how to write a cover letter step by step

How to Write a Cover Letter [Full Guide & Examples for 2024]

After weeks of heavy job searching, you’re almost there!

You’ve perfected your resume.

You’ve short-listed the coolest jobs you want to apply for.

You’ve even had a friend train you for every single interview question out there.

But then, before you can send in your application and call it a day, you remember that you need to write a cover letter too.

So now, you’re stuck staring at a blank page, wondering where to start...

Don’t panic! We’ve got you covered. Writing a cover letter is a lot simpler than you might think. 

In this guide, we’re going to teach you how to write a cover letter that gets you the job you deserve.

We're going to cover:

What Is a Cover Letter?

• How to Write the Perfect Cover Letter, Step by Step
• 15+ Job-Winning Cover Letter Examples

Let’s get started.

A cover letter is a document that you submit as part of your job application, alongside your resume or CV.

The purpose of a cover letter is to introduce you and briefly summarize your professional background. On average, it should be around 250 to 400 words long .

A good cover letter is supposed to impress the hiring manager and convince them you’re worth interviewing as a candidate.

So, how can your cover letter achieve this?

First of all, it should complement your resume, not copy it. Your cover letter is your chance to elaborate on important achievements, skills, or anything else that your resume doesn’t give you the space to cover. 

For example, if you have an employment gap on your resume, the cover letter is a great place to explain why it happened and how it helped you grow as a person. 

If this is your first time writing a cover letter, writing about yourself might seem complicated. But don’t worry—you don’t need to be super creative or even a good writer .

All you have to do is follow this tried and tested cover letter structure:

• Header. Add all the necessary contact information at the top of your cover letter.
• Formal greeting. Choose an appropriate way to greet your target audience.
• Introduction. Introduce yourself in the opening paragraph and explain your interest in the role.
• Body. Elaborate on why you’re the best candidate for the job and a good match for the company. Focus on “selling” your skills, achievements, and relevant professional experiences.
• Conclusion. Summarize your key points and wrap it up professionally.

Now, let’s take a look at an example of a cover letter that follows our structure perfectly:

New to cover letter writing? Give our cover letter video a watch before diving into the article!

When Should You Write a Cover Letter?

You should always include a cover letter in your job application, even if the hiring manager never reads it. Submitting a cover letter is as important as submitting a resume if you want to look like a serious candidate.

If the employer requests a cover letter as part of the screening process, not sending one is a huge red flag and will probably get your application tossed into the “no” pile immediately.

On the other hand, if the job advertisement doesn’t require a cover letter from the candidates, adding one shows you went the extra mile.

Putting in the effort to write a cover letter can set you apart from other candidates with similar professional experience and skills, and it could even sway the hiring manager to call you for an interview if you do it right.

Need to write a letter to help get you into a good school or volunteer program? Check out our guide to learn how to write a motivation letter !

How to Write the Perfect Cover Letter

Now that you know what a cover letter is, it’s time to learn how to write one!

We’ll go through the process in detail, step by step.

#1. Choose the Right Cover Letter Template

A good cover letter is all about leaving the right first impression.

So, what’s a better way to leave a good impression than a well-formatted, stylish template?

Just choose one of our hand-picked cover letter templates , and you’ll be all set in no time!

As a bonus, our intuitive AI will even give you suggestions on how to improve your cover letter as you write it. You’ll have the perfect cover letter done in minutes!

#2. Put Contact Information in the Header

As with a resume, it’s important to start your cover letter with your contact details at the top. These should be in your cover letter’s header, separated neatly from the bulk of your text.

Here, you want to include all the essential contact information , including:

• Full Name. Your first and last name should stand out at the top.
• Job Title. Match the professional title underneath your name to the exact job title of the position you’re applying for. Hiring managers often hire for several roles at once, so giving them this cue about what role you’re after helps things go smoother.
• Email Address. Always use a professional and easy-to-spell email address. Ideally, it should combine your first and last names.
• Phone Number. Add a number where the hiring manager can easily reach you.
• Location. Add your city and state/country, no need for more details.
• Relevant Links (optional). You can add links to websites or social media profiles that are relevant to your field. Examples include a LinkedIn profile , Github, or an online portfolio.

Then it’s time to add the recipient’s contact details, such as:

• Hiring Manager's Name. If you can find the name of the hiring manager, add it.
• Hiring Manager's Title. While there’s no harm in writing “hiring manager,” if they’re the head of the department, we recommend you use that title accordingly.
• Company Name. Make sure to write the name of the company you're applying to.
• Location. The city and state/country are usually enough information here, too.
• Date of Writing (Optional). You can include the date you wrote your cover letter for an extra professional touch.

#3. Address the Hiring Manager

Once you’ve properly listed all the contact information, it’s time to start writing the content of the cover letter.

The first thing you need to do here is to address your cover letter directly to the hiring manager.

In fact, you want to address the hiring manager personally .

Forget the old “Dear Sir or Madam” or the impersonal “To Whom It May Concern.” You want to give your future boss a good impression and show them that you did your research before sending in your application.

No one wants to hire a job seeker who just spams 20+ companies and hopes something sticks with their generic approach

So, how do you find out who’s the hiring manager?

First, check the job ad. The hiring manager’s name might be listed somewhere in it.

If that doesn’t work, check the company’s LinkedIn page. You just need to look up the head of the relevant department you’re applying to, and you’re all set.

For example, if you’re applying for the position of Communication Specialist at Novorésumé. The hiring manager is probably the Head of Communications or the Chief Communications Officer.

Here’s what you should look for on LinkedIn:

And there you go! You have your hiring manager.

But let’s say you’re applying for a position as a server . In that case, you’d be looking for the “restaurant manager” or “food and beverage manager.”

If the results don’t come up with anything, try checking out the “Team” page on the company website; there’s a good chance you’ll at least find the right person there.

Make sure to address them as Mr. or Ms., followed by their last name. If you’re not sure about their gender or marital status, you can just stick to their full name, like so:

• Dear Mr. Kurtuy,
• Dear Andrei Kurtuy,

But what if you still can’t find the hiring manager’s name, no matter where you look?

No worries. You can direct your cover letter to the company, department, or team as a whole, or just skip the hiring manager’s name.

• Dear [Department] Hiring Manager
• Dear Hiring Manager
• Dear [Department] Team
• Dear [Company Name]

Are you applying for a research position? Learn how to write an academic personal statement .

#4. Write an Eye-Catching Introduction

First impressions matter, especially when it comes to your job search.

Hiring managers get hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of applications. Chances are, they’re not going to be reading every single cover letter end-to-end.

So, it’s essential to catch their attention from the very first paragraph.

The biggest problem with most opening paragraphs is that they’re usually extremely generic. Here’s an example:

• My name is Jonathan, and I’d like to work as a Sales Manager at XYZ Inc. I’ve worked as a Sales Manager at MadeUpCompany Inc. for 5+ years, so I believe that I’d be a good fit for the position.

See the issue here? This opening paragraph doesn’t say anything except the fact that you’ve worked the job before.

And do you know who else has similar work experience? All the other applicants you’re competing with.

Instead, you want to start with some of your top achievements to grab the reader’s attention. And to get the point across, the achievements should be as relevant as possible to the position.

Your opening paragraph should also show the hiring manager a bit about why you want this specific job. For example, mention how the job relates to your plans for the future or how it can help you grow professionally. This will show the hiring manager that you’re not just applying left and right—you’re actually enthusiastic about getting this particular role.

Now, let’s make our previous example shine:

Dear Mr. Smith,

My name’s Michael, and I’d like to help XYZ Inc. hit and exceed its sales goals as a Sales Manager. I’ve worked as a Sales Representative with Company X, another fin-tech company , for 3+ years, where I generated an average of $30,000+ in sales per month and beat the KPIs by around 40%. I believe that my previous industry experience, passion for finance , and excellence in sales make me the right candidate for the job.

The second candidate starts with what they can do for the company in the future and immediately lists an impressive and relevant achievement. Since they’re experienced in the same industry and interested in finance, the hiring manager can see they’re not just a random applicant.

From this introduction, it’s safe to say that the hiring manager would read the rest of this candidate’s cover letter.

#5. Use the Cover Letter Body for Details

The next part of your cover letter is where you can go into detail about what sets you apart as a qualified candidate for the job.

The main thing you need to remember here is that you shouldn’t make it all about yourself . Your cover letter is supposed to show the hiring manager how you relate to the job and the company you’re applying to.

No matter how cool you make yourself sound in your cover letter, if you don’t tailor it to match what the hiring manager is looking for, you’re not getting an interview.

To get this right, use the job ad as a reference when writing your cover letter. Make sure to highlight skills and achievements that match the job requirements, and you’re good to go.

Since this part of your cover letter is by far the longest, you should split it into at least two paragraphs.

Here’s what each paragraph should cover:

Explain Why You’re the Perfect Candidate for the Role

Before you can show the hiring manager that you’re exactly what they’ve been looking for, you need to know what it is they’re looking for.

Start by doing a bit of research. Learn what the most important skills and responsibilities of the role are according to the job ad, and focus on any relevant experience you have that matches them.

For example, if you’re applying for the position of a Facebook Advertiser. The top requirements on the job ad are:

• Experience managing a Facebook ad budget of $10,000+ / month
• Some skills in advertising on other platforms (Google Search + Twitter)
• Excellent copywriting skills

So, in the body of your cover letter, you need to show how you meet these requirements. Here’s an example of what that can look like:

In my previous role as a Facebook Marketing Expert at XYZ Inc. I handled customer acquisition through ads, managing a monthly Facebook ad budget of $40,000+ . As the sole digital marketer at the company, I managed the ad creation and management process end-to-end. I created the ad copy and images, picked the targeting, ran optimization trials, and so on.

Other than Facebook advertising, I’ve also delved into other online PPC channels, including:

• Google Search

Our example addresses all the necessary requirements and shows off the candidate’s relevant skills.

Are you a student applying for your first internship? Learn how to write an internship cover letter with our dedicated guide.

Explain Why You’re a Good Fit for the Company

As skilled and experienced as you may be, that’s not all the hiring manager is looking for.

They also want someone who’s a good fit for their company and who actually wants to work there.

Employees who don’t fit in with the company culture are likely to quit sooner or later. This ends up costing the company a ton of money, up to 50% of the employee’s annual salary , so hiring managers vet candidates very carefully to avoid this scenario.

So, you have to convince the hiring manager that you’re passionate about working with them.

Start by doing some research about the company. You want to know things like:

• What’s the company’s business model?
• What’s the company’s product or service? Have you used it?
• What’s the company’s culture like?

Chances are, you’ll find all the information you need either on the company website or on job-search websites like Jobscan or Glassdoor.

Then, pick your favorite thing about the company and talk about it in your cover letter.

But don’t just describe the company in its own words just to flatter them. Be super specific—the hiring manager can see through any fluff.

For example, if you’re passionate about their product and you like the company’s culture of innovation and independent work model, you can write something like:

I’ve personally used the XYZ Smartphone, and I believe that it’s the most innovative tech I’ve used in years. The features, such as Made-Up-Feature #1 and Made-Up-Feature #2, were real game changers for the device.

I really admire how Company XYZ strives for excellence in all its product lines, creating market-leading tech. As someone who thrives in a self-driven environment, I truly believe that I’ll be a great match for your Product Design team.

So, make sure to do your fair share of research and come up with good reasons why you're applying to that specific company.

Is the company you want to work for not hiring at the moment? Check out our guide to writing a letter of interest .

#6. Wrap It Up and Sign It

Finally, it’s time to conclude your cover letter.

In the final paragraph, you want to:

• Wrap up any points you couldn't make in the previous paragraphs. Do you have anything left to say? If there’s any other information that could help the hiring manager make their decision, mention it here. If not, just recap your key selling points so far, such as key skills and expertise.
• Express gratitude. Politely thanking the hiring manager for their time is always a good idea.
• Finish the cover letter with a call to action. The very last sentence in your cover letter should be a call to action. This means you should ask the hiring manager to do something, like call you and discuss your application or arrange an interview.
• Remember to sign your cover letter. Just add a formal closing line and sign your name at the bottom.

Here’s an example of how to end your cover letter :

I hope to help Company X make the most of their Facebook marketing initiatives. I'd love to further discuss how my previous success at XYZ Inc. can help you achieve your Facebook marketing goals. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at the provided email address or phone number so that we may arrange an interview.

Thank you for your consideration,

Alice Richards

Feel free to use one of these other popular closing lines for your cover letter:

• Best Regards,
• Kind Regards,

Cover Letter Writing Checklist

Once you’re done with your cover letter, it’s time to check if it meets all industry requirements. 

Give our handy cover letter writing checklist a look to make sure:

Does your cover letter heading include all essential information?

• Professional Email
• Phone Number
• Relevant Links

Do you address the right person? 

• The hiring manager in the company
• Your future direct supervisor
• The company/department in general

Does your introductory paragraph grab the reader's attention?

• Did you mention some of your top achievements?
• Did you use numbers and facts to back up your experience?
• Did you convey enthusiasm for the specific role?

Do you show that you’re the right candidate for the job?

• Did you identify the core requirements for the role?
• Did you show how your experiences helped you fit the requirements perfectly?

Do you convince the hiring manager that you’re passionate about the company you’re applying to?

• Did you identify the top 3 things that you like about the company?
• Did you avoid generic reasons for explaining your interest in the company?

Did you conclude your cover letter properly?

• Did you recap your key selling points in the conclusion?
• Did you end your cover letter with a call to action?
• Did you use the right formal closing line and sign your name?

15 Cover Letter Tips

Now you’re all set to write your cover letter! 

Before you start typing, here are some cover letter tips to help take your cover letter to the next level:

• Customize Your Cover Letter for Each Job. Make sure your cover letter is tailored to the job you're applying for. This shows you're not just sending generic applications left and right, and it tells the hiring manager you’re the right person for the job.
• Showcase Your Skills. Talk about how your skills meet the company’s needs. And while your hard skills should be front and center, you shouldn’t underestimate your soft skills in your cover letter either.
• Avoid Fluff. Don’t make any generic statements you can’t back up. The hiring manager can tell when you’re just throwing words around, and it doesn’t make your cover letter look good.
• Use Specific Examples. Instead of saying you're great at something, give an actual example to back up your claim. Any data you can provide makes you sound more credible, so quantify your achievements. For example, give numbers such as percentages related to your performance and the timeframe it took to accomplish certain achievements.
• Research the Company. Always take time to learn about the company you're applying to. Make sure to mention something about them in your cover letter to show the hiring manager that you're interested.
• Follow the Application Instructions. If the job posting asks for something specific in your cover letter or requires a certain format, make sure you include it. Not following instructions can come off as unattentive or signal to the hiring manager that you’re not taking the job seriously.
• Use the Right Template and Format. Choose the right cover letter format and adapt your cover letter’s look to the industry you’re applying for. For example, if you’re aiming for a job in Law or Finance, you should go for a cleaner, more professional look. But if you’re applying for a field that values innovation, like IT or Design, you have more room for creativity.
• Express Your Enthusiasm. Let the hiring manager know why you're excited about the job. Your passion for the specific role or the field in general can be a big selling point, and show them that you’re genuinely interested, not just applying left and right.
• Address Any Gaps. If there are any employment gaps in your resume , your cover letter is a great place to mention why. Your resume doesn’t give you enough space to elaborate on an employment gap, so addressing it here can set hiring managers at ease—life happens, and employers understand.
• Avoid Quirky Emails. Your email address should be presentable. It’s hard for a hiring manager to take you seriously if your email address is “[email protected].” Just use a [email protected] format.
• Check Your Contact Information. Typos in your email address or phone number can mean a missed opportunity. Double-check these before sending your application.
• Mention if You Want to Relocate. If you’re looking for a job that lets you move somewhere else, specify this in your cover letter.
• Keep It Brief. You want to keep your cover letter short and sweet. Hiring managers don’t have time to read a novel, so if you go over one page, they simply won’t read it at all.
• Use a Professional Tone. Even though a conversational tone isn’t a bad thing, remember that it's still a formal document. Show professionalism in your cover letter by keeping slang, jargon, and emojis out of it.
• Proofread Carefully. Typos and grammar mistakes are a huge deal-breaker. Use a tool like Grammarly or QuillBot to double-check your spelling and grammar, or even get a friend to check it for you.

15+ Cover Letter Examples

Need some inspiration? Check out some perfect cover letter examples for different experience levels and various professions.

5+ Cover Letter Examples by Experience

#1. college student cover letter example.

Check out our full guide to writing a college student cover letter here.

#2. Middle Management Cover Letter Example

Check out our full guide to writing a project manager cover letter here.

#3. Team Leader Cover Letter Example

Check out our full guide to writing a team leader cover letter here.

#4. Career Change Cover Letter Example

Check out our full guide to a career change resume and cover letter here.

#5. Management Cover Letter Example

Check out our full guide to writing a management cover letter here.

#6. Senior Executive Cover Letter Example

Check out our full guide to writing an executive resume here.

9+ Cover Letter Examples by Profession

#1. it cover letter example.

Check out our full guide to writing an IT cover letter here.

#2. Consultant Cover Letter Example

Check out our full guide to writing a consultant cover letter here.

#3. Human Resources Cover Letter

Check out our full guide to writing a human resources cover letter here.

#4. Business Cover Letter Example

Check out our full guide to writing a business cover letter here.

#5. Sales Cover Letter Example

Check out our full guide to writing a sales cover letter here.

#6. Social Worker Cover Letter

Check out our full guide to writing a social worker cover letter here.

#7. Lawyer Cover Letter

Check out our full guide to writing a lawyer cover letter here.

#8. Administrative Assistant Cover Letter

Check out our full guide to writing an administrative assistant cover letter here.

#9. Engineering Cover Letter Example

Check out our full guide to writing an engineer cover letter here.

#10. Receptionist Cover Letter Example

Check out our full guide to writing a receptionist cover letter here.

Need more inspiration? Check out these cover letter examples to learn what makes them stand out.

Plug & Play Cover Letter Template

Not sure how to start your cover letter? Don’t worry!

Just copy and paste our free cover letter template into the cover letter builder, and swap out the blanks for your details.

[Your Full Name]

[Your Profession]

[Your Phone Number]

[Your Email Address]

[Your Location]

[Your LinkedIn Profile URL (optional)]

[Your Personal Website URL (optional)]

[Recipient's Name, e.g., Jane Doe],

[Recipient's Position, e.g., Hiring Manager]

[Company Name, e.g., ABC Corporation]

[Company Address]

[City, State/Country]

Dear [Recipient's Name],

As a seasoned [Your Profession] with [Number of Years of Experience] years of industry experience, I am eager to express my interest in the [Job Title] position at [Company Name]. With my experience in [Your Industry/Sector] and the successes I've achieved throughout my education and career, I believe I can bring unique value and creativity to your team.

In my current role as [Your Current Job Title], I've taken the lead on more than [Number of Projects/Assignments] projects, some valued up to $[Highest Project Value]. I pride myself on consistently exceeding client expectations and have successfully [Mention a Key Achievement] in just a [Amount of Time] through [Skill] and [Skill].

I've collaborated with various professionals, such as [List Roles], ensuring that all [projects/tasks] meet [relevant standards or objectives]. This hands-on experience, coupled with my dedication to understanding each [client's/customer's] vision, has equipped me to navigate and deliver on complex projects.

My key strengths include:

• Improving [Achievement] by [%] over [Amount of Time] which resulted in [Quantified Result].
• Optimizing [Work Process/Responsibility] which saved [Previous Employer] [Amount of Time/Budget/Other Metric] over [Weeks/Months/Years]
• Spearheading team of [Number of People] to [Task] and achieving [Quantified Result].

Alongside this letter, I've attached my resume. My educational background, a [Your Degree] with a concentration in [Your Specialization], complements the practical skills that I'm particularly eager to share with [Company Name].

I'm excited about the possibility of contributing to [Something Notable About the Company or Its Mission]. I'd be grateful for the chance to delve deeper into how my expertise aligns with your needs.

Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

The Heart of Your Job Search - Creating a Killer Resume

Your cover letter is only as good as your resume. If either one is weak, your entire application falls through.

After all, your cover letter is meant to complement your resume. Imagine going through all this effort to leave an amazing first impression in your cover letter, only for the hiring manager to never read it because your resume was mediocre.

But don’t worry; we’ve got you covered here, too.

Check out our dedicated guide on how to make a resume and learn everything you need to know to land your dream job!

Just pick one of our resume templates and start writing your own job-winning resume.

Key Takeaways

Now that we’ve walked you through all the steps of writing a cover letter, let’s summarize everything we’ve learned:

• A cover letter is a 250 - 400 word document that’s meant to convince the hiring manager that you’re the best candidate for the job.
• Your job application should always include a cover letter alongside your resume.
• To grab the hiring manager’s attention, write a strong opening paragraph. Mention who you are, why you’re applying, and a standout achievement to pique their interest.
• Your cover letter should focus on why you’re the perfect candidate for the job and why you’re passionate about working in this specific company.
• Use the body of your cover letter to provide details on your skills, achievements, and qualifications, as well as make sure to convey your enthusiasm throughout your whole cover letter.
• Recap your key selling points towards the end of your cover letter, and end it with a formal closing line and your full name signed underneath.

At Novorésumé, we’re committed to helping you get the job you deserve every step of the way! 

Follow our career blog for more valuable advice, or check out some of our top guides, such as:

• How to Make a Resume in 2024 | Beginner's Guide
• How to Write a CV (Curriculum Vitae) in 2024 [31+ Examples]
• 35+ Job Interview Questions and Answers [Full List]

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Jobscan > Cover Letter Writing Guide

How To Write A Cover Letter in 2024 (Expert Tips and Examples)

Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to write a cover letter that will get you noticed by recruiters.

Trusted by:

A survey revealed that 77% of recruiters prefer candidates who send in a cover letter, even if submitting it is optional. Additionally, 90% of executives consider cover letters invaluable when assessing job candidates.

So, if you think cover letters are no longer important and necessary in 2024, think again.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you write a cover letter that effectively sells your skills and professional experience, increases your chances of getting interviews, and gets your foot in the door.

Table of Contents

What is a cover letter and do you still need one in 2024?

A cover letter is a letter of introduction accompanying your resume that paints why you are the best person for the job, what you bring to the table, and how you can help move the company forward.

Is the cover letter dead? No! In fact, a recent study by ResumeLab revealed that 64% of job vacancies still require that you include a cover letter in your application and 83% of HR pros said that cover letters are important for their hiring decision.

The bottom line is that a cover letter is still a valuable piece of your job search collateral. Nail your cover letter and you could end up getting that dream job.

So what exactly do you need to accomplish in your cover letter?

What is the purpose of a cover letter?

According to 49% of HR managers , your cover letter is the second best way to call attention to your resume and distinguish yourself from other applicants.

So the main purpose of your cover letter is to compel the recruiter to read more about you on your resume and move you to the next part of the hiring process.

Further, according to award-winning resume expert Melanie Denny , your cover letter is your value proposition letter. It proves why you are the best candidate to address the company’s needs with the professional skills and qualifications to succeed in the job.

Here’s an example of a great cover letter:

Now let’s get into the details of what your cover letter needs to include.

Cover Letter Structure Checklist

Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to include in your cover letter.

• Contact Details Name Address (or City, State with zip code) Phone number Email address
• Greeting Whenever possible, address the hiring manager by name.
• Opening Who are you? What are your relevant skills and accomplishments?
• Body (1-2 paragraphs) What do you know about the company? Why are you applying for this job? What value can you bring to the company? Include measurable results when possible.
• Closing Reiterate your interest. Add a Call to Action. Mention any attachments. Use a professional sign-off like “Best” or “Sincerely” before your full name.

Here’s an example for the visual learners out there:

Now that you know the basics of what to include in your cover letter, let’s go through the process from start to finish to see how you can write a cover letter that will make you stand out from the rest of the candidates.

How to write a cover letter in 9 steps

It can be intimidating to try to parse down all your best qualities into a few quick paragraphs for your cover letter.

Here are 9 steps you can take to make sure you’re headed in the right direction:

Step 1. Do your research

Before writing your cover letter, thoroughly read the job description and the requirements for the job.

Melanie Denny , award-winning resume expert, likens the job description to your cover letter cheat sheet. And when checking the job description, she says you need to consider the following:

• What are the company’s priorities?
• What are their goals for the role?
• What outcomes and accomplishments in your previous roles match the goals?
• What are the key phrases and verbiage the company uses?

This will help you customize your cover letter, angle yourself and your narrative to fit the role better, and impress the hiring manager.

Try reaching out to the recruiter, hiring manager, or someone working in the company if you want more in-depth information about the company and the position you are applying for.

Step 2. Customize your cover letter for every job

Make sure your cover letter matches the job you are applying for. Writing a generic cover letter is a missed opportunity as this will not appeal to the recruiter or hiring manager. According to research from ResumeGo , 81% of HR professionals value job-specific cover letters over generic ones. Jobseekers who had tailored cover letters received a 53% higher callback rate compared to those who had no cover letter.

Remember, your cover letter is your chance to prove that you are passionate about working for a given company, so take the time to write a tailored cover letter for each position . You can do this by mentioning your skills and experience that are directly related to what’s mentioned in the job description. If you’re applying for a data analyst role that requires expertise in Microsoft Power BI, cite an example of a Power BI dashboard you built and how it helped the company.

Read our full guide: How to Optimize Your Cover Letter

Step 3. Include all of your contact info

You should make it easy for the hiring manager to reach you. In your cover letter, list these three things:

• Address (including zip code– for ATS purposes )
• Phone number with area code
• Email address
• Name of the Hiring Manager
• Name of the Company
• Address of the Company

Traditionally, your contact information is included in the upper left corner of your cover letter if you’re writing in a document. If you’re writing an email, this can be included beneath your signature at the end of the message.

Cover Letter Header Example:

Jane Jobscan Seattle, WA 98101 (555) 555-5555 • [email protected] linkedin.com/in/jane-jobscan

February 25, 2024

Lavinia Smith Hiring Manager Media Raven, Inc. Plantersville, MS 38862

Step 4. Address your cover letter to a real person

According to Melanie Denny, resume expert and President of Resume-Evolution, addressing your cover letter to a real person and addressing them by their name feels more personal and shows recruiters and hiring managers that you took time and did the research.

