who possesses in-depth knowledge of working with keyword research tools. I’m happy to say that I’ve been using Semrush successfully for the last four years. 

Please review my attached resume and portfolio. I’m looking forward to meeting you and discussing my writing skills and history in more detail. 

Our Take: The candidate keeps it short and sweet. They shed light on their relevant skills and then guide the hiring manager towards the resume and portfolio.

Cover Letter Examples – Bottom Line

Adding a cover letter to your resume is the best way to connect with a potential employer from the get-go. Hiring managers get a glimpse of your accomplishments and experience as soon as they open your email or letter.

By analyzing good resume cover letter examples, and understanding their purpose, it will become simpler for you to write one yourself.

Make sure to stick to the structure and include only the best things about your career. Also, remember that your cover letter should only include valuable information that does not repeat itself in your resume.

Stay fresh, always.

___________________________

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Cover Letter Templates

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Looking to create a cover letter that will help you stand out from the crowd? Try one of our 16 professional cover letter templates, each created to match our resume and CV templates. Pick a cover letter template that suits your needs and impress the hiring manager with a flawless job application!

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Subject Line: Cover Letter for [Position], [Candidate Name]

[Company Address]

[Company City, State]

[Hiring Manager Email]

Introduction:

Introduce yourself, give a brief professional summary, and optionally, a top achievement. E.g. “My name is [Name] and I’m a [Role] with over X years of experience in [Activity]. Over the past years, I’ve helped X companies achieve [Goals]”

Express your interest in joining their firm. E.g. “I’m looking to join [Company] as [Role] and I’m very excited to help you with [Activity]”

Optionally, if you were referred or you just know someone at the firm, you can mention this here. E.g. “I learned about [Company] from a friend that’s currently working there as [Role], [Friend’s name]. I really like everything I’ve heard about the company and I think I would make a good fit.”

This is where you talk about your work experience and achievements at length. Mention how you excelled at your previous roles, what your most important responsibilities were, and so on.

Look at this as an opportunity to expand on whatever you wrote in your resume, and give the reader a better picture of what kind of tasks you worked on, what you accomplished, and so on. E.g “At my previous jobs as [Role], my duties were [Major 3 duties], and I specifically excelled at [Top accomplishment]. This accomplishment helped the company [Results driven].”

Want to really impress the hiring manager? You can mention what you know about the company and its culture here. E.g. “I’ve read a lot about [Company] and I really think I’d enjoy your democratic leadership style.”

Optionally, you can include a bulleted list of your top 3 accomplishments. For example:

[Example Box]

Some of my top achievements in recent years include:

Launching a successful online ads marketing campaign, driving 100+ leads within 2 months.

Overhauled a client’s advertising account, improving conversion rates and driving 15% higher revenue.

Improved the agency’s framework for ad account audits and created new standard operating procedures.

Conclusion & Call to Action:

Re-affirm your desire to join the company, as well as how you can contribute. E.g. “I’d love to become a part of [Company] as a [Role]. I believe that my skills in [Field] can help the company with [Goals].”

Thank the hiring manager for reading the cover letter and then wrap it all up with a call to action. E.g. “Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing back from you and learning more about the position. Sincerely, [Name].”

Match Your Resume & Cover Letter

Want your application to stand out?

Match your cover letter with your resume & catch the recruiter’s attention!

Why Novorésumé?

Matching Cover Letters

To keep your job application consistent and professional, our Cover Letter templates perfectly match the resume templates.

Creative & Standard Templates

Whether you apply for a conservative industry like banking or a hype start-up, you can tailor our cover letter templates to fit your exact needs.

Expert Reviews

Oana Vintila

Career Counselor

Cover Letters are usually synonymous with formal and bland rambling that you write down hoping for an invite to a job interview. I just love it how Novorésumé has enhanced that and is offering you a tool to build proper arguments and structured discourse about who YOU ARE and what YOU CAN DO.

A real confidence booster, I tell you, seeing your motivation eloquently written!

Gabriela Tardea

Career Strategist, Coach & Trainer

The best thing about this platform when creating a Cover Letter as an addition to your resume is that the documents will match each other's design and font, creating eye-catching documents that recruiters/hiring managers will love.

You will be initially judged based on your papers, so why not make a first great impression?

Cover Letters Resources

What is a cover letter.