You can usually find the hiring manager’s name by searching the company website or LinkedIn profile, or by calling the company and asking which hiring manager is assigned to the particular position.

Once you learn the name, a simple greeting of “John” or “Hello John” is all you need.

If you can’t find the hiring manager’s name, you can use any of the following:

• Dear Hiring Manager
• Dear (Department) Team
• To whom it may concern

Read our full guide: How to Address a Cover Letter

Step 5. Write a strong opening statement

Melanie Denny suggests that you start your cover letter with a bang. This will hook the hiring manager’s interest and show them how you can be a valuable addition to the team.

Here are things you can do:

• Open with a thought-provoking question
• Make a big claim about what you can do for the company
• Say something relevant and specific to the company

For example,

“I want to bring the marketing department of Media Raven Inc. to the next level and help the company exceed goals and reach more customers as Marketing Manager.”

Step 6. Prove how your professional background and skills help the company in the body of your cover letter

Take advantage of this real estate and prove to the prospective employer how your background, values, and professional experiences position you as the best fit for what the role requires.

This is especially important if you are switching careers. Highlight your relevant accomplishments in your cover letter, showcase your transferable skills, and explain how you can help the company address its challenges and succeed.

For example:

“As the Director of Marketing at ABC Company since 2018, I directed all phases of both the creative and technical elements of marketing initiatives, including data mining, brand creation, print/web collateral development, lead generation, channel partner cultivation, customer segmentation/profiling, as well as CRM and acquisition strategies.

Perhaps most importantly, I offer a history of proven results, as evidenced by the following marketing accomplishments for my current employer:

• Captured a 28% expansion in customer base since 2018, achieved during a period of overall decline in the retail industry.
• Led national marketing campaign (comprised of trade shows, media, and PR initiatives) for my company’s newly launched technology services division
• Developed and executed SEO strategy that achieved and sustained top 3 rankings on Google (organic, nonpaid results) for key product search terms.
• Oversaw the creation of a new company logo and rebranded 100+ products to cement a cohesive corporate identity and support new company direction.”

Just like when writing a resume, your cover letter should only include the most relevant and positive information about you. To home in on the right skills and qualifications to mention, try scanning your cover letter .

Read our full guide: What Do You Put in a Cover Letter?

Step 7. Write a strong closing statement and a call to action

Use the closing of your cover letter to:

• Thank the hiring manager for their time
• Mention any attachments (resume, portfolio, samples)
• Invite to schedule an interview
• Let the hiring manager know that you will follow up

Keep the closing professional and try not to sound too eager since that can come off as desperate. You must also keep in mind the tone and personality of the company you’re communicating with.

“Given the opportunity, I’m confident I can achieve similar groundbreaking marketing results for Media Raven, Inc.

Ms. Smith, I would welcome the chance to discuss your marketing objectives and how I can help you attain them. Feel free to call me at (555) 555-5555 or email me at [email protected] to arrange a meeting. I look forward to speaking with you.”

Read our full guide: How to End a Cover Letter With a Call to Action

Step 8. End with a professional closing salutation

To finish out the closing , use a formal signature. You can use “Sincerely,” “Best,” “Regards,” “Yours,” or any other professional signoff.

Use your first and last name as your signature. If you’re sending your cover letter in the body of an email, make sure it’s your personal email account that does not list your current work signature beneath the email. Your other option is to write the cover letter in a word document, save it as a PDF, and attach it to your email.

Step 9. Optimize your cover letter for the ATS

The Applicant Tracking System or the ATS is a software that companies use to screen applications and shrink their pool of applicants. Through the ATS database, a recruiter or hiring manager can just search for specific skills and keywords and the ATS will return a list of the top candidates who match the search criteria.

To optimize your cover letter for ATS, you need to:

• Carefully read the job description
• Take note of skills and resume keywords frequently mentioned
• Incorporate these keywords into your cover letter

Read our full guide: How to Optimize Your Cover Letter to Beat the ATS

Does your cover letter pass the test?

Scan your cover letter to see how well it matches the job you're applying for. Optimize your cover letter and resume with Jobscan to get more interviews.

How to Format Your Cover Letter

A cover letter is a letter, but that doesn’t mean you should just plop everything onto the page in a stream-of-consciousness flow. After all, cover letter formats determine the order in which the hiring manager learns about you, which can significantly influence their first impression. Use the format order below as a guideline for building the structure of your cover letter.

Notice how the topics flow like a conversation? When you first meet someone, you introduce yourself, tell them your name and a little about yourself, and then leave the conversation open for future meetings.

Your cover letter is just a like having a conversation with someone for the first time. Keeping that in mind will help you to keep things simple and focus on the right information.

Below are some examples of how to format your cover letter for different types of applications.

How to format your cover letter for a job

• State your name
• Explain your work history
• Tell them what you can do for their company
• Say goodbye

How to format your cover letter for an internship

• Explain your coursework history and education
• Explain what you can gain professionally

How to format your cover letter with no experience

• Explain your skillset and character qualities that make you well-suited for the role
• Outline entry-level achievements

You can also check out our cover letter templates to help you as you write your own cover letter.

Do you want to save time and receive instant feedback on your cover letter? Check out Jobscan’s cover letter tool .

Read more : How to Write a Resume for Today’s Job Market

Cover Letter Examples

Here are some examples to help you create a cover letter that will make you stand out and give a strong first impression.

1. Internship Cover Letter Example

2. Career Change Cover Letter Example

3. Operations Manager Cover Letter Example

4. Communications Professional Cover Letter Example

5. Software Engineer Cover Letter Example

Cover Letter Do’s and Don’ts

Aside from the basic steps of how to write a cover letter, there are some things you definitely need to make sure you avoid – and things you can’t skip! Follow these do’s and don’ts for writing a cover letter, and you’ll end up with a much better result.

• Use a cover letter unless one was requested.
• Attach a cover letter directly to your resume unless requested to do so.
• Use the same boilerplate cover letter for multiple job applications.
• Over-explain your work history, employment gaps, or qualifications – save it for the interview.
• Badmouth any of your past employers.
• Use the cover letter to complain or tell about your job search journey.
• Use non-standard formatting like tables, columns, or graphics. (ATS can’t read those and your cover letter copy might not be scannable by the system.)
• Use long paragraphs.
• Customize a cover letter for every job application that asks for one.
• Incorporate the top skills or keywords from the job description in your cover letter.
• Include the company name and address, the job title, and point of contact’s name on your cover letter.
• Incorporate relevant and compelling measurable results in your cover letter.
• Explain, briefly, any dramatic shifts in a career (i.e. you are changing industries or job titles).
• Use company information to relate your interest in the job.
• Keep your cover letter concise.
• Convey WHY you are right for the position.

More Cover Letter Tips

• When emailing your cover letter, be strategic with your subject line. Never leave the subject line blank, and double-check for specific instructions in the job posting. If possible, use the email subject line to sell yourself. For example: “Experienced Software Engineer Seeks Senior Level Mobile Position.”
• Keep your cover letter brief and to the point. The hiring manager will be reading many cover letters. By carefully selecting your words and experiences to include, you can stand out from the crowd of applicants.
• Be confident. Let the hiring manager know the reasons why you deserve this position, and make yourself believe them too!
• Your cover letter should not be simply a rephrasing of your resume. Let your personality show and go into further detail about your most valuable skills and experiences.
• Do your research on the company and position before writing the cover letter. It should be customized to that specific company’s values and needs. Hiring managers can spot a generic resume from a mile away.
• Use the job posting as your guide for what topics, skills, and experience to focus on.
• The best cover letters include keywords from the job posting. Applicant tracking systems may scan your cover letter along with your resume and will be using these keywords to sort through the applicants.
• Check for spelling and grammar errors.
• Send your cover letter as a PDF to avoid readability issues and to present the most professional application package.
• Scan Your Cover Letter with Jobscan to make sure you’re checking all the boxes.

Optimize Your Cover Letter with Jobscan’s Cover Letter Scanner

In addition to resume scans, Jobscan Premium users can also scan their cover letters against a job description.

This generates a report of the top hard skills and soft skills found in the job description that should be included in your cover letter, plus additional checks for optimal length, contact information, measurable results, and more.

Here’s how it works:

Key Takeaways

Your cover letter gives recruiters, hiring managers, and prospective employers an overview of your professional qualifications and relevant accomplishments that position you as the best candidate for the job.

So you have to make your cover letter powerful and interesting enough to make the recruiter or hiring manager read your resume and move you to the next step of the hiring process.

Here are key pointers when writing your cover letter.

• Make sure you’ve read the job description and done your research about the company.
• Get to know the name of the recruiter or hiring manager so you can address your cover letter properly.
• Include relevant and measurable accomplishments in the body of your cover letter to prove to the hiring manager that you have what it takes to succeed in the job.
• Keep your cover letter short and concise.
• Your cover letter is not a substitute for your resume so don’t just copy and paste whatever is in your resume into your cover letter.

One last important reminder!

Having a strong cover letter is not enough. You also need to create a killer resume to make sure you stand out and land job interviews.

Learn more about writing a cover letter

How to Address a Cover Letter

10 Tips for Writing a Cover Letter

The Career Change Cover Letter: How to Get it Right

What Do You Put in a Cover Letter?

Is Your Cover Letter Robot-Approved?

How to End a Cover Letter with a Call to Action

Frequently asked questions, what are the different types of cover letters.

There are four types of cover letters.

• Application cover letter An application cover letter is what you send to the recruiter or hiring manager along with your resume.
• Prospecting cover letter You send this when you want to inquire prospective employers about open positions in their company or put yourself top-of-mind when they do decide to hire.
• Networking cover letter You will send this to professionals in your network in hopes of getting referrals, introductions, job search advice, and job opportunities.
• Career change cover letter This is what you send when you are switching careers or industries.

What tense should I use when writing a cover letter?

It can be appropriate to change tenses throughout your cover letter.

For example, you can explain who you are in the present tense and explain important aspects of your work history in the past tense. You can switch to future perfect tense when discussing the ways you would perform if given the position.

Think of it like this, “I am ABC, I did XYZ previously, and I look forward to doing EFG in this position.”

What to include in a cover letter

Our cover letter guidelines above explain how to write a cover letter more deeply, but in summary, you should always include your name, relevant work experience, and reasons why you are right for the job in your cover letter.

When not to include a cover letter

• When the job posting clearly states not to include a cover letter
• When you don’t have the time and energy to customize your cover letter. It’s better not to send a cover letter than to send a half-baked and mediocre one.
• When you are applying online and there is no field to upload your cover letter.
• When your cover letter has a lot of typos and errors.

What should you send first: a cover letter or a resume?

Typically, your cover letter and resume will be sent as a pair, but your cover letter is meant to be an introduction to your resume. If it is an email, use the cover letter in the body and attach your resume, otherwise, attach both.

Pro Tip: Be sure to review all instructions in the job description to follow the hiring manager’s requests.

How long should a cover letter be?

According to 70% of recruiters, a cover letter should not exceed 250 to 300 words.

Although there is no hard and fast rule about this, the ideal cover letter length should be around half a page to one full page in length to keep your message concise, clear, and easy to digest.

Should a cover letter be sent as a file attachment?

If it is not specified in the job posting, a cover letter can be sent either as an attachment (PDF is best) or in the body of an application email with your resume attached.

How to share a cover letter with a potential employer

There are several methods of sharing a cover letter with potential employers, depending on their application process.

Cover letters can be written on a document and turned into a PDF to be uploaded to a job application website or attached to an email along with your resume.

In other cases, your cover letter can simply be written in the email message to a hiring manager, with your resume attached.

How to title and save your cover letter

The key in every aspect of job applications is to make yourself an easy “yes” for your potential employer. That means making it easy for the hiring manager to keep track of your application materials for later review. With this in mind, make sure your full name and the phrase “cover letter” are included in the file label. Other helpful details might include the job title you’re applying for or the year of your application.

Here are a few examples:

• Your Name_Cover Letter_Job Title.pdf
• Cover Letter_Your Name_Job Title.pdf
• Job Title_Your Name_Cover Letter.pdf
• Your Name_Cover Letter_2024.pdf
• Cover Letter_Your Name_2024.pdf

Explore more cover letter resources

Cover Letter Formats

ATS-Optimized Cover Letter

Cover Letter Templates

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How to Write a Cover Letter That Will Get You a Job

I’ve read thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of cover letters in my career. If you’re thinking that sounds like really boring reading, you’re right. What I can tell you from enduring that experience is that most cover letters are terrible — and not only that, but squandered opportunities. When a cover letter is done well, it can significantly increase your chances of getting an interview, but the vast majority fail that test.

So let’s talk about how to do cover letters right.

1. First, understand the point of a cover letter.

The whole idea of a cover letter is that it can help the employer see you as more than just your résumé. Managers generally aren’t hiring based solely on your work history; your experience is crucial, yes, but they’re also looking for someone who will be easy to work with, shows good judgment, communicates well, possesses strong critical thinking skills and a drive to get things done, complements their current team, and all the other things you yourself probably want from your co-workers. It’s tough to learn much about those things from job history alone, and that’s where your cover letter comes in.

Because of that …

2. Whatever you do, don’t just summarize your résumé.

The No. 1 mistake people make with cover letters is that they simply use them to summarize their résumé. This makes no sense — hiring managers don’t need a summary of your résumé! It’s on the very next page! They’re about to see it as soon as they scroll down. And if you think about it, your entire application is only a few pages (in most cases, a one- or two-page résumé and a one-page cover letter) — why would you squander one of those pages by repeating the content of the others? And yet, probably 95 percent of the cover letters I see don’t add anything new beyond the résumé itself (and that’s a conservative estimate).

Instead, your cover letter should go beyond your work history to talk about things that make you especially well-suited for the job. For example, if you’re applying for an assistant job that requires being highly organized and you neurotically track your household finances in a detailed, color-coded spreadsheet, most hiring managers would love to know that because it says something about the kind of attention to detail you’d bring to the job. That’s not something you could put on your résumé, but it can go in your cover letter.

Or maybe your last boss told you that you were the most accurate data processor she’d ever seen, or came to rely on you as her go-to person whenever a lightning-fast rewrite was needed. Maybe your co-workers called you “the client whisperer” because of your skill in calming upset clients. Maybe you’re regularly sought out by more senior staff to help problem-solve, or you find immense satisfaction in bringing order to chaos. Those sorts of details illustrate what you bring to the job in a different way than your résumé does, and they belong in your cover letter.

If you’re still stumped, pretend you’re writing an email to a friend about why you’d be great at the job. You probably wouldn’t do that by stiffly reciting your work history, right? You’d talk about what you’re good at and how you’d approach the work. That’s what you want here.

3. You don’t need a creative opening line.

If you think you need to open the letter with something creative or catchy, I am here to tell you that you don’t. Just be simple and straightforward:

• “I’m writing to apply for your X position.”

• “I’d love to be considered for your X position.”

• “I’m interested in your X position because …”

• “I’m excited to apply for your X position.”

That’s it! Straightforward is fine — better, even, if the alternative is sounding like an aggressive salesperson.

4. Show, don’t tell.

A lot of cover letters assert that the person who wrote it would excel at the job or announce that the applicant is a skillful engineer or a great communicator or all sorts of other subjective superlatives. That’s wasted space — the hiring manager has no reason to believe it, and so many candidates claim those things about themselves that most managers ignore that sort of self-assessment entirely. So instead of simply declaring that you’re great at X (whatever X is), your letter should demonstrate that. And the way you do that is by describing accomplishments and experiences that illustrate it.

Here’s a concrete example taken from one extraordinarily effective cover-letter makeover that I saw. The candidate had originally written, “I offer exceptional attention to detail, highly developed communication skills, and a talent for managing complex projects with a demonstrated ability to prioritize and multitask.” That’s pretty boring and not especially convincing, right? (This is also exactly how most people’s cover letters read.)

In her revised version, she wrote this instead:

“In addition to being flexible and responsive, I’m also a fanatic for details — particularly when it comes to presentation. One of my recent projects involved coordinating a 200-page grant proposal: I proofed and edited the narratives provided by the division head, formatted spreadsheets, and generally made sure that every line was letter-perfect and that the entire finished product conformed to the specific guidelines of the RFP. (The result? A five-year, $1.5 million grant award.) I believe in applying this same level of attention to detail to tasks as visible as prepping the materials for a top-level meeting and as mundane as making sure the copier never runs out of paper.”

That second version is so much more compelling and interesting — and makes me believe that she really is great with details.

5. If there’s anything unusual or confusing about your candidacy, address it in the letter.

Your cover letter is your chance to provide context for things that otherwise might seem confusing or less than ideal to a hiring manager. For example, if you’re overqualified for the position but are excited about it anyway, or if you’re a bit underqualified but have reason to think you could excel at the job, address that up front. Or if your background is in a different field but you’re actively working to move into this one, say so, talk about why, and explain how your experience will translate. Or if you’re applying for a job across the country from where you live because you’re hoping to relocate to be closer to your family, let them know that.

If you don’t provide that kind of context, it’s too easy for a hiring manager to decide you’re the wrong fit or applying to everything you see or don’t understand the job description and put you in the “no” pile. A cover letter gives you a chance to say, “No, wait — here’s why this could be a good match.”

6. Keep the tone warm and conversational.

While there are some industries that prize formal-sounding cover letters — like law — in most fields, yours will stand out if it’s warm and conversational. Aim for the tone you’d use if you were writing to a co-worker whom you liked a lot but didn’t know especially well. It’s okay to show some personality or even use humor; as long as you don’t go overboard, your letter will be stronger for it.

7. Don’t use a form letter.

You don’t need to write every cover letter completely from scratch, but if you’re not customizing it to each job, you’re doing it wrong. Form letters tend to read like form letters, and they waste the chance to speak to the specifics of what this employer is looking for and what it will take to thrive in this particular job.

If you’re applying for a lot of similar jobs, of course you’ll end up reusing language from one letter to the next. But you shouldn’t have a single cover letter that you wrote once and then use every time you apply; whatever you send should sound like you wrote it with the nuances of this one job in mind.

A good litmus test is this: Could you imagine other applicants for this job sending in the same letter? If so, that’s a sign that you haven’t made it individualized enough to you and are probably leaning too heavily on reciting your work history.

8. No, you don’t need to hunt down the hiring manager’s name.

If you read much job-search advice, at some point you’ll come across the idea that you need to do Woodward and Bernstein–level research to hunt down the hiring manager’s name in order to open your letter with “Dear Matilda Jones.” You don’t need to do this; no reasonable hiring manager will care. If the name is easily available, by all means, feel free to use it, but otherwise “Dear Hiring Manager” is absolutely fine. Take the hour you just freed up and do something more enjoyable with it.

9. Keep it under one page.

If your cover letters are longer than a page, you’re writing too much, and you risk annoying hiring managers who are likely sifting through hundreds of applications and don’t have time to read lengthy tomes. On the other hand, if you only write one paragraph, it’s unlikely that you’re making a compelling case for yourself as a candidate — not impossible, but unlikely. For most people, something close to a page is about right.

10. Don’t agonize over the small details.

What matters most about your cover letter is its content. You should of course ensure that it’s well-written and thoroughly proofread, but many job seekers agonize over elements of the letter that really don’t matter. I get tons of  questions from job seekers  about whether they should attach their cover letter or put it in the body of the email (answer: No one cares, but attaching it makes it easier to share and will preserve your formatting), or what to name the file (again, no one really cares as long as it’s reasonably professional, but when people are dealing with hundreds of files named “resume,” it’s courteous to name it with your full name).

Approaching your cover letter like this can make a huge difference in your job search. It can be the thing that moves your application from the “maybe” pile (or even the “no” pile) to the “yes” pile. Of course, writing cover letters like this will take more time than sending out the same templated letter summarizing your résumé — but 10 personalized, compelling cover letters are likely to get you more  interview invitations  than 50 generic ones will.

Find even more career advice from Alison Green on her website,  Ask a Manager . Got a question for her? Email  [email protected] .

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Your Complete Guide to Writing a Cover Letter (Plus Bonus Tips and Examples)

Ah yes, the familiar cycle: You sit down to write a cover letter, open a blank document, check your email, browse cover letter examples , do some chores, watch that cursor blink a few more times, and finally Google something like “how to write a cover letter”—which hopefully brought you here. But you still might be thinking something to the effect of: Does anyone really read cover letters? Why do they even exist?

First off: Yes, we can assure you that cover letters do, in fact, get read . To some hiring managers, they’re the most important part of your job application . And regardless, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to tell prospective employers who you are, showcase why they should hire you, and stand out above all the other candidates.

To ensure your letter is in amazing shape (and crafting it is as painless as possible), we’ve got easy-to-follow steps plus examples, a few bonus tips, and answers to frequently asked questions

What is a cover letter and why is it important?

How to write a cover letter hiring managers will love, what do examples of cover letters look like, bonus cover letter tips to give you an edge over the competition, cover letter faqs (a.k.a., everything else you need to know about cover letters).

A cover letter is a brief (one page or less) note that you write to a hiring manager or recruiter to go along with your resume and other application materials. Done well , a cover letter gives you the chance to speak directly to how your skills and experience line up with the specific job you’re pursuing. It also affords you an opportunity to hint to the reviewer that you’re likable, original, and likely to be a great addition to the team.

Instead of using cover letters to their strategic advantage, most job applicants blabber on and on about what they want, toss out bland, cliché-filled paragraphs that essentially just regurgitate their resume, or go off on some strange tangent in an effort to be unique.

Given this reality, imagine the leg up you’ll have if you learn how to do cover letters right.

OK, you’re sold on how important cover letters are. Here are eight steps to writing one that screams, “I’m a great hire!”

Step 1: Write a fresh cover letter for each job (but yes, you can use a template).

Yes, it’s way faster and easier to take the cover letter you wrote for your last application, change the name of the company, and send it off. But most employers want to see that you’re truly excited about the specific position and organization—which means creating a custom letter for each position.

While it’s OK to recycle a few strong sentences and phrases from one cover letter to the next, don’t even think about sending out a 100% generic letter. “Dear Hiring Manager, I am excited to apply to the open position at your company ” is an immediate signal to recruiters and hiring managers that you’re mass-applying to every job listing that pops up on LinkedIn.

At the same time, there’s nothing that says you can’t get a little help: Try out one of our free cover letter templates to make the process a bit easier.

Step 2: Add your contact info.

At the top of your cover letter, you should list out your basic info. You can even copy the same heading from your resume if you’d like. Some contact info you might include (and the order you might include it in) is:

• Your pronouns (optional)
• Your location (optional)
• Your email address
• Your phone number (optional)
• Your Linkedin, portfolio, or personal website URL (optional)

Note that only name and email are mandatory, and you don’t need to put a full address on a cover letter or resume anymore. A city and state (or metro area) are more than enough.

So your header might look like this:

Inigo Montoya he/him Florin Metropolitan Area [email protected] 555-999-2222

If the job posting tells you to submit your cover letter in the body of an email, you can add your contact info at the end, after your name (and if you’d like to forgo the email address here, you can—they have it already).

So your sign off could look like this:

Violet Baudelaire she/her [email protected] 123-123-1234 https://www.linkedin.com/in/violet-baudelaire/

Step 3: Address your cover letter to the hiring manager—preferably by name.

The most traditional way to address a cover letter is to use the person’s first and last name, including “Mr.” or “Ms.” (for example, “Dear Ms. Jane Smith” or just “Dear Ms. Smith”). But to avoid accidentally using the wrong title, or worse, inadvertently misgendering someone—first and last name also work just fine. And if “Dear” feels a bit too stiff, try “Hello.” But never use generic salutations like “ To Whom it May Concern ” or “Dear Sir or Madam.”

For more help, read these rules for addressing your cover letter and a few tips for how to find the hiring manager .

Step 4: Craft an opening paragraph that’ll hook your reader.

Your opening sets the stage for the whole cover letter. So you want it to be memorable, friendly, conversational, and hyper-relevant to the job you’re pursuing.

No need to lead with your name—the hiring manager can see it already. But it’s good to mention the job you’re applying for (the hiring manager may be combing through candidates for half a dozen different jobs), and yes, you could go with something simple like, “I am excited to apply for [job] with [Company].” But consider introducing yourself with a snappy first paragraph that highlights your excitement about the company you’re applying to, your passion for the work you do, and/or your past accomplishments.

This is a prime spot to include the “why” for your application. Make it very clear why you want this job at this company . Are you a longtime user of their products? Do you have experience solving a problem they’re working on? Do you love their brand voice or approach to product development? Do your research on the company (and check out their Muse profile if they have one) to find out.

For instance, say you’re applying for a marketing job with a company known for its incredible pies and baked goods. You might want to use your opening to mention how you love pie so much that when you were in the 4th grade, you took the blue ribbon in the National Cherry Festival pie-eating contest. Or take a look at this cover letter hook by a client of career coach and Muse writer Jenny Foss , who was working to land a leadership role at a nonprofit specializing in fire prevention:

“I have a personal interest in fire prevention that dates back to my youth. As the daughter of a nurse who worked in a hospital burns unit for many years, I grew up with significant exposure to those impacted by fire. I’d spend hours thinking about my mom’s patients, wishing there were some way to better protect people from fire.”

Read More: 30 Genius Cover Letter Openers Recruiters Will LOVE

Step 5: Convey why you’d be a great hire for this job.

A common cover letter mistake is only talking about how great the position would be for you . Frankly, hiring managers are aware of that—what they really want to know is what you’re going to bring to the position and company.

So once you’ve got the opening under wraps, you should pull out a few key ideas that will make up the backbone of your cover letter. They should show that you understand what the organization is looking for and spell out how your background lines up with the position. Study the job description for hints . What problems is the company looking to solve with this hire? What skills or experiences are mentioned high up, or more than once? These will likely be the most important qualifications.

Select the three to five important qualifications that you feel you exemplify best. For instance, maybe you’re looking for an account executive role and come across a posting that excites you. You might pull out these details that match you well:

• The job description mentions meeting and exceeding quotas several times.
• The company has a very collaborative, cross-departmental approach to solving problems.
• The sales department requires a fast learner so the account executive can get up to speed quickly on leads and tailor pitches to their needs.

If you tend to have a hard time singing your own praises and can’t nail down your strengths, here’s a quick trick : What would your favorite boss, your best friend, or your mentor say about you? How would they sing your praises? Use the answers to inform how you write about yourself. You can even weave in feedback you’ve received to strengthen your case (occasionally, don’t overuse this!). For example:

“When I oversaw our last office move, my color-coded spreadsheets covering every minute detail of the logistics were legendary; my manager said I was so organized, she’d trust me to plan an expedition to Mars.”

Step 6: Back up your qualifications with examples and numbers.

Look at your list of qualifications from the previous step, and think of examples from your past that prove you have them. And go beyond your resume . Don’t just regurgitate what the hiring manager can read elsewhere. Simply put, you want to paint a fuller picture of what experiences and accomplishments make you a great hire and show off what you can sashay through their doors with and deliver once you land the job.

For example, what tells a hiring manager more about your ability to win back former clients? This: “I was in charge of identifying and re-engaging former clients.” Or this: “By analyzing past client surveys, NPS scores, and KPIs, as well as simply picking up the phone, I was able to bring both a data-driven approach and a human touch to the task of re-engaging former clients.”

Having trouble figuring out how to do this? Try asking yourself these questions and finding answers that line up with the qualifications you’ve chosen to focus on:

• What approach did you take to tackling one of the responsibilities you’ve mentioned on your resume?
• What details would you include if you were telling someone a (very short!) story about how you accomplished one of your resume bullet points?
• What about your personality, passion, or work ethic made you especially good at getting the job done?

Come up with your examples, then throw in a few numbers. Hiring managers love to see stats—they show you’ve had a measurable impact on an organization you’ve worked for. Did you bring in more clients than any of your peers? Put together an impressive number of events? Make a process at work 30% more efficient? Work it into your cover letter!

Going back to the example from the last step. How could you prove that you’ll meet and exceed sales quotas if they hire you? Try something like:

“ I’ve always been very goal-oriented—whether that goal was hitting a new personal best on the swim team in college or smashing my quotas as a sales development rep for ZZZ Inc. As an SDR, I break my quarterly sales goals down month-by-month and then week-by-week—so that I always know whether I’m ahead, behind, or on-track. I also take an hour every Friday to reflect on what I could’ve done better in the previous week—so that I’m always improving. With these strategies, I’ve met my goals for meetings set 10 out of the last 10 quarters and actually averaged 114% to goal for finding leads that eventually turned into sales over every quarter last year. As an account executive for your company, I’d bring that same drive and systematic approach for meeting longer-term targets to my sales quotas. ”

Do this for each of the qualifications you want to focus on, and feel free to connect your accomplishments directly to the company. Pro tip: Use your space wisely. For more important qualifications, you might dedicate an entire paragraph, while others may only need a sentence or two.

Step 7: Finish with a strong conclusion.

It’s tempting to treat the final lines of your cover letter as a throwaway: “I look forward to hearing from you.” But your closing paragraph is your last chance to emphasize your enthusiasm for the company or how you’d be a great fit for the position. You can also use the end of your letter to add important details—like, say, the fact that you’re willing to relocate for the job.

Some advice might tell you to go with a hard close: Boldly insist that you’re the one, and that you’re going to call them within a week to set up a meeting. But with over 10 years of experience as a recruiter, Foss finds this annoying. It’s one thing to be proactive and confident but, to her, this approach feels like a cheesy tactic stripped out of an old school “How to sell yourself” textbook.

Instead, try something like this:

“I believe my energy, desire to innovate, and experience as a sales leader will serve OrangePurple Co. very well. I would love to meet to discuss the value I could add as your next West Coast Sales Director. I appreciate your consideration and hope to meet with you soon.”

Then be sure to sign off professionally , with an appropriate closing and your first and last name.

Read More: 3 Cover Letter Closing Lines That Make Hiring Managers Grimace (Plus: Better Options )

Step 8: Reread and revise.

We shouldn’t have to tell you to run your cover letter through spell-check, but remember that having your computer scan for typos isn’t the same as editing . Set your letter aside for a day or even just a few hours, and then read through it again with fresh eyes—you’ll probably notice some changes you want to make.

You might even want to ask a friend or family member to give it a look. In addition to asking them if they spot any errors, you should ask them two questions:

• Does this sell me as the best person for the job?
• Does it get you excited?

If the answer to either is “no,” or even slight hesitation, go back for another pass.

Here’s an example cover letter that follows this advice:

Alia Farhat San Francisco Bay Area [email protected] 444-000-1111

Hello Danny Tanaka,

If I’m being honest, I still haven’t fully gotten over the death of my first Tamagotchi pet when I was six years old. (His name was Tommy, and I’ve gotten far more creative since then, I promise.) When I was older, I discovered NeoPets and I was hooked for years—not just on the site, but on the community that surrounded it. So when I heard about FantasyPets last year, I immediately started following news about your development process, and that’s how I saw your post looking for a marketing strategist. Not only do I have eight years of experience in digital marketing, but as a lifelong gamer with a passion for pet-focused titles who’s spent years in online communities with like-minded people, I also know exactly what kind of messaging resonates with your target audience.

You’re looking for someone to help you craft a social media marketing campaign to go along with your game launch, and I’ve been a part of three launch-day marketing campaigns for mobile and web-based games. In my current role as social media manager at Phun Inc., I proposed a campaign across Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok based on competitor research and analysis of our social campaigns for similar games to go along with the launch of the mobile game FarmWorld. Using my strategy of featuring both kids and adults in ads, we ended up driving over one million impressions and 80k downloads in the first three months.

I’ve always believed that the best way to find the right messaging for a game is to understand the audience and immerse myself in it as much as possible. I spend some of my research time on gaming forums and watching Twitch streams and Let’s Plays to see what really matters to the audience and how they talk about it. Of course, I always back my strategies up with data—I’m even responsible for training new members of the marketing team at Phun Inc. in Google AdWords and data visualization.

I believe that my passion for games exactly like yours, my digital marketing and market research experience, and my flair for turning data into actionable insights will help put FantasyPets on the map. I see so much promise in this game, and as a future player, I want to see its user base grow as much as you do. I appreciate your consideration for the marketing strategist role and hope to speak with you soon.

Alia Farhat

Looking for more cover letter examples? Check out these from across our site:

• 4 best cover letter examples for different types of job seekers
• Pain point cover letter example
• Internship cover letter example
• Recent graduate cover letter example
• 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)
• Buzzfeed-style cover letter example
• Creative cover letter example (from the point-of-view of a dog)

As you write your cover letter, here are a few more tips to consider to help you stand out from the stack of applicants:

• Keep it short and sweet: There are always exceptions to the rule, but in general, for resumes and cover letters alike, don’t go over a page. Need help? Check out these tips for cutting down your cover letter .
• Never apologize for your missing experience: When you don’t meet all of the job requirements, it’s tempting to use lines like, “Despite my limited experience as a manager…” or “While I may not have direct experience in marketing…” But why apologize ? Instead of drawing attention to your weaknesses, emphasize the strengths and transferable skills you do have.
• Strike the right tone: You want to find a balance between being excessively formal in your writing—which can make you come off as stiff or insincere—and being too conversational. Let your personality shine through, for sure, but also keep in mind that a cover letter shouldn’t sound like a text to an old friend.
• Consider writing in the company’s “voice”: Cover letters are a great way to show that you understand the environment and culture of the company and industry. Spending some time reading over the company website or stalking their social media before you get started can be a great way to get in the right mindset—you’ll get a sense for the company’s tone, language, and culture, which are all things you’ll want to mirror—especially if writing skills are a core part of the job.
• Go easy on the enthusiasm: We can’t tell you how many cover letters we’ve seen from people who are “absolutely thrilled for the opportunity” or “very excitedly applying!” Yes, you want to show personality, creativity , and excitement. But downplay the adverbs a bit, and keep the level of enthusiasm for the opportunity genuine and believable.

The bottom line with cover letters is this: They matter, much more than the naysayers will have you believe. If you nail yours, you could easily go from the “maybe” pile straight to “Oh, hell yes.”

• Are cover letters still necessary?
• Do I have to write a cover letter if it’s optional?
• Can I skip the cover letter for a tech job?
• What does it mean to write a cover letter for a resume?
• How can I write a simple cover letter in 30 minutes?
• How can I show personality in my cover letter?
• What should I name my cover letter file?
• Is a letter of intent different from a cover letter?
• Is a letter of interest different from a cover letter?

Regina Borsellino  and Jenny Foss  contributed writing, reporting, and/or advice to this article.

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How to Write a Cover Letter

Advice for tackling one of the toughest parts of the job-hunting process.

Perhaps the most challenging part of the job application process is writing an effective cover letter. And yes, you should send one. Even if only one in two cover letters gets read, that’s still a 50% chance that including one could help you. Before you start writing, find out more about the company and the specific job you want. Next, catch the attention of the hiring manager or recruiter with a strong opening line. If you have a personal connection with the company or someone who works there, mention it in the first sentence or two, and try to address your letter to someone directly. Hiring managers are looking for people who can help them solve problems, so show that you know what the company does and some of the challenges it faces. Then explain how your experience has equipped you to meet those needs. If the online application doesn’t allow you to submit a cover letter, use the format you’re given to demonstrate your ability to do the job and your enthusiasm for the role.

No one likes job hunting. Scouring through online job listings, spiffing up your résumé , prepping for grueling interviews  — none of it is fun. For many, the most challenging part of the process is writing an effective cover letter. There’s so much conflicting advice out there, it’s hard to know where to start. Do you even need one, especially if you’re applying through an online system?

• Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, cohost of the Women at Work podcast , and the author of two books: Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) and the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict . She writes and speaks about workplace dynamics. Watch her TEDx talk on conflict and follow her on LinkedIn . amyegallo

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How To Write A Cover Letter (Definitive Guide + Template)

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

By Mike Simpson

So you want to learn how to write a cover letter…

But let me ask you this:

Have you ever been on a blind date?

It can be overwhelmingly nerve wracking.

There you are, all dressed up in your finest, ready to sit down across the table from someone you know absolutely nothing about, and hopefully survive the meeting without too much trouble.

At the absolute best, you two hit it off.

Things are great and you discover through your first awkward meeting that you’re perfect for each other and destined for years of happy togetherness.

At the worst, you’re forced to sit across from someone you have absolutely nothing in common with.  

You spend the entire date suffering through what can feel like absolute eternity, stumbling through awkward starts and stops in the conversation..

But what if you each had a cheat sheet?

A sort of pre-blind date rundown of who you’re going to meet?

A cheat sheet that includes all sorts of vital information like who you are and what you can bring to the relationship. It would make things so much easier, right?

Now, what if you not only had this cheat sheet, but you got to look at it and decide if you even wanted to go on that date in the first place?  Even better, right?

FREE BONUS PDF CHEAT SHEET : Get our "Perfect Cover Letter" Cheat Sheet that gives you a Step-by-Step Process that will help you produce a perfect cover letter.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR CHEAT SHEET

In the business world, interviews are a lot like blind dates.

Employers sit down with potential employees and over the course of the meeting, both parties try to learn enough about each other to decide if working together is   good idea or a bad idea…just without the awkward hug/kiss thing at the end…hopefully.

See…not so far off from our blind date scenario from earlier…but there is ONE big difference.  

Did you know that companies do have those little cheat sheets on potential employees and that they do ‘pre-screenings’ before the offer to interview is even considered?

That’s right! They do.

Every single piece of information you send a company you’re applying to is going to be thoroughly looked at to determine your potential for compatibility, starting with your cover letter.

“But wait,” you say, “what’s a cover letter, and more importantly, why do I need to send one along with my resume?”

Don’t worry, we’re going to explain exactly what it is…and so much more.  

In fact, over the course of this article, we’re going to discuss a number of things you’ll need to know in order to make your cover letter not only right for who you are and what you bring to the table…but tailor it so it’s absolutely perfect for your first blind date…er, we mean…the job you’re applying for.

What Is A Cover Letter Anyway?

Before you learn how to write a cover letter, you first need to understand what it is!

A professional cover letter is a short, single page letter you should include with every application and/or resume you send out.  

It’s a quick way for you to introduce yourself to an employer and gives them a taste of you …not just your skills (which they will get by looking at your resume.)  

Not only does it act as an introduction, it will also let whoever is reading it (hiring managers) know exactly why you are sending them your information as well as potentially help open the door to future meetings…and interviews!  

Remember, first impressions count…even when they’re on paper, so let’s make sure yours is as perfect as possible. 

Why Do I Need One?

Okay, so I get what a cover letter is, but why do I have to write one?   Shouldn’t my resume be strong enough on its own?    

Ideally, yes, you want to make sure the resume you are submitting is as strong as possible and perfectly tailored to the job you’re applying for (more on tailoring in a bit) but simply sending it in without including a cover letter can work against you. 

As we outlined in our article “ How to Make a Resume 101 ,” a resume is a document that summarizes your skills, abilities and accomplishments.   A well made one should clearly spell out what you can do …but does little to explain who you are.  

That’s where a cover letter comes in. 

A good cover letter serves a multitude of purposes beyond simply letting the hiring manager know the proper way to spell your name.    

It gives potential employers information about you that they wouldn’t get just from looking at your resume alone. 

To bring it back to our dating analogy from earlier…a well written cover letter is a little bit like a friend meeting with your date and telling them all the best things about you before you even get there.  

It’s an opportunity for you to reach out as an individual, not just as an applicant .  

It should highlight your qualifications as well as demonstrate how you stand out from the rest of the hundreds (or thousands) of other qualified job seekers .  

It should also showcase why you’re the right choice for the position…what makes you the “ Perfect Candidate ”…and all this is accomplished before you’re invited to the date, er…I mean interview…

But what if I’m applying for a job that just asks me to send in my resume…do I still need to send in a cover letter? 

Absolutely!  

Sending in a resume without a cover letter is a missed opportunity you can’t afford to take in this competitive job market.  

Not only does a good cover introduce you and all your best qualities, it’s also an opportunity to help explain away any concerns a prospective employer might have about your ability to do the job they’re hiring for .  

The last thing you want to do is turn in a resume or application for a job you’re perfect for and have it get tossed before you even make it to the interview stage because there was something that made an employer question your abilities. 

Have a gap in employment on your resume?   – Use your cover letter as an opportunity to explain it:  

In the middle of switching careers and finding that your skills , while applicable to the job you’re applying for aren’t traditionally considered to be a match? Use your cover letter to detail why you should be considered anyway.  

These days submitting a cover letter is just good form!  

Many times employers expect cover letters even if they don’t explicitly ask for one.  

A job seeker who sends in a resume without a cover letter is essentially letting an employer know they’re happy doing just the bare minimum…and that’s just not the way we like to do things!

By writing a solid cover letter, even when not asked for one, you’re taking that extra step as a job seeker and reinforcing that you’re not only enthusiastic about the opportunity but that you’re also motivated to do what it takes to get in the door for that face to face meeting.

**A WORD OF WARNING …if a company specifically asks you NOT to send a cover letter…then don’t.   Always follow the instructions as outlined by a potential employer.

How To Format Your Cover Letter

“So I need to write a cover letter for a job application…what makes a good one?”

Because your cover letter is your first opportunity to demonstrate your communication skills to your potential employer, it’s critical that you make sure you’re doing everything you can to make your cover letter layout as flawless and business-appropriate as possible.

(This is why we spent a little extra time expanding on Cover Letter Format in our companion guide, “Best Cover Letter Format Guide.” Click the link to check it out now!)

The next question you might be asking yourself is, “How long should a cover letter be?”

Ideally you want to keep your letter between 3-5 paragraphs in length and definitely no longer than one page.

The eternal struggle regarding what to include in a cover letter continues to rage on.  In our opinion the best cover letter is informative without being overly long or rambling .  

Each paragraph should serve a purpose and shouldn’t be excessively lengthy or confusing.  

Remember, the hiring manager is going to be faced with potentially thousands of cover letters so your goal is to make sure yours is brief enough to still be read but detailed and interesting enough to make them want to learn more about you .

Speaking of standing out, this isn’t the time to get creative with fonts, designs, colored paper, or showcase your artistic talents with doodles on the margins.  

A cover letter, like every other piece of paperwork you submit to a potential employer, is a professional document and should look like one.  

Use fonts that are simple and professional like Arial , Times New Roman , or Verdana and be sure to set your font size between 10 and 12 points .

Let’s take a look at standard cover letter formatting:

• Start by first including your personal contact information.   ( You want to make sure your future boss can contact you for that interview, right? )
• Follow that by the date you are writing the letter and then the company contact information .   Be sure to separate each section with a space…it makes your letter easier to read. 

If you are mailing a hard copy of your letter, make sure when you get to the bottom and your salutation to double space .   It will give you room to sign your letter.   If you are emailing your letter, or submitting it electronically and can’t sign it with your autograph, it’s still important to leave that double space.

Here’s A Good Format Template

Your Address

City, State, Zip

Your Best Contact Phone Number

Your Professional Email

Your Personal Branding Website  

Employer Name

City, State, Zip Code

Dear Mr./Mrs. Last Name:*

PARAGRAPH 1:   Because this is your opening paragraph, you want to make sure it’s strong and draws the reader in.   Explain why you are writing.   Describe the job you are applying for, including the position and job title. 

PARAGRAPH 2:   Now we move into the actual text of the letter.   This is where you get to introduce yourself and tell your potential employer why you are qualified to do the job you are applying for.   This is your chance to let them know what you have to offer and why your skills and knowledge are perfect for the position.   Don’t forget to tailor based off your research! 

PARAGRAPH 3-4:   If needed, these are the paragraphs where you can explain away any concerns an employer might have about your ability to do the job. It’s also where you can share accomplishments , success stories, and any other bits of information that will help convince the hiring manager that they have to bring you in for an interview.

FINAL PARAGRAPH:   This is where you wrap up your letter.   Make sure to thank them for considering you for the job and let them know they should feel comfortable reaching out to you with any questions or concerns not addressed in your letter/resume.   This is also the paragraph where you let them know how you plan on following up with them.  

Finally, be sure to direct the hiring manager to your   Your Personal Branding Website so that they are able to get a feel for who you are as a person.  This simple step can land you way more interviews!

Sincerely (or any other closing comment),

Signature/Typed Signature Your Personal Branding Website

* You want to always try to address your cover letter to someone specific.   Unfortunately that information is not always available.   If you find yourself writing a letter and unsure of who to address it to, use “Dear Hiring Manager,” or “Dear Recruiter.”  

* Don’t use “To Whom it May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam” as those are considered outdated and you run the risk of offending someone.   You can also call the company directly to ask to whom you should address your letter.

* In some instances you can completely forgo the opening salutation and just start with a subject line, but we suggest at least making an effort to find out who to address it to.   It makes the letter much more personal and shows your dedication to the position.

NOTE: For more information please read our “how to address a cover letter” article .

“Tailoring” Your Cover Letter

Now that we’ve covered the general format of a cover letter, it’s time to dive into the content!

Let’s pretend for a moment you’re the hiring manager and you’ve just gotten this letter:

     EXAMPLE OF A BAD COVER LETTER

To Whom It May Concern,

I recently came across your job post looking for a Production Office Coordinator for the educational television series, “Wonder Kids.”   I think my skills and experience would be a good match for the position and I am submitting my resume to you in the hopes of obtaining an interview.

For the past eight years I have worked as a Production Office Coordinator on a variety of other shows, providing crucial administrative support as well as maintaining and managing the day to day operations of a busy production office.   I am familiar with all aspects of production including contracts, budgets, proper paperwork distribution, and travel coordination.   I pride myself on my organizational skills as well as my ability to run an efficient staff of over 10 employees.    

I am attaching my resume which outlines all my past work experiences as well as a detailed listing of my qualifications and skills.   I look forward to the possibility of speaking with you about this position.

Blanche D. Oatmeal

Zzzzzz. Oh, sorry. Was I napping? Ugh what a snoozer!

Although professional, this is a generic cover letter and if you ask me, pretty bland.

It reveals little about Blanche beyond the fact that she thinks she’s qualified for the job and that she’s been in the industry for over 8 years. A letter like this is the bare minimum when applying for a job… and you’re not the bare minimum .

Don’t forget, you’re the perfect candidate , and a good cover letter is a great first way to let potential employers know that!

Rather than submitting a snooze-worthy letter that will blend into every other letter the hiring manager is going to read, you’re going to tailor your letter and help make sure it really stands out.

If you’ve spent any amount of time reading our other blog posts or watching our videos, you’re probably familiar with our world-famous “ Tailoring Method “.

Now what you might not know, is that the Tailoring Method can actually apply to other parts of your interview as well, including how to write a great cover letter.

You see, there’s a tremendous amount of power in identifying what the company’s desired strengths and characteristics are for the employee they want to hire .

Because demonstrating that you have these Qualities is going to put you in the drivers seat in terms of getting an offer from your interview.

So you need to identify what those “ Qualities ” are, and infuse them into your cover letter and support them with a real example from your past (and where necessary, a success story ).

This is done by taking the time to do careful research of the company and the position .

Here, let’s spice up Blanche’s letter a bit…starting with paragraph one.

First thing you want to keep in mind is, those poor hiring managers are reading tens of hundreds of cover letters and after a while, they’re all going to start blending together…make your stand out…in a good way!

Dear Mr. Sorensen:

When I saw the job posting looking for a Production Office Coordinator for the educational television series, “Wonder Kids,” I knew I had to submit my resume. I am a hard-working and enthusiastic Production Office Coordinator with over eight years of practical hands on experience and am ready for my next adventure! I am currently looking for an opportunity to continue working within the industry and know my skills and experiences would be a good fit for the position and the “Wonder Kids” team overall.

Much better, right?

This is how you want to start a cover letter!  

Not only is it a break from the cookie cutter style cover letters that regularly flood a hiring manager’s desk, it shows that the applicant is excited to be applying for the job .  

It also lets the hiring manager know the applicant isn’t just looking for a job, but that they’re looking to be a part of a team.

The letter is also properly addressed to who is actually reading it.   Remember, “To Whom It May Concern,” and “Dear Sir or Madam” are too generic and can come across as lazy.  

While we’ve already said it is okay to use “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Recruiter,” going that extra mile can make all the difference with a weary reader.   Don’t forget, you want to stand out!

Let’s keep reading…

As a Production Office Coordinator, my skills include scheduling, contracts, paperwork distribution, and budgeting.   I’m also comfortable dealing with vendors, hiring and managing staff, and ensuring the smooth day to day operations of a busy office.   My experience has included both small and large budget companies, and as a result, I am familiar with the need to be adaptable and find myself excited by the prospect of a challenge.

Again, personal , engaging , and dynamic . This letter helps the hiring manager know that the applicant is ready for any challenge and that they’re adaptable.

Now we get into the meat of the letter and where you can brag a bit about what you bring to the table.  Let’s say that through her research, Blanche discovered that the company she’s interviewing with really values someone who excels in (has the “ Quality “) “attention to detail.”

Well, she better darn make sure she highlights that Quality and supports it with an example or examples from her past .

I am proud of my attention to detail and as a result of my experiences with companies of different sizes and budgets, have been able to develop skills not normally associated with the more traditional Production Office Coordinator role, including graphic design, managing social media and web development.   I enjoy working with a wide variety of people and am a multitasker, diligent self-starter and eager team player. 

Nicely done, Blanche!  

A little bit of subtle bragging while showcasing something the applicant is proud of accomplishing for the company overall without coming across as arrogant or too boastful.

The next paragraph is where you can engage the company on a one on one level and show how much research you’ve done on them and their current projects .

I also wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that my interest in working for you extends beyond my desire to simply be a Production Office Coordinator.   I grew up on the show “Wonder Kids” and consider them to be a huge part of my early education.   I am a strong believer in quality children’s programming and have always felt that “Wonder Kids” provided not only entertainment, but educational value as well.   If hired, I would be proud to be a part of the “Wonder Kid” family and help continue that legacy for future generations.

The applicant is letting the hiring manager know that they’re not just blindly applying to the company but that they genuinely know a bit about them and that they have a passion for what the company does .

Okay, Blanche, time to bring it home.

Thank you for taking the time to review my resume and consider me for this position.   You can contact me with any questions by emailing me at [email protected] or by calling me at 555-555-5555.   I would also love if you could take a look at my website, blancheoatmeal.com.  

I look forward to the possibility of discussing this exciting opportunity with you.

When an applicant wraps up their letter this way, they’re outlining the next steps they hope the company will take (contacting them for an interview) and ensuring that the information they need to do that is right there in front of them.

By making it easy for them and including phone numbers and other contact information, a perfect candidate is empowering the employer to take the action the candidate wants.  

By including their personal branded website , the applicant is also inviting the hiring manager to get to know even more about them and what they bring to the table.

When wrapping up your letter with follow up information, tread lightly but confidently.   Whatever you do, don’t push too hard in this paragraph. You don’t want to appear manipulative or controlling.

Remember, you want a job interview…not a restraining order 😉

Warmest regards,

blanchedoatmeal.com

Now that is a great example of a cover letter that will get a hiring managers attention!

By keeping it short and sweet, you’re not overwhelming them with a ton to read…but at the same time by making it engaging, tailored , and personal, you’re ensuring that it stands out and highlights you in a positive way.

In our opinion this a wonderful example of how to end a cover letter that you should take into consideration when working on yours.

A good cover letter closing will leave a great taste in the hiring manager’s mouth and will go a long way to securing an interview.

If after sending your cover letter and your resume you don’t hear from the company in a couple of days, a quick “wanted to be sure you had received my application” email is an entirely appropriate follow-up, even without telling them that you will be following up first.

If you do end up needing to write a follow-up note, you absolutely should slip in a line like “I really think my (skills and talents that are relevant to the job) would be great for (the company), and want to make sure my application didn’t get lost or submitted incorrectly.”