A cover letter is a one-page document that you submit alongside your resume or CV for your job application.

The main purpose of your cover letter is to:

Show your motivation for working at the company

Bring special attention to the most important parts of your work history

Explain how your work experience fits whatever the company is looking for

What your cover letter is NOT about , is rehashing whatever you already mentioned in your resume. Sure, you should mention the most important bits, but it should NOT be a literal copy-paste.

Keep in mind that recruiters will usually read your cover letter after scanning your resume and deciding if you’re qualified for the position.

Our cover letter templates match both our resume templates and our CV templates ! Make sure to check them out, too.

Why Use a Cover Letter Template?

A cover letter can complement your resume and increase your chances of getting hired.

But that's only if it's done right.

If your cover letter isn't the right length, is structured the wrong way, or doesn't match the style of your resume, it might do the opposite and hurt your application.

By using a cover letter template, you get a pre-formatted, professional, and recruiter-friendly document that’s ready to go. All YOU have to do is fill in the contents, and you’re all set.

What to Include in Your Cover Letter?

Every good cover letter has the following sections:

Header . Start your cover letter by writing down your own contact information, as well as the recruiter’s (recruiter name, company name, company address, etc…).

Greeting . Preferably, you want to address the recruiter by their last name (e.g. Dear Mr. Brown) or their full name, in case you’re not sure what their pronouns are (e.g. Dear Alex Brown). formal greeting for the recruiter.

Opening paragraph . This is the introduction to your resume. Here, you summarize your background info (“a financial analyst with X+ years of experience”), state your intent (“looking for X position at Company Y”), and summarize your top achievements to get the recruiter hooked.

Second paragraph . In the second paragraph, you explain how you’re qualified for the position by mentioning your skills, awards, certifications, etc., and why the recruiter should pick YOU.

Third paragraph . You talk about why you’re a good match for the company. Do you share common values? Is the company working on projects you’re interested in? Has this position always been your dream role?

Formal closing . Finally, you end the cover letter with a quick summary and a call to action (“I’m super excited to work with Company X. Looking forward to hearing from you!”).

How to Write a Great Cover Letter?

There’s a lot that goes into writing a great cover letter. If you want to get the full picture, you can check out our guide on how to write a cover letter .

For a quick summary, though, here are our top 4 cover letter tips :

Avoid Fluff . You want to be as specific as possible with your cover letter. Avoid vague statements like “I’m a good fit for the company because I’m a good critical thinker!”

Do Your Research. Most companies don’t like people who “spray and pray” - applying for dozens of jobs without giving them much thought. What they ARE looking for is someone who’s passionate about their field, the position, and even the company. So, research the companies you apply for as much as you can and show off your knowledge in your cover letter.

Don’t Use a One-Fits-All Cover Letter . As much as you can, try to tailor your cover letter to the job you’re applying for. Even if it’s something small, like addressing the hiring manager by their last name instead of “Dear Sir/Madam,” or mentioning something specific about the role or the company that you’re passionate about, it can help you prove that you’re not using the same generic cover letter to apply to dozens of jobs.

Back-Up Your Achievements with Data . When possible, back up your experience with data. Instead of saying, “I improved company revenue”, say “I managed to hit and exceed sales KPIs for 5 months in a row.”

How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?

Most recruiters agree that a cover letter should be brief and concise .

Optimally, that’s about half a page to one full page, and between 250 to 400 words long.

How Can I Write a Student Cover Letter?

You should write a student cover letter pretty much the same way you’d write a regular cover letter, with one key difference.

To make up for your lack of work experience, you should talk about the following:

Why do you want to work for the company and the position you’re applying for.

How your educational background has prepared you for the job.

How your skill set can help you stand out and excel at the job.

You also want to mention anything else that’s relevant to the job and that can prove your abilities, such as any internships, awards, honors, and the like.

In case you’re writing a cover letter for an internship , make sure to check out our guide.

How Can I Write a Cover Letter With No Experience?

If you’re an entry-level candidate, writing a cover letter might seem super scary. If you don’t have any work experience and professional accomplishments, what are you supposed to talk about in your cover letter?

Here’s some good news—you can focus on these topics instead:

Education highlights

Relevant skills

Independent projects

Volunteering experience

Extracurricular activities

Passion to learn and grow as a candidate

For a complete guide on how to write an entry-level cover letter , check out our guide.