You can also throw in something again about why you want to work at that company – mention some company values or exciting projects to show that you’ve done your research and are really interested in them specifically.

Sample Cover Letter Used Above

Here is the complete cover letter as written above if you would like to download it...

Top 10 Cover Letter Tips & Hacks

• SHORT AND SWEET:   Your cover letter should never go over a single page.   Keep it clean and concise.   Keep your sentences focused and avoid using flowery words.
• KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND GO FOR IT:   Make sure you let your potential employer know exactly what you are bringing to the job.   They have a need and you are there to fill it.   Tell them how you are going to accomplish that.
• TAILOR! TAILOR! TAILOR!:   Don’t be vague or generic.   Make sure your letter is clearly targeted to the job you are going for as well as the company you want to be hired by.   Do your research ahead of time.
• COVER LETTERS ARE LIKE SNOWFLAKES – NO TWO ARE ALIKE:   Unless you’re launching a direct mail campaign, make sure you’re fine tuning each and every cover letter you sending out so it focuses on the specifics of the job you are applying for. 
• KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE:   Make sure you are addressing your letter directly to the proper individual.   Do your research and find out who will be reading it…and absolutely make sure you have the proper spelling of their name.   If you can’t get a name, make sure to address it “Dear Hiring Manager,” or “Dear Recruiter.”   Don’t use “To Whom it May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam” as those are considered outdated. 
• PROOFREAD!:   The fastest way to end up in the circular file is by submitting a sloppy letter.   Double check to make sure your spelling and grammar are correct.    
• THE KEY TO SUCCESS LIES WITH KEYWORDS:   Pay careful attention to what is said in the job postings.   Look for key words and phrases in the description and make sure to echo those in your letter but don’t overstuff your letter. 
• BE PROFESSIONAL:   Keep the focus of your letter on the job you are applying for.   Introduce yourself but don’t go into too much detail or bring up anything unrelated to the job.   Do not speak badly of past employers or trash talk prior jobs.
• LINK IT UP:   Make sure your letter includes a link to your personal branded website.   A cover letter is a great introduction into who you are and what you can bring, and by including a link to your personal website, you’re allowing a potential employer to really explore everything you potentially can bring to the position.
• FOLLOW UP!:   Demonstrate your dedication to the position by making sure to follow up on all your contacts if possible.   Don’t become annoying, but at the same time, if you don’t reach out, you run the risk of being forgotten.

Common Mistakes

We’ve covered what what should be in a cover letter, but what should you NOT put in your cover letter?

• Rule number one of cover letters is…proofread. Proofread. Proofread. Oh, and then proofread it again. We don’t care if you’re writing the cover letter to end all cover letters. If you’re serious about a job you’re applying for…take the time to read your letter before you send it off. This includes making sure that not only are you spelling things correctly and that your grammar and punctuation is spot on, but that you’re also double checking the basics like the company name and the position you’re applying for.
• Lying about your past experiences or over inflating what you’ve done. Everyone’s allowed to brag a bit in their cover letter…as long as it’s true. Don’t lie to the company or yourself. If a company has nothing that appeals to you, you wouldn’t enjoy working there – and they’d rather not have you – so why bother applying?
• Talking about why you quit your last job. Remember, this is sort of like a blind date. Nobody wants to hear about your ex…and absolutely DO NOT TRASH YOUR PAST EMPLOYERS.
• Salary requirements. Save that for the interview.
• Getting too personal. The letter is a great way to introduce yourself, but remember…keep it about the position and keep it professional. The paragraph where you talk about the company can contain tidbits about you (I grew up watching the “Wonder Kids”) but don’t let it get too personal (After my alcoholic parents divorced and my father left the country to join the Amsterdam Travelling Cat and Flea Circus, the “Wonder Kids” were the only steady and constant positive in my life.) Save that for your therapist.

The Different Types of Cover Letters

As a job seeker, you need to be aware that there are different types of cover letters that align to the different ways jobs are posted and how you’re involved in the application process .  

In most cases, the basic cover letter layout we went over earlier in this article can be used as a solid foundation for whatever you write…but we’re here to help you rise above the competition which means making that extra effort. 

You’re the Perfect Candidate and that means ensuring that your cover letter is exactly right for whatever type of posting you come across.

So let’s take a look at what you might come across in your job-seeking travels.

Job Posting

A job posting is when an employer advertises an opening within their organization that they would like to fill.  

This can be anything from a notice in a newspaper , to a posting on the company website . 

Make sure you read the posting carefully and pay close attention to the description of the job.  

This is when you will begin to start tailoring your cover letter!

Try to figure out exactly what Qualities (skills and abilities) the company values and make sure you highlight these in your cover letter.

As you go through the post, identify the key words and phrases that are used .  

When you write your cover letter, make sure you use these keywords and phrases (but don’t just copy and paste the ad word for word). 

As always, do your research beforehand and use that information to help tailor your letter and showcase how you would be a welcome addition to their team.

Application Cover Letter

For many entry level positions, the application process is fairly simple and straight forward.  

You’ll go into wherever it is you want to work and ask for an application.  

They’ll hand you a pre-printed form and you’ll sit down and fill it out before turning it back in.  

Many job seekers who are applying for these types of positions will simply turn in their application after filling them out. 

Submitting a well written cover letter along with your application will make you stand out to a prospective employer.  

You’re showing them that you are willing to do the work to get the job and that can go a long way towards getting hired.  

It’s also a great idea for individuals who are new to the job market and might not have prior employment history . 

You always want to start out your letter with a personal salutation, so if possible, when picking up an application, ask for a few days to fill it out before returning it as well as the name of the individual who will be reviewing it.  

While most employers are happy to let you take an application and bring it back later, there is always the possibility you will be asked to fill it out on the spot.   For situations like this, always make sure you bring a copy (or two) of a pre-prepared cover letter and resume with you so you can hand them in all together . 

Before heading out to pick up applications, make sure you have a few letters already typed up and pre-tailored to the locations you plan on applying to.  

Yes, it means taking a bit more time at the beginning of your application process, but it will be well worth it and again demonstrates to the employer that you are invested in the position.

Online Application Cover Letter

Many companies these days utilize online job posting websites like Brass Ring and Monster to advertise available positions.  

While this might seem like a convenience for you (hey, you can apply for jobs in your living room while wearing your pajamas all day!) it actually means your odds of getting an invitation to interview is going to be tougher than it would be if you were mailing in your information.

Why?   Three little letters…ATS.

What’s ATS?

ATS , or Applicant Tracking System , is a computer based screening program used to filter applicants.  

The program scans thousands of applications and quickly discards those that don’t fit the specific algorithm it’s been programmed with.  

While that might sound like a great way to streamline the hiring process, it also means that whatever you submit has to be carefully crafted to ensure that it makes it through this robotic filter.  

If not done properly, your submission could be discarded before ever being seen by a living human being…and we definitely don’t want that!

The first thing you want to do is wrap your head around the idea that you are going to first be facing a robot and that it’s been programmed to get rid of you.   Okay, maybe not you specifically (we’ll save the Terminator analogies for another post) but certainly your application.

So how do you beat the bot?   By thinking like one.

Start by reading the job description carefully.  

Because the computer is going to be programmed to select only the candidates that perfectly match what the company is looking for, you need to make sure you are the right fit.  

Re-read the posting until you clearly understand exactly what the company is looking for and that you are absolutely able to fill that spot with the skills , qualities , experience and education you have. 

Tailoring your letter is something you should do for every position you apply for, but when it comes to online applications that are likely to be run through ATS, it’s absolutely vital.  

You want to make sure that your cover letter is specific to the job you are applying for.

Clearly state the title you are applying for and verify that it matches the title in the posting .  

Pay extra attention to the details of the position and the description of the job.   Many of the key words the bot is programmed to respond to will be in there.  

Use those same descriptions and key words in your cover letter and resume, but do it judiciously.  

Try not to repeat them more than two times.   Stuffing your letter with keywords might seem like an easy way to guarantee success, but it’s more likely to result in your application being flagged by the program and rejected . 

Make sure to carefully check your letter for spelling and grammar errors.  

This is a basic rule you should follow no matter what, but in this case, it’s even more crucial that your submission material is flaw free.  

While a human can read a letter and usually figure out what you mean regardless of tiny problems or a misspelled word here or there, a bot is looking for exact matches…not “close enough.”  

Keep this in mind when using acronyms as well.   To avoid the risk of an acronym being rejected by the bot, use both the acronym as well as the spelled out words. 

Ultimately you want your application to make it through ATS and into the hands of an actual human.  

It’s a delicate balancing act between being specific enough to pass ATS and still engaging enough to catch the attention of the hiring manager.   It’s tough, but it can be done!

Cold Call Cover Letter

A cold call cover letter is a letter you send out along with your resume to a company you want to work for that has NOT advertised any openings .  

Generally this is something you do when you find a company that you really want to work for but they don’t have any openings that fit your skills or they’re not soliciting for applicants. 

Applying for a job that doesn’t exist can be a risky venture, but it can also be a smart one.  

If you’re the Perfect Candidate (and you are!) you could potentially gain early consideration for an opening that comes up down the road.   Best case scenario, they think you’re so absolutely amazing that they find a job for you! 

Keep in mind, you’re not the only person on this planet who has submitted a cold call cover letter and resume, and you’re asking a company for a job that doesn’t exist…which means you have to make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that whatever you send in is absolutely perfect.

Remember, the company is NOT asking for people to submit to them , so you need to figure out what it is that you offer that makes you worth considering.   What can you bring to the table that they don’t already have and why should they take the time to look at your materials?

The first step for cold contacting a company is doing your research.  

Of course, as a student of The Interview Guys , you’re already well versed in the art of researching, but when it comes to a cold contact like this, you have to go above and beyond in your digging.  

You want your cover letter to contain knowledge of specific current situations within the company and how you can help .  

Just writing to a company and telling them how much you love them and want to work for them very rarely results in a job offer.  

You’re more likely to get a thank you note and a package of free corporate bumper stickers than an offer of employment. 

Open your letter with a solid salutation addressed to a specific individual.  

Because this is a cold contact, it’s absolutely imperative that you address your letter to exactly the right person.   You want to make sure that your information ends up with whoever is most likely to hire you.  

Open your letter with a generic salutation and you run the risk of it being either immediately tossed or passed onto someone who can’t do anything with it except send you that package of corporate bumper stickers.  

Make sure during your research that you determine exactly who should receive your information and address it to them.

The body of your letter is going to be critical to your success in this adventure.   You want to make sure that you open with a paragraph so strong, so focused, so dynamic, that whoever is reading it can’t help but keep reading.   You want the first paragraph your intended audience reads to hook their attention and draw them in, and this will come from your research. 

Have you found something in your digging that indicates that the company has a need you can fill?  

Are they preparing for an expansion and you know they’re going to need someone with your skills in the very near future?  

Is there an aspect of their business that is lagging and you know you can help strengthen it? 

** SIDE NOTE :   Make sure you are careful when addressing a failure within a company, even if you are offering them a solution.   You want them to see you as a viable answer to their problem, not an annoying upstart pointing out their flaws.  

It’s a delicate balance, but we have faith in you!

Follow up your opening paragraph by expanding on your key strengths and skills and how you plan on using them to benefit your target company .  

Try to include achievements and examples of how you’ve succeeded in the past and be prepared to back it up with proof should they reach out to you . 

Another great way to help strengthen your chances of securing an interview (and possibly a job) is to mention any connections you have to the company.  

Be sure you let whoever you are name dropping know that you’re doing this…you want to make sure if they get asked about you they have nothing but good things to say about you!   It’s a good idea to put this information early in your letter.   People are much more likely to read your letter if they see that you have a personal connection.

Close your letter out with options on how to move forward to the next step.  

While your ultimate goal with your letter and resume is a job interview, you might not feel comfortable straight out asking for one in a cold call situation.   Of course, if you are…more power to you…but if you feel that a softer approach is called for, try asking instead for information about their hiring practices, job fairs, a tour of the company or even for an informational interview .

What’s an informational interview?

An informational interview is one where you sit down with someone who works in a career or job you want to learn more about.   You’ll learn about what they do, what skills they need to have in order to succeed in their position and what it’s like to work where they work.  

It is NOT an interview for a job…but it could potentially lead to one down the road as whoever you are doing the interview with is now personally acquainted with you.

Remember, the key to success with a cold call cover letter depends on a number of factors including timing and how well you understand the company you are submitting to as well as how thorough your research is. 

Recruiter’s Ad Cover Letter

Many companies these days have turned their entire employee hiring process over to executive search firms staffed by highly trained recruiters.  

These recruiters might work with a number of companies (their clients) and are usually focused on a very specific category of job placement (e.g., engineers, paralegals, etc.).  

The recruiters will often place ads which allows them to pull together large numbers of qualified job candidates.  

Then they’ll go through those candidates and present the best of the best to their clients in the hopes that one of them (or more) will be hired.

To put it bluntly (and in keeping with our blind date analogy) recruiters are the matchmakers of the job world.   The companies tell the recruiters who they are looking for and the recruiters go through the piles of candidates they have on hand and try to find the best fit. 

When you respond to an ad placed by a recruiter and submit your cover letter and resume, you’re not usually submitting it for a specific job…rather you’re providing them with your information and skill set in the hopes that it matches up with a job assignment or opening they get from their corporate clients…and that means you have to take a totally different approach to how you write your cover letter.

Because a recruiter is looking for a specific set of skills to fill open positions , they will almost always start by first looking at your resume before ever looking at your cover letter.

Hang on, if they’re looking at my resume and ignoring my cover letter, then why even include one?

Don’t worry…your cover letter will get looked at…just not right away…which is why the information contained within it needs to be a little different than the information you would normally put into a cover letter.

If after reading your resume a recruiter decides you are a good fit for the position, they’ll turn to your cover letter for more information about you…and what they’re looking for is fairly specific .

A cover letter to a recruiter needs to quickly answer questions they might have about your eligibility and willingness to do the job they are pitching you for .  

You want to use your cover letter to explain what you can do, what you are qualified to do, and what you require in order to accept the job if it’s offered to you.

Start your letter out with a personal salutation.   You are essentially going to be represented by your recruiter so it’s a good idea to know who is passing your information around.

Your first paragraph should be a quick introduction into what you are and what you do.   They need to know what you are currently doing and where you are doing it.   You should also include in this section why you are looking for a new job and what you hope to get out of establishing a relationship with your recruiter.

The second paragraph should outline your skills and accomplishments as well as your background.   This is the paragraph where you lay out exactly why you believe you would be an asset to the recruiter’s clients. 

The third paragraph should cover the jobs and industries you are looking for employment in.   It’s also the paragraph where you discuss your salary history as well as your current salary range requirements. 

** SALARY SIDE NOTE :   Normally with cover letters you do NOT want to include salary information.   We’ll discuss this more in depth later on in this article, but for now, be aware, this is one of the few times when it’s not only acceptable, it’s necessary.

Make sure you also include whether or not you’d be willing to travel or relocate.  

Finally, make sure you include your availability and when you would be able to start a new job if offered.

Recruiter Cold Call Cover Letter

Submitting a cold call cover letter and resume to a recruiter is a lot like submitting a cold call cover letter to a company; you’re reaching out to someone who is not soliciting for applicants in the hopes of being considered for a position that may or may not exist .

When we went over Recruiter Ad cover letters, we told you that the recruiters would look at your resume first and your cover letter second…which in that scenario is true.  

In this scenario, where you are reaching out to them rather than responding to an ad or solicitation they’ve generated, they are absolutely going to look at your cover letter first…if for no reason other than to figure out who you are and why you’re contacting them. 

The best way to ensure that your letter and information gets a serious look is by doing your research on the recruiter you are contacting ahead of time.  

Recruiters are usually very specific about who they’re looking for and what they’re recruiting for, so it’s important that you contact someone who represents the field you are qualified to work in.

The first paragraph is where you introduce yourself.   Let the recruiter know who you are and what you are/what you do.   You also want to let them know what you would like to do and what sort of job you are looking for and why you are looking for a new job.   Make sure you are specific and provide any details you think might help them in matching you with the right company should an opportunity arise.

The second paragraph should outline your skills and accomplishments as well as your background.   This is the paragraph where you lay out exactly why you believe you would be an asset to the recruiter’s clients and should be included in their pile of potential pitches.   It’s also the paragraph where you let the recruiter know clearly what type of work you are interested in, be it full time, part time, permanent or freelance.   Make sure you decide ahead of time and stick with it.   A recruiter needs to know your level of commitment to the jobs they are submitting you for.

The third paragraph is where you discuss your salary history as well as your current salary range requirements. 

** SALARY SIDE NOTE PART DEUX :   As we said above with Recruiter Ad Cover Letters, discussing your salary in a cover letter is normally not done.   We’ll discuss this more in depth later on in this article, but for now, be aware, this is one of the few times when again it’s not only acceptable, it’s necessary.

Finally, make sure you include your availability and when you would be able to start a new job if offered. 

With a recruiter cold call letter, you don’t normally include how you plan to follow up with them.  

Recruiters are incredibly busy and are highly trained in what they do.   Although you might be tempted to reach out to them, hold off.   Bothering them isn’t going to get you anywhere.  

If they see something in you that warrants their attention, they will reach out to you.

Direct Mail Campaign Cover Letter

A Direct Mail Campaign is where a job seeker sends out hundreds of letters and resumes to potential employers in the hopes of securing an interview or position.  

Although similar to the Cold Call Cover Letter in that you are submitting to companies that aren’t currently advertising positions, it’s a much less focused process and involves you sending the same cover letter and resume out to everyone in the hopes that someone responds back.

When you do a Direct Mail Campaign Cover Letter, you want to avoid anything that would specifically apply to one company over another.  

Because you’re sending this same letter out to multiple companies, you want to be general enough for it to apply broadly, but not so general that it works against you.

Your cover letter should start out by introducing the reader to who you are and what you do as well as what job you are seeking. 

The next paragraphs should detail your skills and experience with the job you are seeking and why you are qualified to do it.

Finally, be sure to wrap your letter up with information on how the company can contact you if interested. 

**A WORD OF CAUTION WITH DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGNS:   While it might seem like this method is more efficient than targeting and tailoring your information for specific companies and jobs, it can also work against you.   Most hiring managers can quickly recognize a direct mail letter and will discard it as ‘spam.’

Referral Cover Letter

A Referral Cover Letter is one you send after someone who works with the company or has contacts within the industry refers you .  

It is similar to any other company cover letter with the exception of the opening paragraph.

Make sure to introduce yourself and also mention the individual who referred you to the company or position.  

If possible, include anything specific your contact has told you about the position or the person you are reaching out to .

Once you have finished your introductory paragraph, use the rest of your letter to discuss your skills , education , background , training … anything that will help to show that you are a good fit for the position .

Finally make sure you close your letter with your plans for following up with them and how they might contact you with any questions.

Blind Posting Cover Letter

A blind job posting is one in which a company posts a job opening but decides to remain anonymous.  

A company might decide to blind post for a high profile position they don’t want to call attention to so as not to appear lacking in leadership.  

Other times it’s meant to build excitement and mystery to help increase the number of applicants. 

Submitting to a blind listing means tailoring your letter to the company is going to be difficult…but it doesn’t have to be impossible…and that extra bit of sleuthing can help really elevate your application above the rest of the entries. 

A good place to start is by taking a closer look at the posting.   Is there a fax number or email included?   Sometimes you can get lucky, and with a bit of internet digging, trace those backwards to find out what company those are attached to .   The same goes for a physical address or P.O. Box.

Look for key phrases as well.  

Is the company referencing anything specific like “we have been ranked number one in employee retention and satisfaction for the past five years.”?  

Type that phrase into your favorite search engine and see what pops up. 

Of course, the goal of figuring out who the company is isn’t so you can reveal how smart you are in your letter…rather, it’s to help with your tailoring process.  

Proving you’re a master detective could potentially backfire…especially if you’re wrong.   Instead of bragging about your digging skills, use what you learn to help show why you’re a perfect fit for the job.

How do you address a cover letter for a blind posting?  

Ideally you want to make sure your letter is personal and that means addressing it to a specific individual, but in a situation like this, you have to consider other options.  

In the event you figure out exactly what company is hiring for…and there is absolutely NO DOUBT about their identity, then you could potentially go online, look at their website and see who is overseeing hiring…but we’re going to strongly caution you against this.   Again…you could be wrong…or worse…look creepy and stalkerish.  

This is one instance when using “Dear Hiring Manager” is perfectly acceptable.

Once you get this all done, it’s time to tackle the content of your letter.   Again, because this is a blind posting, it’s going to be tough tailoring your information.  

That means you have to pay extra close attention to exactly what the posting says.  

Go over it carefully and pay attention to exactly what the company is looking for.  

Make sure you highlight exactly how you fit what they’re looking for and include examples demonstrating your skills, knowledge and experience .  

If the posting contains specific instructions, be sure to follow them to the absolute letter.   This is a good thing to do no matter what, but in a blind posting, it can be the make or break.

In a normal job posting where you know who you are applying to, your closing paragraph should always include how you plan on following up with the company.  

Unfortunately with blind job postings, that’s not possible.   Regardless, you want to make sure your final paragraph is strong and lets the hiring manager (whoever they are) know that you are looking forward to the possibility of discussing the position in greater detail at an in person interview.

Internship Cover Letter

An internship is a great way to get your foot in the door and learn more about a company/career you are thinking of pursuing.  

Just because it’s an internship and not an actual job doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat it just as seriously.

Make sure when you’re addressing your letter that you’re sending it to the right individual.   Many times with internships they’re facilitated by the educational institution you’re attending and will provide you with specific contact information.  

If you are securing your own internship and not receiving university assistance with the process, make sure you do your research ahead of time and find out who will be reading your letter. 

Start out your letter by clearly stating your intent to secure an internship so there is no confusion and your letter ends up in the wrong pile…or worse, the trash.

Always include your educational background information ; what you’re studying and where .

As you continue into the body of your letter, don’t allow yourself to be intimidated by your lack of “work” experience.   When applying for an internship, it’s okay to have less experience than someone who is employed in the field you are entering.   In fact, it’s expected!  

An internship is an opportunity to learn.   Including a paragraph about what you hope to take away from this internship and how it will help you achieve your long term goals is a great way to show enthusiasm and set you apart from the crowd .

No Prior Work Experience Cover Letter

If you’re just entering the job market or a recent graduate, it can be intimidating writing cover letters without any experience.  

Not to worry!

It’s still absolutely essential to send out a cover letter…we just have to tailor it a bit differently. 

Writing a cover letter for an entry level position, or to a job you have no experience in is very similar to the letter you would write as an intern.   It’s perfectly fine to highlight your non-employment related experiences… if they are relevant to the job.

For recent graduates, make sure to include where you went to school and how what you’ve studied relates directly to the job you are applying for .

Volunteer experiences ,  internships ,  related classes , projects ,  leadership experiences ,  extracurricular activities  and your skills that pertain to the position you’re applying for all can and should be mentioned in your cover letter .

A lack of experience doesn’t mean you’re allowed to have a lack of knowledge about what you’re applying for and the company you’re applying to.  

That means you still have to do your research!  

Make sure you know everything you can about the company . Visit their website . Read their blog . Get inside their corporate heads and figure out how you and what you bring are the perfect fit !

If the job posting has buzzwords, be sure to include those in your letter and make sure they relate to the skills you’ve got.

Finally, as with any and all cover letters, be honest, be succinct, be professional.

Check out our new blog post that covers 12 great cover letter examples!

 Let’s Talk About Salary, Baby

As promised, we’re going to quickly discuss if and when you should bring up salary requirements in your cover letters.

Generally you DO NOT and SHOULD NOT include this information in your cover letters (with the exception of the two Recruiter specific letters we discussed above).  

If an employer does not require you to include any salary information (including history, requirement or range) then don’t put it in there.  

There is a time and a place for the salary discussion and we cover that in our article “ How To Negotiate Salary During The Interview Process. ” 

If an employer asks you for your salary information but doesn’t require it, hold off on passing that information on until it becomes an actual requirement.

But what do you do if an employer says you must include this information in order to apply?  

One way to tackle this tricky subject is to give a salary range.   Make sure you do your research ahead of time to determine what your job is worth and be sure to make your range realistic.   Also make sure that you are able to be flexible within that range should your employer decide to negotiate. 

Another way to answer this question is to state that your requirements are negotiable and that you are willing to factor in things like benefits and the actual position itself.

No matter what you put down, be sure to state clearly that your salary requirements are flexible and open to discussion. The last thing you want to do is lock yourself into a rate that is so high you lose the job or so low you find yourself being offered far less than what you’re worth .

Keep in mind that although most employers have a salary range for a position already figured out before you even walk through the door, it’s not set in stone.   If you are the Perfect Candidate (and you are!) a good employer will figure out how to pay more for you if they feel that will get you to accept the job…  

This won’t happen, however, if you lock yourself into a number too early in the game.    

So why is it okay to tell a recruiter my salary history and range but not a potential employer?

When you give an employer salary information, you are limiting your ability to negotiate.   Without the ability to negotiate, you run the risk of being offered or accepting a job for less than you deserve.

A recruiter, however, needs to know your salary information so they can use that information when pitching you for jobs to their clients.  

A recruiter is paid only after they fill a position for a client, and that fee is covered by the client themselves.  

Usually that fee amounts to a percentage of whatever the first year’s compensation for the new employee ends up being which means it’s in the recruiter’s best interest to try to get you as high a rate as possible. 

Recruiters also need to know this information so they can avoid pitching you for jobs that are lower than your range .  

It doesn’t do them any good to have an employer offer to hire you and have you turn it down because you aren’t happy with the salary. 

However, to prevent yourself from being locked into a situation where you are again faced with being offered too little or asking for too much, keep your answers in range form and base those numbers off of real world examples and your research.

Cover Letter Samples

Ok, so we’ve basically covered everything you could ever need to know about cover letters.   But I know what you might be thinking…

“Can I get a cover letter sample or two please Mike?   I’m basically an expert now but it would be much easier if I could just start with a cover letter template.”

Look, we covered a ton of stuff in this article so I don’t blame you.   So what we decided to do is enlist the help of our friends over at vault.com who have a treasure trove full of great cover letter samples that you can use as a guideline for your own letter.

But here’s the deal.   Hiring managers are smart AND have access to these websites as well, so you don’t want to simply choose a sample cover letter and then just completely rip it off.   Take the time to make it your own, because it will pay off in the long run.

Copying a cover letter example word for word will only make you sound like someone other than yourself, and that is not what we are trying to do here!

Ok so Vault separates their cover letter templates into four distinct categories, so go ahead and click the link below that applies to your situation the most:

Cold Call Cover Letters

Direct mail cover letters, response to ad cover letters, referral letters.

Those four categories above should give you enough examples of cover letters to get you prepared for writing your own!

If after sending your cover letter and your resume you don’t hear from the company within a couple of days, a quick “wanted to be sure you had received my application” email is an entirely appropriate follow-up, even without telling them that you will be following up first.

If you do end up needing to write a thank you note , you absolutely should slip in a line like “ I really think my (skills and talents that are relevant to the job) would be great for (the company), and want to make sure my application didn’t get lost or submitted incorrectly. ”

You can also throw in something again about why you want to work at that company – mention some company values or exciting projects to show that you’ve done your research and are really interested in them specifically.

And don’t forget to study as many cover letter examples as you can!  Especially the cover letter example that we laid out for you in detail in this article.

So there you have it!   How To Write a Cover Letter 101 .  

By following what we’ve laid out here for you, your cover letter is going to be a single paged professional introduction aimed at getting you in the door and on your way to an interview .  

By using our tailoring method and infusing the body of your letter with keywords and the qualities the employer is looking for, you’ll be positioning yourself for a spot at the top of their list of potential candidates.

Just remember, dating analogies aside, it’s probably a good idea to leave the flowers and chocolates at home.

FREE : "Perfect Cover Letter" PDF CHEAT SHEET

Get our handy "Perfect Cover Letter" cheat sheet.

In it you'll get a step-by-step process that will let you craft the perfect cover letter.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE CHEAT SHEET

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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How to Write a Cover Letter (With Example)

8 min read · Updated on May 21, 2024

Just when you think your resume is polished and you're ready to apply for a job, you realize you need a cover letter. Here's how to write one.

If you dread writing cover letters, know you're not the only one. You've put a lot of work into writing your resume , and now you need to sell yourself in a great cover letter.

The task can feel daunting, but it's an important one, so try to approach it one step at a time. Before you know it, you'll have the perfect cover letter to pair with your perfect resume, and you'll be ready to catch the attention of hiring managers.

Let's start with the basics, and then we'll walk you through each section of the cover letter — and even give you an example.

What's a cover letter, and why are they important?

A good cover letter is a brief introductory letter to hiring managers that you attach to your job application along with your resume. A well-written cover letter shouldn't be more than one page, and it's your opportunity to introduce yourself, highlight your most relevant skills and experiences, explain why you're a great fit for the job, and help a potential employer get to know you beyond your resume.

With the formatting, it'll likely end up somewhere between 250 and 400 words — not too long.

You might be wondering if cover letters are required: Will a hiring manager actually read it ? If the job application has a place to attach a cover letter, you'll want to write one. 

Even if the job listing says a cover letter is optional, job seekers should still write one. A cover letter shows you're serious about the job and that you're willing to put the work in to get it.

Cover letters are also a great opportunity to elaborate on aspects of your resume, like an employment gap, a budgetary layoff, or an upcoming relocation. You can also use a cover letter to show your personality outside your resume. 

A professional cover letter could also become a tie-breaker. If the job is between you and another candidate, the hiring team may review your cover letter and resume to help make their final decision.

Writing a cover letter: A step-by-step guide

Although cover letters are fairly short, they can be quite daunting. That's why it's important to approach your cover letter by sections:

Step 1: Address your cover letter

Your cover letter and resume are a package, so you'll want them to match. Start your proper cover letter with your name (formatted like it is at the top of your resume) along with your contact information.

When you search for generic cover letter templates online, you might find ones where you'll fill in a company's contact information. That was relevant when cover letters were sent via snail mail, but these days, you can just leave it off. A hiring manager doesn't need to see the address of their office building.

Below your contact information, add the date you're applying and address your cover letter to its intended recipient. If the job description doesn't include the name of a hiring manager or team leader, here's how to find this information:

If the job listing has an email address, use it to search for a name on Google or through an online company directory.

If the job listing is on LinkedIn, see if you can track down the original poster.

If the job description mentions who the job reports to, search for that individual or position title in a company directory.

If you still can't find a name to address your cover letter to, avoid phrases like “To whom it may concern,” “Hey,” or “Dear Sir/Madam” — these are hated cover letter cliches . Instead, address it to the department that's hiring (e.g. Dear Editorial Team) or the team manager (e.g. Dear Customer Service Manager).

Step 2: Introduce yourself

You'll want to kick off your great cover letter by introducing yourself. This is the perfect opportunity to explain why you're interested in the role and the company and what you can bring to the team. 

This is also your chance to demonstrate you've done your homework, showing you know something about the company or industry. Additionally, if you found the job through a colleague already at the company or through a mutual connection, this is a great place to drop their name.

If you're confident in your writing skills and are feeling creative, you can swap out the standard introductory paragraph with an anecdote that relates to your work. This should grab the reader's attention and also illustrate the most important — and relevant — skills you possess for the job at hand. 

If you're curious to learn more about this idea, communications expert Danny Rubin explains “storytelling” cover letters with examples. This is definitely a great way to hook the reader into wanting to read your entire cover letter.

Step 3: Highlight your qualifications

After you've introduced yourself, use the second paragraph of your professional cover letter to highlight your relevant skills and qualifications . Instead of simply listing these (you already did that on your resume), use this as an opportunity to illustrate how you are qualified to do this job. Spell out how your professional experience, education , and abilities meet the position's core requirements.

This is arguably the most important section, as it clearly explains to the reader why your application is worth a read. 

Certified professional career coach and TopResume's resident career expert Amanda Augustine suggests identifying three or four core must-have requirements from the job description , listing each in its own bullet within the cover letter and explaining how you meet these requirements.

Don't forget to tie each requirement back to the job itself; you'll want the hiring manager to understand exactly what you can bring to the company.

Step 4: Close with a call-to-action

You're almost done! Now, it's time to wrap up your cover with a specific call to action. 

Rather than merely asking for the hiring manager or recruiter to review your resume, let them know when you will follow up with them about your application. This keeps the ball in your court and gives you a legitimate reason to follow up.

Your closer is also the perfect spot to show your enthusiasm and excitement. Don't go overboard, but don't be afraid to let them know you're excited about this opportunity.

Step 5: Sign off

Once you've thanked a hiring manager for their time and consideration, it's time to sign off.  Think about how the closing salutations you use for your professional emails. Keep it simple with “best regards,” “sincerely,” or “thank you.”

A note on cover letter keywords

As you write your unique cover letter, keep keywords in mind. Just like you added keywords to your resume , you'll want to do the same for your cover letter.

Remember, these aren't just catchy buzzwords. Keywords are the words you see repeated in the job listing. Including these keywords in your cover letter will help ensure it gets seen and prove to the hiring manager you understand the job listing.

Use this cover letter example for guidance

If you're still struggling to get started, check out this free cover letter sample to give you a better idea of how you can structure your cover letter.

Remember: The information should be tailored to the specific role and company and the format of the cover letter, such as the font, should match the look and feel of your resume. 

Final note: Tailoring your cover letter for each job

Now that you've got your successful cover letter, let's reiterate one final point: It's important you tailor your cover letter for each job application . 

Of course you'll want to update the company name and the title of the position, but take it one step further and call out specific facts about the company, the job requirements, and your most relevant skills. Doing this will woo the hiring manager and show you're serious.

You don't have to write a brand new cover letter for each job, however. Instead, create a cover letter template and make copies of it for each job application you submit. Simply leave blanks for the hiring manager's name, the specifics about the company, and your relevant professional skills, then customize them to each job description.

Once you've created a solid template, you've gotten the hardest part out of the way, and it should make applying to jobs a lot easier.

Nailed your cover letter but still not feeling so hot about your resume? Let an expert help with a resume rewrite .

This article was updated in August 2020. It was originally written by Amanda Augustine .

Recommended Reading:

9 Cliches to Cut From Your Cover Letter Right Now

The Right (and Wrong) Ways to Show Personality in Your Cover Letter

How to Tailor Your Cover Letter for Each Job Application

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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How to Ace Your Cover Letter in 9 Simple Steps (Like a Pro!)

Show your motivation to land your next job with this step-by-step guide to ace your cover letter, including helpful bonus tips to make it stand out.

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If you’re looking for a job, you’re likely going to come across applications that ask for a cover letter. While it might be tempting to skip them (especially when they take time and aren’t always “required”), you may want to think again! 

It turns out 53% of employers prefer when you include a cover letter with your resume. One of the reasons is that 47% of recruiters believe it indicates motivation .

In this article, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide to ace your cover letter, including helpful bonus tips to make it stand out among the rest.

What is a Resume Cover Letter for a Job?

A resume cover letter for a job is an important document to introduce yourself to an employer. Tailored for a specific role, a cover letter should be concise, informative, and highlight your relevant skills and experiences. Additionally, it should demonstrate your enthusiasm and interest in the role and organization and include a statement of appreciation for the employer’s time and consideration. 

Ultimately, it’s helpful to think of your cover letter as an effective marketing tool. Written well, your cover letter showcases your unique qualifications and makes a compelling case for why you are the ideal candidate for the position.

Paired with a great resume, your cover letter is one piece of the puzzle that can help you land your dream job.  

Ready to start planning your professional development?

Use our free worksheet to get started on your Professional Development Plan.

How to Do a Cover Letter: a Step-by-Step Guide

1. step one: get to know the company.

Take a beat to research the organization and job you’re applying for. 

Find out as much as possible about the company, its mission, its values, and the roles or roles you’re interested in. Along the way, you may discover things you didn’t know that get you more excited about the position. 

You may also discover things that make you realize you no longer want to apply for the job! Make a note of what you learn along the way. In either case, this is a foundational step to any great cover letter and will set you up for success once you write your first draft.

Places to start your research:

• The company website—look at the about page, team page, mission, vision, etc.
• Glassdoor—check out the reviews, pros, cons, benefits, salary mentions, etc.
• Google—check out news sources, publications, podcasts, or anything else that might come up about the company with a simple Google search. 
• The company’s social media accounts (especially LinkedIn)—look at the company’s page and posts shared by customers and employees.

Look into your connections

Before you click apply to any job, go on LinkedIn and read what other employees say about working for the company and note what they share and value. You might even try looking at the “People” tab of the company’s LinkedIn page to see if you have any mutual or second-degree connections. These connections are gold!

According to research by Harvard Business Review and others, your second-degree connections carry a lot of value in your opportunity to land your next job. You may even end up with a helpful sponsor or new friend! 

Here are some steps you can take to make the most of your second-degree LinkedIn connections:

• Ask your mutual connection for an introduction to someone who works at the company.
• Set up a Zoom meeting or coffee date to learn more about the company you’re applying for (even better if the mutual connection happens to work in the department you’re interested in). 
• Ask them what they like about their job, the company’s values, and what advice they might have for you moving forward.
• If the connection goes well, they may even offer to put in a good word for you. If that’s the case, note their name on the cover letter (with their permission, of course).
• Tailor your cover letter with the information you gain from these conversations.

For additional networking ideas, check out these ten guaranteed networking tips !

2. Step two: Pick out a stand-out template

Many job seekers choose a cover letter template matching their resume design. Want to make your resume and cover letter look extra slick? Programs like Canva have a range of free templates that include resume and cover letter designs to make your application look cohesive and professional. 

Don’t forget to include the header information! 

You should write your resume cover letter as a formal business document. This means including your contact details at the top of the page. At the very least, include your name, address, phone number, and email address. If relevant, include your portfolio website and/or LinkedIn profile.  

The top header of your letter might look something like this:

123-456-7890 | 123 Main St Springfield, MO 12345 

[email protected] | Website.com | LinkedIn.com/John

3. Step three: Include the date and contact information of the person receiving the letter

If you’re physically mailing your letter, the next section should include the date and contact information of the person receiving the letter. 

The next section of your letter might look something like this:

Month XX, YEAR

Hiring Manager Name

Company Name

City, State Zip

Email address

If you’re not physically mailing your letter, you may choose to opt out of including the address and move on to step four.

4. Step four: Greet the person you’re writing to by name

Remember you’re a person talking to another person, so always start your cover letter with a greeting! 

If you’ve done your research well, you should know who you’re addressing. If you can’t find it on their website, check out the “People” tab on the company’s LinkedIn page. Use the hiring manager or department head’s name if possible. 

Example: Hello [Name],

Bonus tip: What happens if you don’t know the name of the person you should address? Hopefully, you’ve done enough research to avoid this conundrum. Unfortunately, you still might need to include this information. If that’s the case, you may address the title of the person you hope to reach. In most cases, this is the hiring manager. Otherwise, you may address a department. 

Example: Dear Director of [Department],  

Dear Marketing Department,

Whatever you do, try to avoid saying “to whom it may concern” as it tends to sound impersonal. 

5. Step five: Introduce yourself and express your interest

Your opening paragraph is your chance to make a first impression . It’s about you, sure, but it’s also about how you can meet their needs. So as you introduce yourself, keep the other person in mind, and remember to tailor your letter to the role and the company. ( Alert: Avoid a generic paragraph copied and pasted from another job application!)

This paragraph should do two things…

• Introduce yourself and explain your interest in and fit for the position.
• Acknowledge your familiarity with the company and how your skills align with its goals.

Example: I’m writing to express my interest in the [Position Name] role at [Company]. I’m someone who values [Aligned Company value], and my knowledge and experience in [Knowledge, Experience, and/or Industry] align with the skills and qualifications you’re looking for to reach your goal of [Company Goal]. Below is a brief highlight of some of my relevant accomplishments and expertise.

Here’s another way you could start your letter: Thank you for taking the time to review my application for the role of [Position Name] role at [Company]. After reading the job posting on [location of posting], I am excited about the positive and lasting contribution I can make to your team. I’m passionate about [Something the Company does or values] and look forward to the opportunity to share my expertise in [Knowledge, Experience, and/or Industry] to help you reach your goal of [Company goal]. Below is a brief highlight of some of my relevant accomplishments and expertise.

Bonus tip: Did someone refer you to the job? Did you connect with someone who works at the company during your research? This letter section might be an excellent place to mention that referral and drop a name!

Example: Thank you for reviewing my application for the [Position Name] role at [Company]. After discussing the role with [Name of referral] from [Company or Company department], I am excited about the positive and lasting contribution I can make to your team. 

Fill in the blanks for one of the intro paragraphs above, make it your own, and then move on to step six!

6. Step six: Highlight a few of your relevant qualifications, skills, and accomplishments 

In a very concise paragraph or two, this section is where you highlight why you’re an ideal candidate.  

Think about accomplishments and skills that align with the goals of the role and the company. Include awards, formal training, expertise, or even your industry network (if it is relevant to the job). You don’t need to list every achievement you’ve ever had or rehash your resume in a letter format. This is about highlights!

Tailor this section to things the company or hiring manager will care about most. Note the keywords and desired qualifications from the job posting. For example, does the job posting focus on team leadership? Include information about how you successfully led a team to accomplish a specific goal. 

Specificity is key here! Avoid fluffy or generic language that could be read on anyone’s resume. 

Here’s an example of a lousy way to highlight your accomplishments: I successfully led a dynamic, diverse team to exceed the company’s strategic goals to advance its revenue stream. ←This says nothing because it doesn’t get specific about what you achieved. 

Instead, showcase your unique achievements with specific information that could only be about you! Keep a list of things you’re proud of and specific achievements throughout your career. Examples of specific achievements might look something like this:

• Achieved a 25% increase in sales within six months by implementing a new marketing strategy.
• Streamlined the onboarding process for new employees, resulting in a 50% reduction in training time.
• Led a team of 10 people to complete a project under budget and ahead of schedule by 20%.

Add your specific accomplishments to the template below. One or two paragraphs in this section might look something like this:

Example: My experience in [relevant field] has enabled me to develop [list of your most vital skills]. Some of my proudest accomplishments include [accomplishment] and [accomplishment], which resulted in [return on investment or specific outcome]. I’ve also been recognized with [award] for [accomplishment]. 

Example: I was responsible for [example] in my previous role. I was able to [example], which resulted in [outcome]. I bring a network of strong contacts in [industry], which enables me to stay engaged with [something relevant to the Company’s interest].

In this section, you can also share your accomplishment as a story. Stories are memorable and can show more personality.

Example: One highlight from my career is when the company I was with was trying to [specific goal]. I recognized the issue was [gap or issue], so I jumped into [how you solved or overcame the issue], which resulted in [outcome]. 

Be sure to use active language

In this section, use active language and strong verbs to describe your experience and achievements. If you’re worried about sounding arrogant, sometimes it helps to have a colleague or friend who knows your work well give you feedback on this section. This is especially helpful for those who may struggle with imposter syndrome or tend to downplay their accomplishments. For more insight, check out these 12 tips to help you stand out.

Make these paragraphs with the examples above and start closing your letter in steps seven and eight!

7. Step seven: Connect your achievements to the company’s goals

As you begin the close of your letter, circle back to how your accomplishments connect to the company’s goals. This paragraph should be short and sweet and summarize how you can add value toward achieving the company’s goals. 

This section might sound something like this…

Example: [Company goal or mission] is something I’m passionate about, and I’m confident that my expertise in [expertise] can help [Company] realize that goal.

8. Step eight: Close the letter with a call to action

At the closing of your letter, tell the hiring manager how to contact you and why they should reach out to you.

Balance warmth and competence throughout your letter. You want to show that you’re capable of the job through your achievements, but you also want to express that you’re enjoyable to work with. The final closing of your letter could be an excellent place to add warmth by including sentiments of gratitude, excitement, flexibility, curiosity, and interest.

Example: I look forward to discussing the [Position Name] with you and exploring the opportunity to join your team and add value through my experience in [expertise]. You can reach me via email or phone to set up a time to connect. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you for your time, [Name]! 

[Your Full Name]

9. Step nine: Proofread your letter 

This is an important last step before you hit send or drop your application in the mail! Free tools like Grammarly are a great help here.

Go through a checklist to proofread your letter and catch any typos, grammatical errors, or redundant phrases. Most importantly, ensure that you correctly spell the name of the person you’re addressing. If their name is spelled wrong, you immediately start on a bad note, and it may not matter how impressive the rest of the letter is. 

Here’s a list of things to check for before you hit send:

• Correct spelling of the addressee’s name
• Correct header contact information
• Correct addressee contact information
• Remove run-on sentences
• Capitalized proper nouns
• Correct punctuation
• Use of active voice/strong verbs
• Remove unnecessary words
• Correct subject/verb agreement
• Double-check the details (especially if you use a copy-and-paste template!)
• Review: Does it make sense? Is it clear?
• Mental check: Would you hire the person you’re presenting in your letter?

Bonus tip: A good rule of thumb is to let others check your work. Share the letter with a trusted friend, colleague, coach, or mentor and ask for honest feedback—especially if they are grammar fanatics. They may catch things you don’t even see! You don’t have to take all their suggestions, but what they do share could save you from being passed over for the job.

Cover Letter Example (with Template)

Pulled all together, this is what a good cover letter example might look like:

123-456-7890 | 123 Main St Springfield, MO 12345

Alan Manager

ABC Company

123 Company St

Springfield, MO 12345

[email protected]

Thank you for taking the time to review my application for the role of Sales Manager at ABC Company. After reading the job posting on LinkedIn, I am excited about the positive and lasting contribution I can make to your team. I’m passionate about customer satisfaction and look forward to the opportunity to share my expertise in sales and customer service to help you reach your goal of increasing revenue. Below is a brief highlight of some of my relevant accomplishments and expertise.

My experience in sales has enabled me to develop strong negotiation and communication skills. Some of my proudest accomplishments include increasing sales by 25% within six months and receiving a “Top Salesperson” award for consistently exceeding sales targets.

One highlight from my career is when the company I was with was trying to increase market share in a new region. I recognized the lack of brand awareness, so I jumped in to develop and implement a targeted marketing campaign, which resulted in a 30% increase in market share within the first year.

Increasing revenue is something I’m passionate about, and I’m confident that the expertise in sales and customer service I can bring to the table can help ABC Company realize that goal.

I look forward to discussing the Sales Manager role with you and exploring the opportunity to join your team and add value through my experience in sales and customer service. You can reach me via email or phone to set up a time to connect. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you for your time, Alan!

Here’s a template you can use:

Dear [Hiring Manager Name],

Thank you for taking the time to review my application for the role of [Position Name] role at [Company]. After reading the job posting on [location of posting], I am excited about the positive and lasting contribution I can make to your team. I’m passionate about [Something the Company does or values] and look forward to the opportunity to share my expertise in [Knowledge, Experience, and/or Industry] to help you reach your goal of [Company goal]. Below is a brief highlight of some of my relevant accomplishments and expertise. 

My experience in [relevant field] has enabled me to develop [list of your strongest skills]. Some of my proudest accomplishments include [accomplishment] and [accomplishment], which resulted in [return on investment or outcome]. I’ve also been recognized with [award] for [accomplishment]. 

One highlight from my career is when the company I was with was trying to [specific goal]. I recognized the issue was [gap or issue], so I jumped into [how you solved or overcame the issue], which resulted in [outcome]. 

[Company goal or mission] is something I’m passionate about, and I’m confident that the expertise in [expertise] I can bring to the table can help [Company] realize that goal.

I look forward to discussing the [Position Name] with you and exploring the opportunity to join your team and add value through my experience in [expertise]. You can reach me via email or phone to set up a time to connect. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you for your time, [Hiring Manager First Name]! 

Cover Letter FAQs

After following the nine steps above, you’ll be ready to send your application and (hopefully) land that dream job! Of course, you can utilize plenty of other resources to ace your cover letter, including template software and information to help you tailor your cover letter to align with a specific industry. 

Included in these cover letter FAQs are additional bonus tips and resources to help you get started.

• How long should a cover letter be? 70% of recruiters believe cover letters shouldn’t exceed 300 words. This is because recruiters have limited time and may skip your cover letter if it contains too many words. So keep your cover letters concise and don’t exceed one page.
• How do you address a cover letter to an unknown recipient? Hopefully, you’ve done enough research to avoid this conundrum. Unfortunately, you still might find yourself missing this information. If that’s the case, you may address the title of the person you hope to reach. In most cases, this is the hiring manager. Otherwise, you may address a department.  Example: Dear Director of [Department],   Or Dear Marketing Department, Whatever you do, avoid saying “to whom it may concern” as it tends to sound impersonal.
• What’s included in a strong cover letter? A strong cover letter introduces you and your interest in the job and company and highlights your relevant accomplishments to match the job description. It shows how you can add value to the company and provides a way for the hiring manager or recruiter to reach you. Displaying warmth and competence, your cover letter is a compelling marketing piece that indicates why you’re an ideal candidate for the position. For additional ideas on presenting yourself well, check out our article on how to craft the perfect elevator pitch .
• What’s an example of a weak cover letter? A weak cover letter uses generic, fluffy, or cliché language. Does this line sound familiar? “I have a proven track record of delivering results.” No, thank you! Recruiters can usually tell when a letter was copied and pasted from a generic file because it’s often disconnected from the job description. This usually means the writer failed to tailor the letter to the role and company they’re applying for—or worse, they forgot to edit out information from another job application. Yikes!  A weak cover letter does not address the hiring manager or recruiter by name. Do the extra research as much as possible to find out to whom to address the letter!
• Where can I find the best cover letter design templates? Canva , Google docs , and Microsoft have several free options for design templates. Canva even includes cover letter design templates that can match your resume design. Slick!
• Is there any software to help me write my cover letter? For templates that allow you to drop in your information and generate a cover letter you can download, you can take advantage of free tools like My Perfect Cover Letter or Cover Letter Now.
• How do I write a cover letter that matches my industry? Your best bet is to do your research about the company you’re applying for. Better yet, connect with people who already work there to provide you with advice! Other free options like My Perfect Cover Letter or Cover Letter Now include industry-specific options to tailor your resume and stand out.
• Highlight your soft and transferable skills. For example, you may not be an expert coder yet, but you may have excellent project management or leadership skills that can transfer onto any team!
• Make a note of your passion for the role or mission of the company. Tell a story about your “why.” The context for why you’re interested or passionate about a role outside of a field you may have experience in provides additional clarity to the hiring manager. 
• Express a willingness to learn. Much like showcasing your soft skills, provide an example of how you learned something and applied it to solving a specific problem in the past. This shows your ability to adapt to new situations.
• Mention referrals! Be sure to get permission for this first, but referrals are a great way to enter a new industry. This is gold if you have a sponsor on the inside who can endorse your character, work ethic, passion, and willingness to learn.
• What words should I avoid in my cover letter? There is a lot of advice on what words or phrases to avoid in your cover letter. The basic rule of thumb is that you want to be concise, direct, and kind but not passive.  What’s important to remember is that you’re a human connecting with another human. When you write your cover letter, put it through your filter. If you received your letter, would you be excited about the person applying for the job? If your answer is no, consider a rewrite.  Here are words that can make you sound undesirable as a potential employee: “To whom it may concern.”  “I need this job.” “My salary requirements are….” Fillers words like “Very,” “Really,” “Essentially,” etc. “I think…” “I hope…” “I feel…” “I always…” “I never…” “My life story is…” “I’m the best.” “I’m the perfect fit.” Avoid cliché, generic language that doesn’t say anything. “I’m a dynamic leader with a proven track record of delivering results.” Instead, show people why this is true with actual evidence.  Bonus Tip: Use action words in your cover letter and resume that are guaranteed to impress!
• Should I mention salary requirements in my cover letter? No. Salary conversations, especially early in the job recruitment process, should generally be part of the interview or negotiation process and never be included in your cover letter.  Bonus Tip: If you’re wondering how to talk about your salary, check out our article for advice on when and how to negotiate your salary .
• How do I make my cover letter stand out? To make your cover letter stand out, think of your cover letter as a marketing piece. Who are you? What do you offer? How can you help provide a solution to a company’s problem?  Ultimately, your cover letter should be about the value you provide others, not simply a document that brags about your skills. If you can showcase how you deliver value, you will stand out!  Bonus Tip: Check out our tips on how to craft a value proposition.
• Does it look bad if I skip the cover letter? It turns out 53% of employers prefer when you include a cover letter with your resume. One of the reasons is that 47% of recruiters believe it indicates motivation. So if you are someone who wants to show that you are motivated to get the job, it’s best not to skip the cover letter!