How to Format a Cover Letter?

Here’s what you need to know on how to format a cover letter the right way:

Choose the right cover letter template for your industry . The better fit the cover letter, the less you’ll have to play with the layout and format.

Use colors sparingly . Don’t go overboard with creativity unless you work in an industry where that’s valued (marketing, advertising, design, and the like).

Select professional font styles and sizes.

Set the margins to 1 inch on each side to make sure there is enough white space and the document doesn’t look crowded with text.

Get Inspired with Our Cover Letter Examples

Cover letter templates faq, do i need a different cover letter for every job.

While you don’t need to write a different cover letter from scratch for every single job you apply for, it’s good to tailor your cover letter contents as much as you can to the company and position you’re applying for.

Hiring managers will always go for an applicant who’s interested in their specific position over a candidate that’s sending the same application to dozens of roles.

If you tailor your cover letter to the position, even if it’s something small like addressing the hiring manager by their name or explaining how you possess the right skills for the specific job, your chances of getting hired are going to be much better!

How to Make a Simple Cover Letter for Your Resume?

Simply pick one of our 16 effective cover letter templates above to get started.

We’d recommend matching your cover letter template to the resume template you picked.

Not only will it make your application package look more sophisticated and professional, but it will also make you more memorable for the recruiter who’ll go over your application.

Who Created These Cover Letter Templates?

Novoresume cover letter templates were created in cooperation with professional recruiters and hiring managers.

This means they’re up to date with the latest industry trends and job market requirements. With a Novoresume cover letter template, you can rest assured that your cover letter will look professional and modern at the same time.

When Should I Email My Cover Letter Instead of Using a Template?

As a rule of thumb, it’s always better to use a cover letter template instead of including it in the body of your email as plain text. By using a well-designed and effective cover letter template, you’re guaranteed to look like a more serious and professional candidate.

So, you should only email your cover letter if the job ad specifically asks you to.

Should I Use a PDF or Word Cover Letter Template?

We recommend going for a PDF cover letter template instead of Word.

All types of Operating Systems and devices can open PDF formats without ruining the formatting, design, or layout.

The same, however, cannot be said for Word templates. If, for example, you’ve used a 2021 Word cover letter template and the hiring manager opens it using an MS Word 2016 software version, there’s a chance your formatting will get messed up, or that your font will be unreadable.

To err on the side of caution, we always advise using a PDF cover letter template.

What is the Best Cover Letter Template in 2024?

There’s no such thing as the “best cover letter template.”

After all, every single recruiter has their own personal taste. Some might like a shiny and flashy cover letter template, while others might think it’s tacky. As a rule of thumb, though, we usually recommend customizing each cover letter for the company you’re sending it to.

Do I Really Need a Cover Letter in 2024?

Yes, you definitely need to submit a cover letter with your resume in 2024.

Even if the hiring manager never reads your cover letter or if the job description doesn’t specifically ask for one, a cover letter can still help strengthen your application and make you look like a more serious and proactive candidate.

As such, it’s always a good idea to include a cover letter with your resume.

How to Make a Cover Letter With Novoresume?

To make a cover letter with Novoresume, simply scroll up and pick a template that you like best. Then, register or log in to your Novoresume account. From there, you can add your cover letter contents, as well as personalize and edit them as you see fit.

The Novoresume builder is very intuitive and user-friendly, allowing you to create your cover letter lightning-fast.

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Effective cover letter keywords to get you hired: with 350+ examples

Soft skill keywords

Action verbs, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, public administration, construction.

There is conflicting advice when it comes to cover letter keywords. Some suggest that your career narrative should not be a slave to artificially inserted keywords. While it is true that you can damage your chances by seeming inauthentic in your cover letter, there is no reason why being selective with your language can be anything other than beneficial. The words that you choose to describe yourself illustrate who you are.

Others worship at the altar of the ATS. As this software parses hundreds of applicants for each position, there is an argument that keywords can play some part in elevating your application to near the top of the pile. The reality, however, is that every hiring manager will want to scan every application that is at least somewhat suitable.

The ideal approach for cover letter keywords lies somewhere in the middle. 