Stand-Out Cover Letter Takeaways

To summarize, take note of these essential steps as you craft your cover letter:

• Get to know the company. Do some research to set yourself up well, including finding out if you have any mutual connections!
• Pick a stand-out template. Use a free tool like Canva for a slick template that matches your resume design.
• Include the date and contact information. This is valuable if you’re sending your cover letter by mail.
• Greet the person you’re writing to by name. Double-checking the name, including its correct spelling, improves the chances of your application getting read.
• Introduce yourself and express your interest. This is your chance to make a first impression.
• Highlight a few of your relevant qualifications, skills, and accomplishments. This is the section of the letter where you show how you can add value. 
• Connect your achievements to the company’s goals. This paragraph summarizes how your accomplishments align with their goals.
• Close the letter with a call to action. Let the reader know how to connect with you.
• Proofread your letter. Use free programs like Grammarly to make sure your letter is ready to go.

Ready to land your dream job? Once you have a scheduled interview, take time to get prepared with these body language hacks .

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How to Write a Cover Letter: A Step by Step Guide

2 minutes read

Cover letters can be a make-or-break part of the job application process. They’re your chance to introduce yourself and explain why you’d be great for the job, and they can help your resume stand out from the crowd. 

A well-written cover letter to go with your resume can help you stand out to employers and have a big impact on whether or not a hiring manager calls you in for an interview.

But writing a cover letter doesn’t have to be daunting.  It can be an opportunity to show your personality and enthusiasm.

What Is Cover Letter and Why Is It important?

A cover letter is a short note (no more than one page) that you send to a hiring manager or recruiter along with your resume and other materials. 

It is an important document that accompanies your resume and provides additional information about your skills and experience. 

It is your opportunity to make a good first impression and convince the employer that you are the best candidate for the job. 

When writing a cover letter, be sure to focus on the specific qualifications listed in the job posting and highlight how you can contribute to the organization.

When done right, a cover letter lets you talk directly about how your skills and experience fit with the job you're applying for. It also gives you a chance to show the reviewer that you're friendly, creative, and likely to be a good addition to the team.

A well-written cover letter can help you stand out from the competition and increase your chances of getting hired. It is a good opportunity to introduce yourself and explain why you are the best candidate for the job. 

A cover letter should be concise , well-written , and error-free. 

The cover letter should be tailored to the specific position you are applying for, and it should highlight your skills and experience. 

And, if you take the time to personalize it for each job you apply for, it can also demonstrate that you’ve done your research about the company and the position.

The best way to structure cover letter is to start by introducing yourself and explaining why you’re interested in the position.

Cover Letter Writing Guide

Writing a compelling cover letter is an important part of your job application. It allows you to introduce yourself, express your interest in the position, and highlight relevant skills and experiences. 

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you write an effective cover letter:

• Include your contact information at the top of the cover letter, including your full name, phone number, email address, and the date.
• Address the hiring manager or recipient by name, if possible. If you're unsure of the recipient's name, use a general salutation such as "Dear Hiring Manager" or "Dear [Company Name] Team."

Opening paragraph

• Start with a strong opening sentence that grabs the reader's attention.
• State the position you're applying for and mention how you learned about the job opportunity (e.g., job posting, referral).
• Express your enthusiasm for the role and briefly explain why you are interested in working for the company.

Body paragraphs

• In the following paragraphs, highlight your most relevant skills, experiences, and achievements that make you a strong candidate.
• Provide specific examples and quantify your accomplishments whenever possible.
• Align your qualifications with the job requirements and demonstrate how you can contribute to the company's goals.
• Use keywords from the job description to show that you have a good understanding of the role.

Showcase your research

• Demonstrate your knowledge about the company by mentioning specific projects, initiatives, or values that align with your interests and skills.
• Explain why you believe you would be a good fit for the company culture and how your contributions can make a positive impact.

Closing paragraph

• Summarize your key qualifications and express your interest in further discussing the opportunity.
• Indicate your availability for an interview and provide your preferred contact method.
• Thank the reader for considering your application and express your eagerness to contribute to the company.

Closing and signature

• End the cover letter with a professional closing, such as "Sincerely" or "Best regards."
• Leave space for your typed name, followed by your signature if you're submitting a physical copy.

Proofread and edit

• Review your cover letter for any grammatical or spelling errors.
• Ensure a consistent writing style and tone throughout.
• Read it aloud or have someone else review it to catch any mistakes or awkward phrasing.

Format and length

• Keep your cover letter concise and focused, typically not exceeding one page.
• Use a professional font (e.g., Arial, Calibri) and maintain a clean, organized format.
• Align your text to the left and use standard margins.

Save and submit

• Save your cover letter as a PDF or Word document with a clear and professional file name.
• Follow the employer's instructions for submitting your application, whether it's through email, an online form, or a job portal.

Remember, your cover letter should complement your resume and provide additional context and information about your qualifications. 

Tailor each cover letter to the specific job you're applying for, and showcase your enthusiasm and genuine interest in the company. Good luck with your application!

Finally, explain how you can contribute to the company and what you hope to gain from the experience.

Tips For Writing Cover Letter

Impressive first paragraph of cover letter.

The way you start your cover letter sets the tone for the whole thing. So, you want it to be memorable, friendly, easy to talk about, and very related to the job you want.

Don't start with your name because the hiring manager can already see it. But it's important to mention the job you're applying for.

The hiring manager may be looking at applications for half a dozen different jobs at once. You could say something simple like, "I'm excited to apply for [job] with [Company]." 

But you might want to introduce yourself with a snappy first paragraph that shows how excited you are about the company you're applying to, how much you love what you do, or how successful you've been in the past.

This is a great place to explain "why" you want to apply. Make it clear why you want to work for this company and in this job. Have you been using their products for a long time? 

Do you know how to solve a problem like the one they're working on? Do you like how they talk about their brand or how they make products? 

For example, let's say you're applying for a marketing job at a company known for its delicious pies and baked goods. 

You could say in your opening that you love pie so much that when you were in the fourth grade, you won the blue ribbon at the National Cherry Festival pie-eating contest.

Show Yourself a good choice for this job

One common mistake in a cover letter is to talk only about how great the job would be for you. The truth is that hiring managers already know that. What they really want to know is what you can bring to the job and company.

So, once you know what the opening is, you should pull out a few key ideas that will be the backbone of your cover letter.

They should show that you know what the organisation wants and explain how your experience fits with the job. Look for clues in the job description.  

What problems does the company want to fix by hiring this person? Which skills or experiences are high up or mentioned more than once? Most likely, these will be the most important requirements.

Choose the three to five most important traits that you think best describe you. For example, you might be looking for a job as a client manager and come across a posting that interests you. You could find these things that fit you well:

Several times in the job description, meeting and beating quotas is mentioned.

The company solves problems by getting people from different departments to work together.

The sales department needs someone who can learn quickly so that the account executive can learn about leads quickly and make pitches that fit their needs.

How to Add Contact Info In Cover Letter?

You should put your basic information at the top of your cover letter. If you want, you can even use the same heading from your resume. 

If the job posting says to send your cover letter in the body of an email, you can put your contact information at the end, after your name. You don't need to include your email address here since they already have it.

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How to Write an Effective Cover Letter in 2023 | Beginner’s Guide

how to do a cover letter? or how to begin a cover letter? this is a query. Many people look for it Job hunting sucks. Perusing through online job listings, refining your…

Cover Letter Help - How to Write an Effective Cover Letter in 2023 | Beginner’s Guide

• Cover Letter Help

how to do a cover letter? or how to begin a cover letter? this is a query. Many people look for it Job hunting sucks. Perusing through online job listings, refining your resume, as well as preparing for grueling interviews—none of it is fun. For many, the most daunting part of the process is crafting…

Sarah Reynolds

Content specialist.

how to do a cover le t ter? or how to begin a cover letter? this is a query. Many people look for it

Job hunting sucks. Perusing through online job listings, refining your resume , as well as preparing for grueling interviews—none of it is fun. For many, the most daunting part of the process is crafting a cover letter. There’s so much conflicting advice out there; it’s difficult to know where to start.

Don’t fret, though. We’ve got your back. Writing a cover letter is not as hard as it sounds.

In this blog, we’re going to teach you how to write a cover letter that will land you the job of your dreams .

But first, the basics…

What Exactly is a Cover Letter? (and Why is it Important?)

A cover letter, or a covering letter as some might call it, is a one-page document that you send as part of your job application (alongside your CV or Resume).

Its core purpose is to expound on the information highlighted in your resume while infusing your personality. On average, your cover letter should be no more than 400 words .

A cover letter takes the reader on a guided journey of some of your greatest career and life achievements. But it doesn’t stop there. It also explains why you’d be a good fit for the company.

A well-written cover letter ignites the interest of the HR manager and gets them to read your resume.

On the other hand, a poorly crafted cover letter leaves the potential employer shaking their head in irk, cursing out loud for wasting their time, and eventually binning the resume that you poured your heart out to write.

You don’t want that happening, or do you? That’s why it’s important to learn how to write a cover letter—a convincing one.

If it’s your first time writing a covering letter, the whole thing can seem even more daunting. No need to freak out, though. Writing a good cover letter is as easy as spelling out A, B, C.

All you have to do is adopt the following proven format:

• Header – Provide contact details.
• Greetings – Exchange pleasantries with the hiring manager.
• Introduction – Pique the interest of the reader straight away with 2-3 of your top achievements.
• Middle paragraphs/Body – Explain why you’re the ideal candidate and the perfect fit.
• Concluding paragraph – Recap everything. Restate why you feel you deserve a shot at the company.
• Final formal salutations – End with a formal sign-off.

We’ll explain these in detail below (along with some cover letter examples). So keep reading.

How to Write a Convincing Cover Letter that Gets You the Job: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now that the basics are out of the way, we’re going to guide you through the process of writing the perfect cover letter, step by step.

There’re some cover letter examples in there too, so read on.

Step 1: Do Your Research First

Before you begin writing, find out more about the organization and the specific job you want.

Of course, you should carefully read the job description, but also scour through the firm’s website, employee LinkedIn profiles, as well as its executives’ Twitter feeds.

Why is this research important? You ask. Well, it helps you customize your cover letter since sending a generic one is a no-no.

The research will also help you decide on the tone. If it’s a conservative organization, like an insurance company, you might want to keep your covering letter’s tone formal. But if it’s a creative agency, like an art studio, you might take more risks.

Step 2: Begin Your Cover Letter with a Header

Once you’re done with the research, go ahead and craft your covering letter.

As with the resume, start by writing out your contact information. Ideally, this section should be left-aligned or centered.

Here, you want to include all the important personal information, including:

• Your full name
• Phone number
• Email address
• LinkedIn profile link (optional)
• Portfolio or website (optional)

Below your contact information and left-aligned, include the date as well as the company contact details, such as:

• Name of the hiring manager
• Company address
• Company phone number
• Hiring manager’s email address

And here’s what you shouldn’t include in this section:

• Your city of residence/ address: These details should appear in your resume, not the covering letter.
• Unpresentable email: Ensure your email is professional enough. An email address that reads something like “[email protected]” will get your cover letter (and resume) dumped straight away. To avoid such a scenario, stick to the “[first name] + [last name] @email provider.com format.”

Step 3: Greet the Recruiter/ HR Manager (By their Name)

Remember the research you did in Step 1? It’ll come in handy here.

It’s 2021. Greetings like “Dear Sir or Madam” and “To Whom It May Concern” no longer apply. Besides, you want to show your future boss that you did your research and are really looking forward to joining the company.

So, use greetings like Dear (Name of the Hiring Manager) .

If you can’t figure out who the hiring manager is, take a guess—a good guess. For instance, if you’re applying for a sales position, address the head of the sales department by name instead.

If you’ve scoured all over the internet and can’t find anyone’s name, address your cover letter to the department. For example, “Dear Sales Department” would be fine.

Here are more specific examples of Opening Salutations:

• Dear John Wick
• Dear Mr. Wick
• Dear Sales Department
• Dear [Department] Hiring Manager

Step 4: Open With an Eye-Catching Introduction

Job seekers typically write themselves into the covering letter with “I am applying for job Y that I saw in Z place.” That’s not the way to go.

Instead, start with an attention-grabbing introduction. Open with a punchline—why this job is exciting to you as well as what you bring to the table.

Chances are, the recruiter or hiring manager is reading hundreds, perhaps thousands of applications. So, you want to capture their attention from the word go.

That said, don’t try to be funny. Humor can often fall flat. Stay away from clichés, too. Once you state your name, say something direct as well as dynamic. Then complement it with 2-3 of your top achievements.

Here’s how a good introduction should look like:

“My name is John and I’d like to help Company Z hit and supersede their digital marketing goals. I’ve worked for Company X, a soft drinks company, for over 5 years. As the lead digital marketing specialist, I generated a 200% uplift in organic traffic to the website (beating the projections by 150%). I believe the combination of my experience, skillset, as well as industrious personality, make me the ideal candidate for the job.”

See the difference between this example and all the generic introductions you’ve written in the past?

Now that you know what to include in the introductory paragraph, let’s dive into the body. This part is divided into two sections: the first is for explaining why you’re the ideal candidate for the job, and the next is for proving that you’ve got what it takes to work for the company.

So, let’s do this thing…

Step 5: Prove That You’re the Right Person for the Job

Do you know who else has similar skills and work experience? All the other applicants you’re competing with. That’s why you need to set yourself apart.

Setting yourself (and your cover letter) apart doesn’t necessarily mean showing off more of your top achievements. Rather, it means explaining how you’ll fulfill the exact responsibilities posted in the job ad.

So, open up the ad as well as identify which of the requirements are the most important.

Assuming that you skim through the job ad and see that the top requirements for the digital marketing specialist position are:

• Experience in boosting conversion rates for social media ad campaigns
• Some skills in redesigning landing pages
• Excellent lead generation skills

Now, in this section, you need to discuss how you fulfill these requirements. So, here’s how that would look for our previous example:

“In my previous role as a lead digital marketing specialist at Company X, I created an effective paid Facebook advertising campaign which generated 2,000 website visits. In addition, I increased e-commerce sales by 20% in 3 months by redesigning all landing pages.

Other than social media advertising, I’ve also seen tremendous success in other aspects of digital marketing:

• Customer experience
• Lead generation
• Online spending
• Web traffic

Step 6: Explain Why You’re the Perfect Piece for the Company’s Jigsaw

Once you’re done with Step 5, you might be thinking—I’m the hot favorite for the job. I don’t really need to write anything else since I’ve already shown that I’m competent , skilled, as well as experienced. Now all that’s remaining is to wrap it all up and hit that SEND button.

Hold your horses, buddy. You’re not quite there yet.

The recruiter needs more than just job experience to draft you in. They’re also looking for an applicant who blends well with their corporate culture .

After all, someone who’s unhappy at their job is bound to quit sooner or later. This ends up costing the firm big time, especially in terms of recruitment as well as training. Some studies also estimate the average replacement cost of a salaried employee to be six to nine months’ salary . It’s a bullet most employers would want to avoid at all costs.

So, in short, convey enthusiasm. Enthusiasm brings out personality. Convince the hiring manager that you’re really passionate about working for them, and you can’t wait to get started.

How do you achieve this? Again, the research you did in Step 1 comes in handy. If you did your job well, this section should be a walk in the park.

But if you didn’t, here’s what you’d want to include:

• What’s the company vision and mission?
• What’s the business model?
• What do they sell? Have you bought it?
• What’s the corporate culture like?

Ultimately, you also need to find out what it is about the company that sets your heart on fire . Then put it down in words.

The end result should read something like:

“I’d love to work for your company. Who wouldn’t? You’re the industry leader, setting standards that others only follow. As a visionary, self-driven, industrious individual who likes to lead from the front, I truly believe I and Company Z will be a perfect match.”

One more thing…

Avoid sounding too generic. Do away with the fluff, as it’ll be a huge turn-off for the hiring manager.

Step 7: Wrap it All Up With a Short, Punchy Closing Paragraph

When crafting your cover letter closing, be courteous, confident, as well as continue to vouch for yourself.

It’s also important to finish up your cover letter in a strategic and thoughtful fashion, so be sure to:

• Thank the hiring manager for their time.
• Summarize why you’d be a good hire
• Reiterate your excitement about the job opportunity
• Finish with a CTA (call-to-action)

Here’s an excellent cover letter closing example:

“Thank you for spending time reviewing my application. I strongly believe that my skills, qualifications, as well as sheer zeal, make me an ideal candidate for the position of digital marketing specialist at Company Z. I’m extremely excited to join your vibrant team and look forward to discussing how I can help you achieve your digital marketing goals.”

Step 8: Sign-Off Formally

Once you’re done with the call to action, all you have to do is write down a formal “goodbye,’ and you’re all set.

You can use one of the many known formal salutations:

• Best regards,
• Respectfully,
• Kind regards,

You’ve done it! Against all odds, you’ve learned how to make a cover letter for a resume—so, congrats. But before hitting that SEND button, proofread with a tool like Grammarly just in case some errors slipped your eyes. Better yet, get a friend to read the letter out loud as you listen keenly for any blips, errors, as well as awkward phrases.

Principles to Remember: The Do’s and Don’ts When Writing a Cover Letter

Here’s a quick recap of things to remember when writing a cover letter.

• Be succinct – A hiring manager should be able to read your covering letter at a glance.
• Have a strong introduction that piques the reader’s attention straight away.
• Only share accomplishments that relate to the job ad. Anything else is fluff.

Don’t:

• Go overboard with the tone – Be mature and professional
• Try to be funny – too often, it comes back to bite you in the face
• Send a generic cover letter – make sure each section is customized to the core

1- how to address cover letter without name

For many hiring professionals, using the salutation “Dear Hiring Manager” is the best option when a name is not available. It is preferable to use this generic greeting rather than none at all, as it demonstrates adherence to cultural customs and professionalism.

2- should you introduce yourself in a cover letter

Yes, you should include a cover letter with your introduction. Declare your name, the position you’re looking for, and how you found out about it. For instance: In order to be considered for the open Account Manager position posted on LinkedIn, my name is Henry Applicant.

3- difference between cover letter and resume

The facts—who, what, when, and how—are stated in a resume. In contrast, a cover letter gives you the chance to discuss your qualifications for the position. To convince employers that you’re a good fit for the job at hand, this paper offers some color and personality.

So, What’s Next in Your Job Hunt? (Hint: It’s time to Craft a Killer Resume!)

You might know how to write a cover letter, but if your resume is whack, you might as well forget about ever landing a job—let alone your dream job.

Don’t let a mediocre resume shutter your dreams. Create a killer resume to accompany that excellent cover letter. If that sounds like a hard thing to do, we can help.

At StylingCV, we’re committed to helping you land the job of your dreams. Our cutting-edge resume builder works as smart as you do. What are you waiting for? Create your free resume now!

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Your cover letter checklist, this step by step checklist will guide you through the process of writing and optimizing your cover letter for a job., jump to a section, introduction, body paragraphs, final things, what you should know before you write your cover letter., what you should do, remember the goal of your cover letter.

Employers use cover letters to decide if you're a good fit for their company, beyond just the hard skills and experience (which is usually on your resume). Always keep this in mind as you write your cover letter - employers are looking for evidence of your soft skills, enthusiasm and personality - things they can't get out of your resume.

⭐️   Some employers care about cover letters a lot, while some ask for them but don't primarily use them for consideration. In all cases, however, a cover letter that shows enthusiasm and passion for the specific job can move an applicant from the maybe to the yes pile.

⭐️   Avoid fancy templates. A simple Word document is the standard format.

Don't just summarize your resume

Think about it. When employers ask for both a cover letter and a resume, they don't want one to just be a duplicate of the other in paragraph form!

⭐️   The number one rule of cover letters is that if you decide to send one, it needs to say something your resume doesn't. For example, you can write about how your interests/passion relate to the role - this is something that won't be on a resume.

⭐️   You can describe accomplishments you stated in your resume, as long as you use a unique angle. For example, if on your resume you wrote about running a workshop, you can use your cover letter to describe how running workshops have helped you developed specific skill sets that the job requires.

Address questions a recruiter might have about you

If you don't have the 'ideal' background for the role, your cover letter is your opportunity to explain why you're a good fit. For example, if you're underqualified, overqualified, or your experience is in a different industry (i.e. a career changer), the cover letter can be your way of showing a hiring manager that you're a good fit, although it isn't obvious just from your resume.

⭐️   If you have an usual background or you're changing careers, use the cover letter to explain how your current skills will translate into the new role.

Change your tone depending on the industry

Use a warm, conversational tone for most non-formal industries, e.g. technology companies, startups, hospitality, etc. For formal industries like banking/finance or legal, use a more formal tone.

⭐️   Personality is important when it comes to cover letters. Employers, particularly smaller companies, want to know if you're a good fit in terms of culture.

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Here's how to start your cover letter..

If you can easily find the name of the hiring manager, address it to them directly. If you can't, 'Dear Hiring Manager," is totally fine.

⭐️   Don't assume a hiring manager's gender, so avoid using, "Dear Sir".

⭐️   Even "Dear Sir/Madam" or "To whom it may concern" are considered unnecessarily formal and outdated; stick to "Dear Hiring Manager" if you can't find a name.

Introduce who you are

In the first paragraph, quickly mention what position you're seeking. Examples: - I'm excited to apply for the X role. I'm confident that my background and expertise would serve Y well and leave a lasting impression in your ABC department. - I am excited to apply for the position of X at Y. - I've been following ABC Corp for years and recently saw that you're looking for an X to join the Y team. - It’s with great enthusiasm that I am applying to be your next X.

⭐️   Don't overthink the opening line, it doesn't need to be that creative!

⭐️   Don't say, "My name is…" - your name is already at the bottom of your resume!

⭐️   Use the job title that was used in the job posting

Mention how you found out about the opening (optional)

If you heard about the company/job in an interesting way (e. g. through a personal connection, networking event), include it here. For example: I recently attended the AcmeCorp Graduates Webinar, and I was thrilled when ABC’s CEO mentioned there was an opening for a project manager role on the Maps team. I believe this position is an excellent fit for my background and interests.

⭐️   If you found out about the posting on Indeed or while mass applying to jobs, that's fine too! You don't always have to have a creative story for applying to a company - just say you were excited to come across the opening.

⭐️   Try to show personality in your cover letter by using phrases like, "I'm excited" or "I was thrilled"

Use two to three paragraphs to discuss why you are a good fit for the role,

Why you why the industry why this company.

This is a common structure that you can optionally use when writing your cover letter. The most important is why you're a good fit for the role (why you?) while the next paragraph is

⭐️   This structure is just for guidance of areas you can cover.

⭐️   Example of how to tie in the company to your experiences: I am especially drawn by X's commitment to [something they're known for, e.g. working in small teams ] which would ensure [why it's important to you, e.g. significant responsibility and exposure to senior professionals early in my career. This commitment to ... is my central reason for applying. ]

Describe your accomplishments while weaving in your soft skills

Show, don't tell. Explain how you have demonstrated the soft skills the job/industry requires by using real examples from your experience. Avoid just saying "I have great attention to detail and exceptional communication skills." State specific examples which demonstrate this, whether that's writing up a 100 page report for the management team, presenting to key stakeholders, etc.

⭐️   Where possible, use numbers and metrics to make your accomplishments more impressive. Did you increase revenue? Decrease costs? Improve % efficiency?

⭐️   Avoid arrogant hyperboles, like "thought leader" or "expert"!

Personalize your skills to the job description

Review the job description and highlight keywords and skills that are clearly very important for the role and industry. Use them in your cover letter.

⭐️   Our Targeted Resume tool helps you identify keywords from the job description. It's built for resumes but the technology works equally well for cover letters too if you just need to enter the job description.

Your cover letter is not just about aligning your hard and soft skills to the job description. Describe also how your unique personal experiences align to the company's values and culture.

⭐️   Example: Resume Worded is a company that attains diversity at all levels – whether it is through its diverse clientele from a number of industries or through the global nature of its employees. My experiences in London, New York and Tokyo have increased my appreciation for such diversity reinforcing my belief that a career at Resume Worded will provide both the knowledge in a wide variety of fields and the opportunity to interact and work with people even more diverse than myself.

If you don't have experience, describe your transferrable skills

⭐️   Describe specific projects you worked on that require similar skill sets to the one this job requires.

Targeted Resume

Find important keywords in the job description

Here's the best way to end your cover letter.

Use a standard conclusion statement.

The conclusion is a simple one or two liner. Examples: "I'm confident that my skills and experience would be a great asset to ABC Corp, and I'd love to chat with you about the role in more detail. Thank you for your consideration, and I hope to hear from you soon." "I’d be thrilled with the opportunity to learn more about the role, and would love to talk to you about the contributions I can make at the ABC Corp. Thank you for your consideration, and I hope to hear from you soon."

⭐️   You can also briefly restate why you're a good fit for the role with an additional sentence (e.g. I'm confident that my passion for X and Y will make me a great addition to the Z team, or I'm confident my X and Y skills will allow me positively contribute to a project team at Z)

End the letter with your name and contact details

A simple signature works fine: " Sincerely, [Your name] +1 234 56789 [email protected] LinkedIn URL"

⭐️   A link to your LinkedIn profile is optional, but recommended

Before you send off your cover letter.