As job seekers attempt to tailor their cover letters for each application, it is natural that they will seek to modify their language to fit the job description. Cover letter keywords can play an important part in presenting yourself as the ideal person for each individual role. Take the time to think deeply about what is required of you. Which words would you choose to describe yourself? What sort of language would the hiring manager want to read?

While we certainly do not recommend including all 350+ of our suggested keywords in the same cover letter, by the end of this blog we hope to persuade you that every word matters. We explore:

What are cover letter keywords?

• Why should you include them?
• 100+ behavioral cover letter keywords
• 250+ cover letter keywords by industry sector
• Why your story is more important than the keywords

It is an enjoyable exercise to sit down and think about which words best describe your skills and experiences. You have invested so much time and effort in developing your career. Take the time to adequately describe what you have done – with the right cover letter keywords to make a hiring manager curious.

A cover letter is an amazing opportunity to tell a version of your career story that will be most likely to secure you an interview for a specific role. This story should be tweaked and modified to ensure that it meets the requirements of the role, putting the job description at the heart of its narrative. This sounds like a mammoth undertaking, but it can be easily achieved with the help of cover letter keywords.

While your work experience may not be an exact fit for the role, the trick to presenting yourself as a perfect fit lies in the words that you use to describe your activity. A cover letter is a far more flexible storytelling medium than a resume, so you have a certain amount of artistic license to describe your accomplishments . If you use the sort of language that would impress a hiring manager, they will be keen to find out more.

Why do keywords matter in a cover letter?

While you might be expecting me to focus on the importance of including keywords to pass the ATS software test, the reality is that a cover letter that includes a generous helping of suitable keywords will also sound impressive to a hiring manager.

Describing your experience with hyper-specific keywords will make you sound more professional. If your career story is too conversational, you will come across as someone who does not “live” for their job. Geek out a bit when you are writing your cover letter - adopt some of the language from the job description to sound like you will hit the ground running.

Another benefit of including cover letter keywords is that you will be able to choose your language more deliberately. If you are building a letter around interchangeable keywords you can really focus on the word that best fits both your experience and the role that you are applying for. In this way, you can tailor your cover letter for various roles by changing a few strategic words (rather than whole sentences).

From a psychological perspective, you should bear in mind that it is these keywords that will stick in the hiring manager’s mind. They won’t memorize whole sentences, but they will certainly consider whether these stand-out words are a fit for them. When the game is to create a connection with someone that you have never met, cover letter keywords are a great way of building those links.

Why do keywords matter for the ATS? 

While an ATS system is unlikely to reject you because you haven’t included certain words, it does offer a hiring manager the ability to search the resume database for certain words and phrases. If you do not appear on a search, you will not be considered. Searchability is therefore a key reason to think carefully about your cover letter keywords.

100+ Behavioral cover letter keywords 

The first cover letter keywords that we will be looking at are concerned with your behaviors around the workplace. While a cover letter is not long enough to describe the circumstances of your accomplishments, a well-chosen word or phrase to outline your behavioral soft skills will go a long way to helping a hiring manager imagine how you went about your work.

Everyone processes language in different ways. Put yourself in the position of the hiring manager. Which words would they want to read on the application?

Soft skills are tough to outline in a cover letter. There is simply not enough space to go into detail about how you achieved things, so the hiring manager will have to make do with a well-chosen word or two to spark their imaginations before the interview.

While you may think that most cover letters would be packed with such words, you might be surprised. Most people write conversationally and do not take the time to consider the impact of their words. A soft skill keyword can do the heavy lifting of an entire sentence.

• Problem-solving keywords: Analytical thinking, Brainstorming, Conflict resolution, Cost-benefit analysis, Creative thinking, Critical thinking, Logical reasoning, Process improvement, Quantitative analysis, Qualitative analysis, Risk assessment, Root cause analysis, Scenario planning, SWOT analysis, Troubleshooting.
• Leadership keywords: Change management, Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Delegation, Empathy, Initiative, Mentoring, Motivation, Organizational skills, Performance management, Problem solving, Project management, Strategic planning, Team building.
• Time management keywords: Deadline-driven, Detail-oriented, Efficient, Goal-driven, Multitasking, Organized, Prioritized, Proactive, Punctual, Resourceful, Self-disciplined, Structured, Task-oriented, Time-bound, and Result-oriented.
• Adaptability keywords: Adaptability, Agile, Change management, Collaboration, Critical thinking, Flexibility, Growth mindset, Innovation, Learning agility, Multitasking, Open-mindedness, Resilience, Resourcefulness, Responsiveness, Versatility.