Keep your cover letters to around 200 - 300 words. Lengthy cover letters are less likely to be read.

⭐️   In terms of page length, keep it to 3/4 of a page to one page. Two pages is often too long (unless a longer cover letter is explicitly asked for)

No spelling or grammatical errors

Spelling errors are a strict no-no. Make sure you have triple-checked your spelling and grammar.

⭐️   Also ensure you have correctly spelled industry standard terminology.

Sufficiently personalized

We get it. Writing a unique cover letter for every single job can get pretty tedious. However, recruiters can easily tell when a cover letter isn't personalized at all, so you want to sufficiently personalize your cover letter to the position. That could be adding in a few sentences about the company's culture and how that relates to you, or highlight a few specific skills from the job description.

⭐️   Here are two tests to figure out if your cover letter is sufficiently personalized: 1) Can you swap out just the company's name for a totally different company and everything still fits? If so, it's probably too generic. And 2) Can you imagine other applicants sending the same letter? If so, it's likely not personalized enough to you.

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How to Write a Cover Letter: Step-by-Step

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What makes a good cover letter? As you will soon discover, the answer varies from one situation to the next. In the guide that follows, you’ll gain important insight regarding how to write a cover letter, a good cover letter – the kind that gives you the best chance of landing what might just be the interview of a lifetime. Let’s get started:

Dos and Don’ts of Cover Letters

When learning how to write a cover letter, it’s a good idea to have some idea of the do’s and don’ts. Keep these important rules in mind as you formulate your own cover letter. With some care and attention on your part, your own cover letter will be sure to impress.

• Never send out a resume without a cover letter
• Write a first paragraph designed to grab the reader’s attention
• Don’t forget to write your cover letter to a named individual
• Send an original cover letter to every potential employer
• Tailor different cover letters to different employers
• Take your time when writing cover letters
• Don’t use clichés, like “please find my resume enclosed”
• Read cover letter examples before writing your cover letter
• Send a spotless cover letter complete with perfect grammar. Ensure there are no smudges, stains, etc. on the cover letter or resume you enclose with it
• Don’t simply restate the information that’s included in your resume
• Use action verbs whenever possible
• Sign the letter with your signature, using blue ink so the employer knows the signature is real
• If you email a cover letter, shorten it somewhat
• Never write a cover letter more than a single page long
• Be sure to keep things positive, mentioning how you will contribute to the company and answering the all-important question, “Why should I hire this applicant?”
• Use simple, realistic language and make every word count

Last but not least never rely on the addressee to take action. Instead, request that they take action by scheduling an interview with you, and mention that you will follow up. Then, call to arrange for your own interview. Following up is the number one way to impress an employer, as it shows initiative.

What to Include in a Cover Letter

When writing a cover letter, what should you include? First, it’s important to remember that the purpose of a cover letter is to complement rather than duplicate your resume. It is a way for you to add an important personal touch, and it is usually your first written contact with an employer, making it a crucial part of the hiring process, whether you are sending in an application, inquiring about open positions in a company, or responding to a call for talent. Your cover letter gives you the chance to create a highly favorable first impression, so ensure that you are careful to include the things that you feel are most important to your job search. While you do not want to create a form letter that’s sure to end up in the recycling bin, do take care to include some basics in each cover letter you write. Use the following checklist to ensure you’ve covered all of your bases.

• Company name and contact
• Name of individual letter is addressed to
• Position you desire, and where you saw it listed
• Targeted details that show you’re the best candidate for the job
• Your personal details (name, address, email, telephone number(s))
• Your signature

Once you’ve finished your cover letter, it’s a very good idea to have someone proofread it if possible. Check to be sure that all the details you’ve included are accurate, and make certain you have loaded your printer with quality paper that matches your resume paper before you print the letter. Mail your resume and cover letter in a large flat envelope and keep a copy of each cover letter you write for your records.

Cover Letter Structure

Writing a good letter might seem like a tough task, but if you take it one step at a time, you’ll soon discover that you’ve done a solid job of understanding how to write a cover letter, by preparing one that’s certain to impress. Here, we take a look at the following:

• How to start a cover letter
• What to include in the cover letter’s body
• How to end your cover letter appropriately

Remember, good cover letters are tailored specifically to the situation. Take clues from our samples while making your own cover letter unique.

Cover letters are made up of several parts including contact information, a greeting or salutation, the letter’s main body, and the closing, along with a signature.

Begin your cover letter with your contact information. This should include:

• Your mailing address
• Your home number and cell number
• Your email address

Next, add the employer’s contact information if you have it.

Follow up with an appropriate greeting or salutation. This signals the beginning of the actual message. If you are addressing your cover letter to a specific person, be sure to name him or her specifically. Examples of appropriate salutations include the following:

• Dear Mr. Smith
• Dear Ms. Smith
• Dear Dr. Smith

Follow the greeting with a comma or colon, a space, and then the beginning paragraph of your cover letter. For example:

Dear Dr. Smith,

Letter’s first paragraph begins here.

What if you don’t know the name of the contact person at the company you are addressing your cover letter to? Instead of omitting a salutation, use a general greeting such as the following:

• To Whom It May Concern
• Dear Hiring Manager
• Dear Human Resources Manager
• Dear (Company Name) Recruiter
• Dear Sir or Madam

Never use a sexist greeting like “Dear Sirs or Dear Gentlemen” when writing a cover letter. If the hiring manager happens to be female, your letter and resume will find their way into the bin, no matter how well you present yourself otherwise.

Carefully create the cover letter’s body. It should let the employer know which position you are applying for, tell them shy they ought to select you for an interview, and state how you will be following up. In this section of the cover letter, include the following:

• The opening paragraph, which states why you are writing.
• A middle paragraph or two which tells the employer specifically what you have to offer without rehashing your resume.
• A final paragraph which states how you will follow up.

Be direct but polite as you write these paragraphs, but avoid making specific statements such as, “I am the best person for the job…” or “you should hire me because…” as these show a lack of creativity. Let your personality shine through without being overbearing.

Close the cover letter in a professional way. Appropriate cover letter closures are often the same as those which ought to be used in employment-related correspondence of other kinds. Examples of how to end a cover letter include:

• Sincerely yours
• Best regards
• Kind regards
• Most sincerely
• Yours truly
• Respectfully yours
• Respectfully
• Thank you for your consideration

The closing should be followed with a comma, followed by a space, and then your complete name, along with your signature, which should be written in blue ink if possible. For example:

Thank you for your consideration,

Congratulations! You now know how to write a cover letter! Be sure to take a look at our cover letter examples before setting out to write your own one. And, remember to take your time! A well-written, carefully considered cover letter increases your chance of connecting with a future employer, making an outstanding first impression, and landing an interview.

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How to Write a Cover Letter: A Step-by-Step Guide

Realizing what you want to do is a significant step in the right direction when seeking a job. But simply knowing what you want to do–or what you don’t want to do–isn’t enough to actually land the job.

What you really need is a complete portfolio that explains who you are as a job candidate. Part of that is knowing how to write a cover letter.

You may have spent a long time surfing company job boards and platforms such as Indeed , Glassdoor , and LinkedIn , hoping to come across the next best job for you.

You open up the job posting, read through the role, the responsibilities, and the required experience, and you begin thinking about all the ways you fit the description.

If you’re lucky enough, you’ve come across a job that lines up perfectly with your skills and what you want to do. You fill out your contact information, and you see that the next step is to upload your resume and cover letter.

Maybe you’re proud of your resume, a polished list of your accomplishments that you’ve spent hours and days perfecting… But you don’t have any experience writing a cover letter. What then?

Throughout this article, we will provide you with a full understanding of:

• what a cover letter is
• how to write a cover letter
• what makes a cover letter successful
• what to avoid in the letter as a job seeker

Plus, we even provide a cover letter outline and a sample cover letter for reference!

So, what is a cover letter?

A cover letter is a document used to:

• Showcase your highest-level achievements and experiences
• Introduce yourself to the employer
• Explain why you’re the person for the job and a good fit for the company to which you’re applying

It is supplemental to your resume, which is a bit more formal and extensive in terms of showcasing your experiences. A cover letter, on the other hand, allows you to show more personality in fewer words.

Cover letters and resumes are a bit like siblings. They’re similar, but not the same.

Generally, people struggle with putting together cover letters more so than resumes because it can be difficult to talk about yourself and your experience outside of bullet points.

However, throughout this process, remind yourself of all the education, experiences, and skillsets you’ve learned throughout school, internships, and previous jobs. Remember how much you have to talk about! A cover letter is your highlight reel.

Why is a cover letter so important?

Cover letters are a great (and occasionally necessary) supplement to your resume, online job application, or LinkedIn/social media profile.

While resumes are great and necessary tools for highlighting all of your experiences, skills, and education, they usually don’t show your personality or passion about the job you want. When hiring managers are receiving hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of resumes and job applications, they’re not able to spend much time reviewing your list of accomplishments.

In reality, hiring managers spend just a few minutes skimming through your job application and work experience, which is why resumes use bullet points to get to the point quickly.

A cover letter can grab their attention for even longer.

A 2020 survey found that 83% of hiring managers, recruiters, and HR staff think a candidate’s cover letter is an important part of the hiring process. Over three-quarters also said a strong cover letter can make up for a weaker experience section on a resume.

In order to have an effective portfolio that stands out among hiring managers sorting through hundreds of resumes, you’re going to want to have a strong cover letter.

Important things to remember about your cover letter

While having a cover letter as part of your job application is a great way to stand out, you don’t want to stand out the wrong way. A hiring manager is going to notice a bad cover letter, and you don’t want it to be yours.

Whether you have an up-to-date cover letter, have tried writing one, or submitted one in the past, we are going to provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to write an effective cover letter that doesn’t end up in the trash bin.

An important thing to remember is that a cover letter will not replace your resume.  It can supplement and enhance it, though.

Having a quality resume is absolutely necessary.

There are many people who don’t go the extra mile to draft a cover letter because it can be time consuming and tedious. A cover letter then can become a tool that’s going to help you stand out–as long as it’s a good one.

What makes an effective cover letter?

1. your cover letter is on brand.

There are many details that go into making your cover letter effective. First and foremost, your cover letter should be “on brand.”

In other words, your cover letter should not only reflect you, your personality, and your legitimate achievements, but it should also visually be on brand.

Every person drafts their resume a little differently, and there’s not one specific visual format that’s better than another. But keep in mind that however you have set up your resume to look visually, you should use a similar format to brand your cover letter. This includes everything from font to spacing to colors. (We’ll talk about more of these in just a moment.)

Consistency on a visual level says a lot about you, your attention to detail, and your professionalism. It helps people remember you because it’s easier to associate your style with your name across different documents.

2. The Nature of Your Cover Letter is Specific

Similar to your resume, you want to make sure that your cover letter is specific to the job for which you’re applying. Depending on the job and company you’re applying to, different work experiences are going to apply.

For example, if you are applying to work at a marketing company, your work experience as an accounts receivable specialist is probably not the work or skillset you want to highlight. If you have work experience running the social media account for a company or developing the marketing strategy for a certain project, though, you’ll want to ensure those experiences are what you place on your highlight reel.

Don’t be generic

Your cover letter should be addressed to the specific hiring manager for a company. Your cover letter is not meant to serve as a general template or document for every single job application.

The cover letter is about why you qualify for that specific role at that company, so you need to be careful about what information you decide to present. You only have so many words when writing a cover letter.

3. Length Is Not Over-Bearing

The cover letter is meant to be short, sweet, and to the point while highlighting your experiences and showing your personality.

Do not rewrite your resume in paragraph form. Do not write an autobiography of your entire career. Avoid gushing about your love for the company or begging to work there.

Though the best cover letters show a bit of personality, the most effective ones give the reader a taste of who you are while showing passion and applicable experience in as few words as possible.

Remember, hiring managers only have a few minutes to devote to each applicant. You want to be memorable in the short form.

Keep your cover letter around 250-500 words, and make it fit on one page.

4. Use a Professional Format

Font and font sizes are important because they goes hand-in-hand with your visual brand consistency. There’s no need to use a fancy scripted font or Comic Sans to try to stand out.

You should follow the same guidelines you had to follow for writing your resume. Use a formal font like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri. Stick with size 11-13 font.

The words shouldn’t be hard to read in size or style because hiring managers will immediately move onto the next candidate if it’s too much of a strain to read — no matter how good the content of the cover letter is.

Margins and Spacing

Additionally, put away your double-spaced lines. This document is not about making it appear that you have more pages in your document or more text on the screen.

Also, stick to single spacing with one-inch margins. The smaller you make your margins, the more obvious it becomes that you were trying to fit too many words on the page. It’s okay to adjust margins a bit smaller on your resume, but with your cover letter, keep it standardized to the classic one-inch margins.

Maintain these levels of spacing and margins to keep the cover letter at one page.

What to avoid when you write a cover letter

As with everything, there are a few things you can avoid to ensure you’re writing the most effective cover letter.

1. Repeating Yourself

You only have a certain number of words to get your point across. Not only do you need to preserve as many words as possible to touch on the different points you need to, but you also need to avoid being repetitive.

It will help to outline the structure of your cover letter so you can nail down the “mission statement” for each of your points. Try using this outline when crafting each of your cover letters (The A, B, and C represent small details about each note):

Intro Paragraph :

• Unique introduction
• Specific position and the company
• Why you’re a good fit

First Body Paragraph :

Second Body Paragraph :

Third Body Paragraph :

• Re-emphasis on why you’re passionate about the opportunity
• Re-emphasis on why you’re a good fit for the job and company
• Your plan to follow-up
• “Thank you”

Benefits of the Outline

An outline will help you get your message across clearly and concisely, without repeating yourself.

It helps to take brief notes so that you can expand in detail once you begin crafting your message. Use the outline to organize your notes first. Challenge yourself to be as concise as possible without extra words. Challenge yourself again to remain close to that same messaging when you actually write your cover letter.

Repeating yourself appears as though you don’t have enough to say or didn’t think it out beforehand. It also wastes valuable room to talk about other skills and experiences.

Your cover letter is a way to present yourself in a positive way, so you want it to be as clear and commanding as possible.

2. Avoid Clichés

Recruiters at Insight Global spend hours and hours reviewing resumes, portfolios, and job applications every week. Trust us when we say that clichés are not your friend.

Avoid commonly used phrases throughout your cover letter such as:

• “Feel free”
• “To Whom It May Concern”
• “Think outside the box”
• “Detail-oriented”
• “Forward-thinking”

Hiring managers are always looking for the next stand-out candidate. Unfortunately, that usually doesn’t come by way of using phrases like the above.

It’s easy to look online for examples of cover letters and find generic letters that use the above and other similar phrases. But you are unique! Your experiences are not the same as anyone else’s. Even if you have similar experiences, you want to take the time to distinguish yourself and your experiences.

3. Don’t Use Generic Cover Letters

At some point in time when learning how to write a cover letter, you may have been advised to craft a generic document that works for any position. However, you shouldn’t send a generic cover letter to hiring managers.

In one way or another, the general overview of your portfolio is meant to be covered by your resume.

Your cover letter is meant to introduce you as a unique candidate who is different from the rest. The hiring managers want to know why they should be paying attention to you, putting your portfolio to the side, and considering you for hire.

Why do you care about their company ? Why do you care about the specific job to which you’re applying? And why are you the right fit for their company?

Imagine if you had just a minute or two to give the hiring manager a pitch in person. You would impress them by drawing on your greatest attributes and achievements and showing how applicable they are to the job opening and the company.

In addition, you need to show that you did your research and found the person who would be specifically reviewing the resumes and cover letters. Use LinkedIn and Google to the best of your ability to determine who that person is and find the best way you can to address them by name.

Tailoring your cover letter to the specific job will only benefit you in the long run.

4. Avoid Bad Formatting Practices

A first impression is one of the most significant moments in networking, interviewing, and applying for jobs. You’ve worked so hard both to acquire your experiences and to detail them to the best of your ability on your portfolio, resume, and cover letter.

Don’t throw all that hard work out of the window with bad formatting.

For example, when it comes to a cover letter, you shouldn’t use bullet points. Save the bullet points for your resume where you briefly detail your experiences, education, and skillsets.

This is a letter. Write out paragraphs.

Breakdown of How You Write a Cover Letter

1. the header.

The header of your cover letter will be made up of a few components. It should include the following in some order:

• Your full name
• Your email address
• Your city and zip code
• Your phone number (usually your cellphone)
• The date you are drafting and sending your cover letter to the hiring manager
• The name of the hiring manager or specific recipient
• The professional title of the recipient
• The name of the company
• The company’s address (usually the HQ address)

These don’t all need to appear in one straight line with no spacing. Your personal information, the company/hiring manager’s information, and the date you’re sending the letter should each have their own section.

The Importance of the Header

Your cover letter’s header allows the hiring manager to follow-up with you. If your contact information is hidden or hard to read, the person reading your cover letter might be deterred from reading the entire thing. When you make their job easier, they are more interested in carefully reviewing your application. Plus, when your primary details are front and center, they can focus on reading what you have to say.

In this example, you can align some personal information on the right side of the page, and align the hiring manager’s (Susan Rhodes) information on the left. The date will go below Susan’s information.

John Smith [email protected] 123 Frankfurt Dr. Los Angeles, CA 444.555.0000

Susan Rhodes Hiring Manager Insight Global 123 Apple Rd. Atlanta, GA

October 5, 2021

Here is a brief visual example of what a basic cover letter header can look like:

2. The Greeting

As previously mentioned, “To Whom It May Concern” is a cliché phrase you should avoid. If you did your proper research, you likely came across the hiring manager or person you want to address.

You can use a greeting such as “Dear Hiring Manager,” if you have trouble coming up with the exact contact. (However, if you’re finding the job on LinkedIn, it shows who is hiring. You can also call the company to see who the main point of contact is on this job).

If you have found the exact hiring manager or point-of-contact, then you’ve already added this person’s information to the header. Be sure to correctly address the same person in your greeting.

If the hiring manager is a woman, avoid addressing her as “Mrs.” Not only should you not assume her marital status, “Ms.” is more professional. If you’re unsure of the hiring manager’s gender, use their full name instead of a title.

But, if you can be specific, using the example header, you can use the following examples to greet your hiring manager :

• “Hello, Ms. Rhodes,”
• “Dear Ms. Rhodes,”
• “Dear Susan Rhodes,”

Using a specific greeting with a specific name will ensure that you are not sending a generic letter.

3. The Opening Paragraph

This is where the real work begins when learning how to write a cover letter. After the greeting, start your cover letter with an introductory paragraph.

As you begin the opening paragraph of your cover letter, properly introduce yourself. This paragraph is your next impression after the way your work is formatted and visually presented. If you’ve gotten the hiring manager this far, you want to keep them locked in.

The opening paragraph is a great opportunity to mention the role to which you’re applying. Briefly explain your interest in the role and company so you can prove you’ve done your research. Also, detailing this information on the front end gives the hiring manager the context they need to keep reading or make notes.

Lastly, this is a good place to state the number one achievement, experience, or skillset you bring to the table concerning the specific role to which you’re applying.

A good example of what this looks like is as follows :

As a writer passionate about the way words inspire others, I am thrilled to apply for the copywriter position at ABC Company. It’s my understanding that you are working on rebranding your company website, and I believe my prior experience developing and editing website content for Fortune 500 companies will bring an extraordinary level of ease to your project. As someone who has been a long-time follower of your blog, I am excited for the chance to help you create a new and improved voice and tone for your brand.

Using the intro paragraph, you want to say who you are (beyond the obvious), letting them get a quick insight into what fuels your passion and where your skillset lies. By doing so, hiring managers can immediately start thinking about the needs for the role and position and whether or not they should keep reading more about you.

4. The Second Paragraph

The second paragraph is going to contain the meat of your cover letter. You’re going to use this to show off your skillset.

You’ve got to make sure that you’re not just listing your accomplishments or taking your resume from bullet-point form to paragraph-form. While you want to pick a handful of your top accomplishments, they still need to be specific for the role and the company to which you’re applying.

Reference the Job Description

Before ever filling out the application online, you had to read the job description . That information was everything you needed to know in order to see if you fit the need.

Do you have the amount of experience they require for applicants? Have you met the education requirements? Do you have the skillsets, passions, and characteristics of the person for which they’re looking?

Usually, job postings do a fairly good job of detailing what:

• the day-to-day of the job will look like
• roles and responsibilities are necessary for being successful in the role
• characteristics and attributes they’re looking for in the ideal job candidate

Those details are important to note as you work through any job application. As you did with your resume, you want to point out qualities and characteristics in yourself that align with the job and candidate description. By using specific details from the job posting as a blueprint, your cover letter will be less generic and more intentional.

You want present yourself to the hiring manager as the ideal candidate. You have read through the application and job description, and you now know the specific needs of the company, so give them that.

How to Start Your Second Paragraph

Reference what exactly the company is looking for. Once you identify one or two of those key attributes, tell them how and why you’re the expert.

End the paragraph by describing how your previous experiences will help them in the future in that role and with their future plans.

Suppose the job and candidate description included the following :

• Must be able to meet with clients to understand message, brand voice, and target audience
• Collaborate with PR and marketing departments to brainstorm and develop a variety of marketing materials to present to stakeholders

A good example of what the second paragraph should look like is as follows :

In my current position at DEF Company, I have been tasked with leading a team of copywriters to ensure all stakeholders in the business are getting the copy materials they need, consistent with our brand and tone. Last year, our entire company underwent a rebrand, which required copy to be produced for our external, internal, and individual stakeholder audiences. It was my team’s responsibility to meet with stakeholders to understand their individual campaigns and ensure they were aligned with the overall objectives of the business. In doing so, we were able to work with the marketing organization and internal creative agency to produce content, which we did for 100% of the business who had requests. Under this same project, we optimized DEF’s search capabilities and secured their spot in the top five results on Google.

To break down the above example, this candidate showed they are an expert in their skillset by noting that they have been leading a team.

In addition, they used this paragraph to address two of the notes under the job and candidate description: they worked with clients and other business stakeholders and worked with the internal marketing department to achieve the goals of the business.

Lastly, they threw in a few quantitative examples that measured how well the work performed for the company, hopefully leaving the hiring manager impressed and curious as to whether or not this candidate could have the same positive effect on their business.

5. The Third Paragraph

The third paragraph is a great place to identify why your experiences make you excited for the new opportunity and a great fit for the company. The hiring manager will want to know why you want this job specifically at this company, not just any available job anywhere.

Perhaps through your research or general knowledge of the job description, you’ve noticed a company initiative or project. You should try and have a good understanding of how the project or initiative aligns with the job you’re applying to.

Did the project or future plan initially spark your interest? Why? This is the place to tell the hiring manager.

Following in line with our example, ABC Company mentioned they are rebranding and in need of a copywriter who would help their stakeholders develop content for the website and individual divisional needs.

With that in mind, a good example of a third paragraph in an effective cover letter could read as follows :

I’m aware that ABC is undergoing a rebrand and in need of new content for the website, in addition to individual company stakeholders. This initiative aligns with my previous experiences and personal passions, as it would give me the unique opportunity to help the company reach new clients and a greater scope of business. With my ability to lead a team, my knowledge of SEO practices and optimization, and my track record of quality improvement, I believe I will be the best fit for this role and, ultimately, your company.

Following this paragraph’s format, the candidate has addressed the needs of the business in addition to why their prior experience will help them achieve similar results. The candidate also lets the hiring manager know that ABC’s rebranding initiative is something the candidate is passionate about, and they have experience doing so for other businesses.

The third paragraph is all about letting the hiring manager know why they need you, so they aren’t left connecting the dots on their own.

6. The Closing Paragraph

Just as important as the rest, the closing needs attention, too. This is the last thing you leave with your reader. You want to ensure it’s not overly needy or coming off as though you’re begging for the job.

Remind yourself that you and your skillset are desirable and valuable. Leave the hiring manager wanting you more than you appear to want the job.

Sign off by letting them know you would be excited to have another conversation and that you would feel grateful for the opportunity to connect.

An example of a good closing would look like the following :

I would be grateful to connect with you further on this opportunity and show you how my experience with DEF Company will translate to success and innovation at ABC.

Lastly, you will want to close the letter with a more formal sign-off like the following :

• “Thank you,”
• “Sincerely,”
• “Best regards,”
• “Thank you for your consideration,”
• “I look forward to hearing from you soon,”

Place your name afterward on a line below.

Put It All Together — Cover Letter Example

(Aligned on the right side of the page) John Smith [email protected] 123 Frankfurt Dr. Los Angeles, CA 444.555.0000

(Aligned on the left side of the page) Susan Rhodes Hiring Manager Insight Global 123 Apple Rd. Atlanta, GA

Dear Ms. Rhodes,

As a writer passionate about the way words inspire others, I am thrilled to apply for the copywriter position at ABC Company. It’s my understanding that you are working on re-branding your company website, and I believe my prior experience developing and editing website content for Fortune 500 companies will bring an extraordinary level of ease to your project. As someone who has been a long-time follower of your blog, I am excited for the chance to help you create a new and improved voice and tone for your brand.

I’m aware that ABC is undergoing a rebrand and in need of new content for the website, in addition to individual company stakeholders. This initiative perfectly aligns with my previous experiences and personal passions, as it would give me the unique opportunity to help the company reach new clients and a greater scope of business. With my ability to lead a team, my knowledge of SEO practices and optimization, and my track record of quality improvement, I believe I will be the best fit for this role and ultimately, your company.

John Smith (Enter your LinkedIn profile or personal website.)

Final Tips for How to Write an Effective Cover Letter

Your cover letter is incredibly important in the grand scheme of the job search and job application process. In tandem with your resume, your cover letter needs to be effective in getting your personality, accomplishments, and passions across to the hiring manager while also providing need-to-know information.

Before you finish your cover letter, have it proofread by someone other than yourself. You may have looked over it a hundred times, but usually after staring at the same thing for hours, your eyes make up for anything you’ve missed.

Lean on a friend, colleague, or professor who can put fresh eyes on your cover letter to ensure it looks clean and contains no mistakes.