Which soft skill keywords would make sense to include in your cover letter? Remember that you shouldn’t include a soft skill if you can’t give a fantastic example during an interview.

While action verbs are not strictly keywords, they do make a huge difference in terms of how your accomplishments are perceived. We have compiled a comprehensive list of action verbs that can be used in all job search scenarios, but here are a few that may help to elevate your cover letter. Make your application stand out with emphatic language.

• Accomplishment action verbs: Achieved, boosted, championed, drove, eclipsed, founded, innovated, initiated, leveraged, minimized, outperformed, reinforced, revamped, secured, surpassed.
• Communication action verbs: Addressed, advocated, authored, briefed, coached, collaborated, conveyed, crafted, documented, instructed, performed, persuaded, presented, promoted,
• Creativity action verbs: Conceived, curated, emulated, illustrated, imagined, modeled, modified, produced, re-designed, replicated, researched, schemed, storyboarded, visualized, revamped.

Resist the temptation to exaggerate with your action verbs, though. Don’t use an impressive verb to describe a mundane accomplishment. Enhance your accomplishments with your choice of cover letter keywords, don’t let them dominate.

250+ Cover letter keywords by industry sector

While we have only included a few general industry sectors, hopefully, the following breakdown of keywords might offer an idea of what certain professionals may include in their cover letters - the more specific, the better.

It may be worth taking out a sheet of paper and writing down the sort of words that you think you should include for yourself for any specific job. This exercise is a great way of being honest with yourself about the potential fit. If you cannot find enough suitable keywords from your experience, it may not be worth going ahead with the role.

Whether you are analyzing data, ensuring compliance, managing risk or allocating budgets, the language of finance is highly specific to each industry niche. Here are a few examples:

• Accounting, Analysis, Analytics, Asset management, Audit, Banking, Budget management, Business administration, Business planning, Business strategy, Compliance, Consulting services, Cost effective, Data analysis, Financial analysis, Financial management, Financial reporting, Financial services, Forecasting, GAAP, Inventory management, Leadership development, Legal, Risk management, Strategic planning

Customer-centric language is critical in any retail or hospitality cover letter . The right cover letter keywords will make a hiring manager curious to find out more:

• Customer service, Retail sales, Communication skills, Problem-solving, Sales associate, Cash handling, Point of sale (POS) systems, Product knowledge, Upselling, Complaint handling, Time management, Attention to detail, Teamwork, Adaptability, Interpersonal skills, Customer complaints, Conflict resolution, Sales targets, Merchandising, Inventory management, Order processing, Customer retention, Cross-selling, Returns processing, Store operations

While wordsmithing may not be top priority for a technology professional, there is no getting away from the fact that selecting the right industry jargon for each specific role is a critical part of the selection process. How many of these keywords are relevant to you?

• Programming languages (e.g. Java, Python, C++, etc.), Software development, Web development, Database management, Cloud computing, Agile methodology, Project management, DevOps, Machine learning, Artificial intelligence (AI), Big data, Data analysis, Cybersecurity, Network administration, Troubleshooting, Technical support, Software testing, User experience (UX) design, User interface (UI) design, Mobile application development, Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, Embedded systems, Object-oriented programming (OOP), Source code control (e.g. Git, SVN)

The blank screen is a marketeer’s canvas. If their cover letter is not thoughtfully crafted, their application will not progress further. While some may yearn to be more creative with their pitch, others will understand the raw power of simply selecting the right words:

• Advertising, Brand management, Campaign management, Competitive analysis, Content creation, Content marketing, Conversion optimization, Customer acquisition, Digital marketing, Email marketing, Event planning, Google Analytics, Influencer marketing, Market research, Marketing automation, Marketing strategy, Media planning, Mobile marketing, PPC advertising, Product marketing, Public relations, Sales enablement, Search engine optimization (SEO), Social media marketing, Web analytics

As machines play an increasingly important part in the manufacturing process, the role of manufacturing professionals is becoming ever more nuanced. What skills will set you apart in this increasingly sophisticated environment?