Learning how to write a cover letter will prove to be your best friend, especially in competitive job application scenarios. Let your light shine through your cover letter and show the hiring manager your capabilities, value, and personality.

The hiring manager should finish reading your letter wondering what they would ever do without you!

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How to Write a Great Cover Letter in 6 Steps

• January 2, 2022
• In Resumes & Cover Letters

Your cover letter is an opportunity to impress. Get it right, and a hiring manager will open your beautifully crafted resume with relish and a sense of optimism. Get it wrong, and they’ll open it grudgingly, or not at all. Even in today’s digital world, cover letters in whatever form remain as relevant as they’ve ever been. Here’s how to get yours right.

What is a cover letter?

A cover letter is a brief introductory summary of your qualifications and interest accompanying your resume. It presents the reader with an overview of your current responsibilities, followed by accomplishments that indicate your qualifications for the position. The goal of the cover letter is to refer yourself and your resume so that you’ll have an opportunity to sell yourself.  

Typically, resumes will simply feature professional skills , but cover letters will elaborate on where candidates envision themselves within the firm and what they intend to perform in the job. But this is a first-impression moment. Establish trust by making your cover letter fully meet the reader’s expectations. Discover why they need someone like you and summarize your credentials to help them see you’re the one they want on their team. This will ensure a cover letter leaves a lasting impression and motivate the reader to open your resume.

How to write a cover letter step-by-step

When writing a cover letter, adhere to a basic format and avoid repeating your resume. A well-written one will wow hiring managers and distinguish you from other candidates.  

Before you start writing, research the organization and position you are applying for to avoid sending a generic cover letter. The following tips outline the most effective structure and points to make your cover letter stand out.   

1. Contact information

Include your complete contact information so you’re sure the organization has it, don’t just rely on your email address making it cleanly through an email trail. Your email address should create a professional impression. Don’t use an email address like [email protected] . Always include a date so that your communication has a solid reference and can be found for queries in the future.

2. Salutation/greeting

Be formal and use ‘Dear …’, not ‘Hi,’ until you have a well-established dialogue with someone. Write to a named individual; it shows respect, and you’re more likely to get personal attention. If necessary, ring the organization and ask who to address your communication to. It demonstrates thoroughness and professionalism.

3. Opening part

Your opening paragraph will make or break your chances with the hiring manager. You want to keep it short and sweet and get to the point. At the same time, you need it to stand out and grab the attention of the reader. This paragraph is your chance to capture the attention of the hiring managers and make them want to read more. Generally, your opening paragraph should address three main things. These include how you find out about the position, your experience, and what you can bring to the company. For example, a simple opening paragraph may sound like this:

4. Middle part

Once you have the attention of the hiring manager, it is time to convince them you are the perfect fit for the role and company. The body of your cover letter should highlight why you are more suitable than other applicants, and why the company is right for you. Essentially, this is the most critical part of your cover letter. In the second part of the body, expand on why you chose this particular company. Explain why you would like to work for them – have you attended their events? Did you like their marketing campaigns?

Mainly, show that you are genuinely interested in the company, and don’t be afraid to point out what in particular you like. Then, tease what you could bring to the company as an employee. Base this on your experience and recent news about the company. For example, propose a solution to a problem they have been facing. Show the hiring manager that you are valuable and would fit right in.

“ I believe I would make a valuable addition to the company based on my research and in-person experience with various teams at networking events.  

In particular, I believe I can contribute significantly in the following key areas:  

• Leadership – I oversaw the development and implementation of a sales strategy and a cross-sell methodology that capitalized on existing customer connections to offer new solutions. This led to an increase in revenue of more than 15 percent in the first six months. I have a leadership style that fosters respect, integrity, and dedication, combined with a passion for organizational strategy that accelerates the company’s growth.
• Collaboration – Throughout my professional career, I have prioritized collaboration with my coworkers, trainees, and stakeholders. My approach is driven by self-awareness, self-monitoring, accountability, and emphasizing open channels of cross-department communication.  
• Financial Management — I have an in-depth comprehension of effective financial company management. I oversaw all transactions and bookkeeping for one-third of our global market, ensuring that business choices were based on good financial understanding. This has resulted in a more than 25 percent increase in revenue and a 170 percent increase in market share over the last two years. ”

5. Closing part

Your closing paragraph should summarize your main points and conclude your cover letter – like in an essay. In other words, your ending should be short and to the point. Thank the hiring manager for consideration and reiterate your excitement about this opportunity. When summarizing your experience, focus on the value you would bring to the company. Finally, don’t forget to structure your closing paragraph as an offer. You have explained your value in the body of your cover letter; now, offer that value to the hiring manager.

For example, tell them how excited you would be to discuss how your area of expertise could help the company grow. However, avoid trying to sell yourself too hard. Sometimes, this can be seen as disrespectful and could decrease your chances of getting the job.

“I appreciate your time and consideration. I look forward to discussing my experience, skills, aspirations, and professional objectives in detail during an in-person interview. I am also hoping to present some of my previous projects and their impact to demonstrate why I would be a great fit for the Sales Manager role at [Company Name].”

6. Complimentary close and signature

Use ‘Yours sincerely’ if you have a person’s name at the start. If you’ve started with ‘Dear Sir’, or similar, use ‘Yours faithfully’ to sign off. On a document, include a copy of your signature, even if it’s just an added image, and put your full name below it. If your cover letter is an email or an online form box, sign off with your full name, not just a first name.

How to write a cover letter with no experience  

Is it possible to write a cover letter that would help you stand out against qualified applicants if you have no formal work experience? The answer is yes; it is entirely feasible and simpler than you would imagine. Focus your cover letter on the soft and hard skills you’ve acquired via informal employment, internships, school activities, volunteering, and academic courses.

Most importantly, show your desire to learn and grow within the organization using your skills. Here is an excellent example of a cover letter with no experience:  

Dear Mrs. Doe,    

Your opening for the position of Junior Sales Representative caught my eye the moment I saw it on the internet. I’ve been following your company for years now, and your commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing aligns perfectly with my values.  

As a recent graduate of Business Administration, I have had the chance to get first-hand experience with the most widely-used sales processes that I would be happy to apply at your company. I am used to leading small teams of 5-10 people towards success, and I have had extensive training in sales management, customer service, and business communication.

I am dedicated to excellence, creative, communicative, and thrive in fast-paced environments. At the same time, I share the values of sustainability, ethical production, and the overall unification of the city. 

Thank you for your consideration. I have attached my resume, where you can find an overview of my most outstanding achievements and qualifications, and I enthusiastically await your response.  

Yours sincerely, (Your Name)

Read more:  How To Write a Cover Letter With No Experience in 9 Steps

How to write a cover letter when you are changing careers

Writing a cover letter for a career change involves some planning and preparation. If you’re changing careers, your cover letter should include the following:  

• Your transferrable skills  
• Past work experience that applies to the new position
• The reason you’re changing careers
• Why you chose their company

Your cover letter should demonstrate to the hiring manager how your skills and previous jobs, even if in another field, have prepared you to take on the new job’s duties. Demonstrate that you bring a fresh viewpoint that could benefit their team and the company.

How to write a cover letter when you are underqualified  

If you lack some of the qualifications but are still determined to get the job, your cover letter could make or break your chances. To start, assess your skills and qualifications against the job description. This will show you what to focus on and what the employer might have an issue with. In the body of your cover letter, focus on the strengths and positives.

Highlight your most significant accomplishments , skills , or awards – if they are somewhat relevant to the position. But don’t sweep your gaps in knowledge under the table. Instead, address them directly, and explain how you are working towards improving on the areas in which you lack expertise. Finally, let your enthusiasm and passion for the position shine through to leave a positive impression.  

How to write a cover letter as a fresh graduate  

As tempting as it might be, it bears minimal results to apply to dozens of positions without a cover letter when searching for your first full-time job after graduation. Instead, aim to write a brief, value-driven cover letter that highlights your passion for the role and company.

Focus on the skills and experience you gained during your time in school and explain how these could be beneficial to the company. Apart from those, remember to show off your soft skills and keep the tone positive throughout.

FAQ:  How to write a cover letter

• What is a cover letter, and when should I use one?   A cover letter is an introduction of you as a job candidate. From your greatest strengths to your most significant professional achievements, your cover letter gives you the chance to expand on your resume and make the reader want to know more. In general, you should use a cover letter with each job application unless the job listing clearly says not to.
• Does anyone actually read a cover letter? Contrary to popular belief, cover letters are still very popular with hiring managers. In fact, many agree that a cover letter can help them decide whether or not a candidate will move further in the hiring process.
• What is a cover letter and a letterhead?  To make your cover letter look more professional, you can include a letterhead. A letterhead is a page heading that summarizes your contact information and address. Including a letterhead can make your cover letter look modern and polished and save you time when putting together your other job application documents by becoming the go-to format.
• What is the best way to end a cover letter?  After writing the body of your cover letter, you should write a short closing paragraph. This section should reiterate your excitement about the opportunity and urge the reader to follow up with you upon receipt. Then, you can end your cover letter with a simple “Sincerely,” “Faithfully,” or similar.

What to include in a great cover letter

Success lies within the effort you put in. Revisit your previous resume research and use it to inform and tailor your content.

• What does the company do, what are their products, and who are their customers?
• What markets do they serve, what challenges do they face, and who are their competitors?
• What does the role involve, what are the objectives, and what skills do you need?

Concentrate on the following points:

• Write to a named person. If necessary, ring HR, and ask who to address your application to.
• Show some added value. Have you got an extra skill or experience not asked for, but which would be highly valuable?
• Appeal to underlying needs. If you understand the hiring manager’s problems, you can focus on presenting skills or experience that would help.
• Show your personality. Be a focused business-like professional, but show genuine enthusiasm and a reason why you love this market, product, or job.
• Use key-words. If they want a widget manager and you say, “I’m a widget manager,” you’re halfway there already. Play to their highlighted desires in the job ad.
• Include contact details.  Please don’t rely on your email address, making it cleanly through an email trail.

What not to include in your cover letter

• Don’t repeat your resume. Present added value and hooks into your resume.
• Avoid hyperbole and exaggeration. Don’t say, “I’m excellent at …”. Who says?
• Don’t get off track. Irrelevant words waste time and disappoint the reader.
• Don’t beg. Emotional pleas show you as self-centered and are a turn-off.
• Leave out your life story. That’s in your resume, effectively.

Questions to ask before sending your cover letter

• Have I clearly introduced myself and my professional experience within the first two sentences of the cover letter?
• Is my cover letter format unique, and does my cover letter stand out?
• Have I highlighted my most relevant qualifications and achievements?
• Have I mentioned the information I found out about the company as well as the role I am applying for?
• Have I highlighted why I want to work for this company?
• Is my cover letter neat, clean, and well-presented?
• Is my cover letter error-free?
• Is my cover letter short and concise?
• Do I ask for an interview in the cover letter?

You may also be interested in:

• Can a Resume be 2 Pages? (Tips & Tricks)
• Top 9 Resume Fonts to Level Up Your Resume in 2019
• Cover Letter Format: A Step by Step Guide for 2022
• Cover Letter Examples [To Get Inspired in 2022]

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• Choose one of our professionally designed resume templates
• Fill in your summary, experience, education, skills, and more
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Jon Gregory

Jon Gregory is a highly accomplished professional with a diverse range of expertise in the career development field.  As a respected and sought-after expert, he serves as a career adviser at Resumeway, a National Careers Week Ambassador, and a Careers Expert Member for The Guardian.

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6 Examples: How to Write a Perfect Proposal Letter (Step-by-Step)

By Status.net Editorial Team on November 8, 2023 — 14 minutes to read

• Understanding Proposal Letters Part 1
• Structuring Your Proposal Letter Part 2
• Key Elements of a Proposal Letter Part 3
• Step-By-Step Guide to Writing a Proposal Letter Part 4
• How to Write a Business Proposal Letter (Example) Part 5
• How to Write a Job Proposal Letter (Example) Part 6
• How to Write an Academic Proposal Letter (Example) Part 7
• Successful Business Proposal Email Example Part 8
• Example of a Proposal Letter for a Marketing Project Part 9
• Effective Job Proposal Email Example Part 10

Part 1 Understanding Proposal Letters

A proposal letter is a written document sent to a potential client, employer, or partner, outlining your proposed idea, project, or plan. It aims to persuade the recipient to consider your proposal and take action on it.

To begin with, think of the end goal. Identify what you want to achieve with your proposal letter. This could be anything from securing a contract to obtaining funding for a project. Having a clear objective in mind helps you create a compelling document.

Next, research your target audience. Understand the recipient’s needs, preferences, and potential pain points. Tailor your letter to demonstrate how it addresses their specific requirements boosting your chances of success.

Now, let’s discuss the structure of a proposal letter. Generally, it follows a simple layout:

• Salutation : Start with a formal greeting, addressing the recipient by their full name or title.
• Introduction : Introduce the purpose of your letter, highlighting the central theme of your proposal.
• Body : Explain your proposal in detail, including benefits, costs, timeline, and any other vital information.
• Conclusion : Summarize the key points and request for a follow-up meeting or discussion.
• Closing : End with a courteous sign-off, such as “Sincerely” or “Best regards.”

Part 2 Structuring Your Proposal Letter

Starting with a strong introduction.

Begin your proposal letter with a friendly, professional tone that captures your reader’s attention. Introduce yourself and your organization, briefly explaining your background and experience. Connect with your reader by showing that you understand their needs and goals. Make sure you mention the purpose of your proposal and the solution you want to offer with confidence.

Proposing Your Idea

After laying the groundwork, dive into the details of your proposal. Explain what your solution or idea is and how it addresses the needs and goals mentioned earlier. Make sure to highlight the key benefits, focusing on what’s in it for your reader. Be specific and use facts, figures, and examples to support your claims. Keep your paragraphs organized and use bullet points or bold text to emphasize important information.

For example:

• Benefit 1: Reduction in production costs by 30%
• Benefit 2: Improved customer satisfaction
• Benefit 3: Streamlined workflow processes

This will help your reader easily understand and remember the main points of your proposal.

Ending with a Perfect Conclusion

End your proposal letter on a positive note, summarizing the main benefits and advantages of your idea. Reiterate your enthusiasm and commitment to providing the best solution possible. Offer your assistance in answering any questions or addressing concerns your reader might have. Finish with a call-to-action, such as setting up a meeting or signing a contract, and provide your contact information so they can easily get in touch with you.

Part 3 Key Elements of a Proposal Letter

Clear objective.

A successful proposal letter begins with a clear objective. When writing your letter, make sure to state the purpose of the proposal in a concise and straightforward manner. This helps the reader understand what you want to achieve and the solution you’re providing. Avoid using jargon or complex language, as it can be confusing and might lead the reader to misunderstand the core message.

Specific Details

Providing specific details is important to make your proposal letter more persuasive. This includes outlining the scope of work, timeframe, and estimated costs for the project. You should also highlight any unique aspects of your proposal that set it apart from competitors or alternative solutions.

For example, if you’re proposing a marketing campaign, you could outline the target audience, marketing channels you’ll use, content creation, and metrics for success. By providing specifics, you demonstrate that you’ve put thought into the project and have a well-planned approach, instilling confidence in the reader that you are the right choice.

Compelling Reasoning

Your proposal letter should include compelling reasoning for why the recipient should choose your solution. This can include:

• Demonstrating your expertise and experience in the field
• Explaining the benefits of your proposed solution
• Sharing success stories and testimonials from past clients or projects
• Outlining how your proposal aligns with the recipient’s goals and needs

For example, continuing with the marketing campaign proposal, you could discuss how your experience in handling similar projects has led to significant increases in sales and brand recognition for your clients. Also, you might explain how your approach aligns with the recipient’s target demographics or business objectives to strengthen your case.

Part 4 Step-By-Step Guide to Writing a Proposal Letter

• Start by addressing the recipient with their professional title and full name.
• In the first paragraph, state the purpose of your letter and summarize your proposal briefly. Make sure to highlight the key benefits of your proposal for the recipient or their organization.
• In the next few paragraphs, provide details about your proposed project or partnership, such as your objectives, timelines, and expected outcomes. Also, showcase your competence and experience by mentioning relevant achievements or past collaborations.
• When closing the letter, express gratitude for their time and consideration. Offer to provide further information or answer any questions they may have.
• Lastly, include your full name, title, contact information, and signature.

Choosing the Right Format

Make sure your letter is in the right format to make it look professional. You will typically use a business letter format, which includes:

• Your contact information
• The recipient’s contact information
• Subject line (optional)
• Body of the letter

[Contact Details]

Dear [Recipient’s Name],

Re: [Proposal subject]

[Body of the letter]

[Your Name]

Setting the Tone

Maintain a friendly yet professional tone throughout your proposal letter. Be polite and respectful, addressing the recipient by their full name, and using “please” and “thank you” when appropriate. Keep the language conversational but clear, so your reader can easily understand your proposal. Stay away from overly technical terms or jargon, unless it is necessary and you’re sure your recipient will understand it.

Drafting the Body

Begin by providing an overview of the problem or need your proposal is addressing. Clearly explain the issue and why it’s important to solve it. Next, describe your proposed solution in detail, outlining your plan and how it will benefit the recipient. Be specific and realistic in your description; for example, if you’re proposing a project with a timeline and budget, include concrete figures and dates.

Break down your proposal into smaller sections, using separate paragraphs or even bullet points if helpful. This makes it easier for your reader to follow your argument and understand the various aspects of your proposal. Here’s a quick outline of what you should cover in the body of your proposal letter:

• Problem/need introduction
• Proposed solution
• Benefits of the solution
• Timeline and budget (if applicable)
• Your qualifications (why you’re the right choice to carry out the proposal)
• A call to action (how they can take the next step)

Proofreading Carefully

Before sending your proposal letter, take the time to thoroughly proofread it for errors in grammar, spelling, and formatting. Ensuring that your letter is polished and error-free shows the recipient that you take your proposal seriously and are committed to quality in your work. If possible, ask a colleague or friend to review your letter as well since a fresh set of eyes can often catch errors that you might have missed.

Part 5 How to Write a Business Proposal Letter (Example)

When writing a business proposal letter, your goal is to present your ideas or services in a way that’s compelling and clear. Business proposal letters can be sent to potential clients, partners, or investors. Here are some tips for writing an effective business proposal letter:

• Start with a brief introduction of your company and its offerings.
• Highlight the benefits of your product or service, focusing on the value it will bring to the recipient.
• Be specific about costs, timelines, and any other relevant information.
• Use clear, concise language, and avoid using jargon or overly technical terms.
• Close the letter by mentioning next steps, such as arranging a meeting or following up with further information.

Subject: New Collaboration Opportunity with [Your Company Name] Dear [Recipient’s Name], I’m reaching out on behalf of [Your Company Name] to discuss an exciting opportunity for collaboration. Our team has developed an innovative marketing strategy that could greatly benefit your company by increasing your customer acquisition rate by 20% within the next six months. […] We look forward to the possibility of working together and will be in touch shortly to schedule a meeting to discuss further details.

Part 6 How to Write a Job Proposal Letter (Example)

Job proposal letters are typically written by job seekers looking to create their own position within a company or to highlight their unique skills and experience. These letters should be concise, persuasive, and tailored to the specific company and its needs. Here are some key points to include:

• Briefly mention your background and skills relevant to the position.
• Describe how your unique abilities can positively impact the organization.
• Offer specific examples of how you can contribute to the company’s goals and objectives.
• End with a call to action, offering to provide more information or meet to discuss the opportunity further.

Subject: Job Proposal for Social Media Manager at [Company] Dear [Recipient’s Name], As an experienced social media professional, I am excited by the opportunity to bring my skills and expertise to [Company]. Based on my research of your current online presence, I believe I can contribute to increasing your brand awareness and engagement through a tailored social media strategy. […] I would appreciate the opportunity to further discuss how my background and passion for social media can contribute to [Company]’s growth and success. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

Part 7 How to Write an Academic Proposal Letter (Example)

Academic proposal letters are typically written by students or researchers seeking funding or approval for a research project. These letters should be well-organized, clear, and focused on the proposed project’s objectives and potential benefits. Consider the following when working on your academic proposal letter:

• Introduce the main research question or hypothesis.
• Provide a brief overview of the project’s methodology and work plan.
• Describe the expected outcomes and significance of the research.
• Include information about the project’s potential impact on the field and broader society.

Subject: Research Proposal for Study on the Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions Dear [Recipient’s Name], I am writing to propose a research project investigating the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on individuals suffering from chronic stress. The primary aim of the study will be to determine the overall efficacy of these interventions in reducing stress levels and improving overall mental wellbeing.

[…] I am confident that the results of this research will contribute significantly to our understanding of the relationship between mindfulness and mental health.

Part 8 Successful Business Proposal Email Example

Imagine you own a marketing agency, and you’d like to help a local business grow their social media presence. Start by addressing the recipient’s pain points, such as limited engagement on their platforms. Then, briefly introduce your agency and express excitement about working together:

Subject: Boost Your Social Media Engagement with Our Expertise

We’ve noticed that your business has a strong online presence, but engagement on your social media channels seems to be underwhelming. Our team at [Your Agency’s Name] can help you turn this around and maximize your audience interaction.

With our tailored social media marketing strategies, we’ve helped numerous clients increase their online engagement by an average of 65%. Our approach focuses on:

– Identifying and targeting your ideal customers – Creating high-quality, engaging content – Enhancing brand image and authority

We would love to discuss this opportunity further and provide you with a detailed plan on how we can work together to elevate your social media presence.

Looking forward to hearing from you, [Your Full Name] [Your Agency’s Name] [Contact Details]

Part 9 Example of a Proposal Letter for a Marketing Project

I’m excited to present our idea for boosting sales at ABC Company through a targeted marketing campaign.

As we discussed in our previous meeting, the sales figures have plateaued over the past year. Our marketing team has analyzed the situation and developed a strategy to increase brand awareness and boost sales. The campaign will focus on social media, email marketing, and online advertisements.

By implementing this project, we expect the following results:

– Enhanced brand visibility – Increased customer engagement – A 20% rise in sales within six months

The total cost for the marketing campaign is $10,000. This includes creative design, copywriting, ad placements, and performance monitoring. We propose a six-month timeline for the project, starting in December.

I would be delighted to discuss the proposal in more detail or provide further information as needed. Please let me know your availability, and I’ll schedule a follow-up meeting at your convenience.

Thank you for considering our proposal. I look forward to working together on this exciting project.

Best regards, [Name]

Keep in mind that proposal letters vary in length and detail depending on the project’s size and complexity. Always customize your letter to fit the specific requirements and expectations of the recipient.

Part 10 Effective Job Proposal Email Example

Now, let’s say you’re a freelance graphic designer aiming to work with a company that recently launched a new product. Start by expressing your intentions and introduce your expertise. Showcase your experience and services offered related to their needs:

Subject: Elevate Your New Product Launch with Professional Graphic Design Services

Hello [Recipient’s Name],

I recently came across your new product launch, and I believe your marketing materials could benefit from some professional graphic design enhancements. As an experienced graphic designer, I’d like to offer my services to help elevate your visual presentation and attract more customers.

With over five years of experience in the industry, I can create compelling designs for:

– Product packaging – Promotional materials (e.g., brochures, banners, posters) – Social media graphics – Website elements

Please find my online portfolio attached, showcasing my diverse design styles and previous projects. I’m confident that my skills and expertise can significantly contribute to your product’s success in the market.

If you’re interested, kindly reach out to me to discuss further details and pricing.

Best regards, [Your Full Name] [Contact Details]

Frequently Asked Questions

1. what are the key components to include in a proposal letter.

A well-crafted proposal letter should include the following key components:

• Opening Statement: Start with a concise and informative introduction that grabs the reader’s attention.
• Background Information: Provide necessary context to help your reader understand the problem or opportunity.
• Proposed Solution: Outline your proposed solution, including your unique selling points or innovative approach.
• Timeline and Budget: Give a brief overview of the estimated project duration and budget required.
• Call to Action: End with a call to action, inviting the reader to take the next step, whether it’s to request more information, schedule a meeting, or approve the proposal.

2. Can you share some tips on making a proposal letter persuasive?

To make your proposal letter persuasive, consider these tips:

• Use clear and concise language to effectively communicate your ideas.
• Focus on the benefits that the reader will gain from your proposal, emphasizing the value you bring.
• Include specific examples, case studies, or testimonials to back up your claims.
• Address any potential objections or concerns the reader may have and provide appropriate solutions.

3. What’s the best way to structure a proposal letter for a research project?

A research proposal letter should generally include the following structure:

• Introduction: Provide a brief overview of your research topic and its significance.
• Background and Literature Review: Summarize relevant research and demonstrate your expertise in the field.
• Research Questions and Objectives: Clearly state your research questions and the expected outcomes.
• Methodology: Explain your research approach and the techniques you will use.
• Expected Results: Provide an idea of the anticipated results and their significance.
• Timeline and Budget: Outline the project timeline and the funding required.

4. How do I create an effective business proposal letter for a potential client?

To create an effective business proposal letter, follow these steps:

• Start with a strong opening that captures the client’s attention.
• Clearly state the problem or opportunity your proposal addresses.
• Present your proposed solution, focusing on its unique and beneficial aspects.
• Provide evidence of your expertise and past successes, such as case studies or testimonials.
• Detail any necessary resources, deliverables, and a realistic timeline.
• End with a compelling call to action, inviting the client to take the next step.

5. In what order should I present my ideas when writing a proposal letter step by step?

When writing your proposal letter, present your ideas in a logical order that flows well for the reader. A typical order could include:

• Opening Statement: Grab the reader’s attention and introduce your proposal.
• Background Information: Provide relevant context to help your audience understand the issue or opportunity.
• Proposed Solution: Detail your unique and compelling solution to the problem.
• Evidence and Support: Showcase your expertise, past successes, and any supporting data.
• Timeline and Budget: Give an overview of the project’s duration and required funding.
• Call to Action: Conclude with a strong call to action that encourages the reader to move forward.
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Dr. Hura Anwar

A dental surgeon by profession and a freelance content writer by passion

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