• Assembly line, Automation, CAD, CNC programming, Continuous improvement, Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Equipment maintenance, Fabrication, GMP, ISO, Inventory management, JIT, Kaizen, Kanban, Lean manufacturing, Machine operation, Materials handling, Mechanical engineering, Production planning, Quality assurance, Root cause analysis, Safety protocols, Six Sigma, Supply chain management, Tooling design.

Working in public administration involves large amounts of regulations and bureaucracy that are specific to certain areas. Choosing suitable keywords to hint that you have the required experience is the first box that needs to be ticked in a job application.

• Budget management, Community outreach, Contract negotiation, Data analysis, Economic development, Emergency management, Environmental policy, Fiscal management, Government regulations, Grants management, Human resources management, Information management, Legislative affairs, Local government, Policy analysis, Project management, Public policy, Public safety, Public works, Regulatory compliance, Risk management, Strategic planning, Sustainability, Urban planning, Volunteer coordination

Construction work is a highly technical occupation that requires a high degree of hard and technical skills . While behavioral cover letter keywords may not be so important, if you do not adequately describe your technical ability, your application will not proceed.

• Blueprint reading, Building codes, Carpentry, Commercial construction, Concrete work, Construction management, Cost estimation, Demolition, Electrical work, Engineering, Equipment operation, Excavation, Framing, HVAC, Masonry, Materials handling, Mechanical systems, Plumbing, Project management, Quality control, Safety compliance, Scheduling, Site preparation, Structural engineering, Welding

Many successful salespeople have the gift of the gab. They understand the impact of the right word at the right time, so choosing keywords for their cover letters should be second nature. Be as specific as possible with the skills that you outline.

• Account management, B2B sales, Closing deals, Cold calling, Consultative selling, Customer acquisition, Customer relationship management (CRM), Forecasting, Inside sales, Lead generation, Negotiation, New business development, Outside sales, Pipeline management, Product knowledge, Prospecting, Relationship building, Sales analytics, Sales cycle, Sales goals, Sales management, Selling process, Territory management, Upselling, Value proposition.

Healthcare is one of the biggest sectors and industry professionals can often move across industry verticals. It is therefore important to select the right keywords for the area in which you wish to work.

• Electronic medical records (EMR), Health information technology (HIT), Health promotion, Healthcare administration, Healthcare policy, HIPAA compliance, Infection control, Medical billing and coding, Medical terminology, Medicare and Medicaid, Mental health, Occupational therapy, Patient care, Patient education, Patient safety, Pediatrics, Pharmacology, Physical therapy, Physician relations, Quality assurance, Rehabilitation, Risk management, Telemedicine, Utilization review, Wellness programs

When you are trusted with impressionable young minds, outlining your specific teaching skills is important to make your case. Consider the culture of the educational establishment and the teaching environment where you will be working your magic.

• Classroom management, Coaching, Common Core State Standards, Curriculum development, Differentiated instruction, Distance learning, Education policy, Educational technology, ESL instruction, Grading, Instructional design, Learning management systems, Lesson planning, Literacy instruction, Parent-teacher conferences, Pedagogy, Professional development, Project-based learning, Special education, Standardized testing, STEM education, Student assessment, Student counseling, Teacher mentoring, Team teaching

Most important: don’t sacrifice your story for your keywords!

As mentioned previously, if your cover letter is packed too full of keywords, your career story can get lost in the verbosity. If you feel that a keyword can add meaning to a description of your achievement, by all means, include it. There does not need to be one on every line if it does not add a different level of meaning to your story.

One good way of telling whether you have gone a little too far is reading the cover letter aloud to a friend or relative. If it sounds manufactured and artificial you have gone a little too far. Aim to make it sound like you as you will be the one talking during an interview. If you do include a keyword that sounds a little out of place, make sure that you can justify its inclusion to your listener. 

Key takeaways

If you are wondering how to structure your cover letter , be guided by the keywords that you wish to include. Sprinkle them into your accomplishments rather than build your accomplishments around the keywords. View your keywords are signposts to the stories to come in the interview. What words would best describe your brand of career awesomeness?

• Be guided by the job description when you select your cover letter keywords.
• Put yourself in the position of the hiring manager – what do they want to read?
• Don’t pick keywords that are too far away from how you naturally speak.
• Remember that every keyword should lead to a compelling career story.