Part One of Three:
Preparing Your Letter
Grab a piece of paper and make two
columns. In the left column write
“Requirements†and in the right, “My
Skillsâ€. Read the job application carefully
and become familiar with the requirements
for this job. Next you will compare those
to your skills and experiences on your
resume.
In the left column write down the
requirements and skills needed for
the job.
In the right column write down points
from your resume that fit those.
Having these points of interest that
correlate to the job will help you
provide the most important
information in your cover letter
quickly and effectively.
Start your letter by adding your
contact information at the top. You
want to make it as easy as possible for
your prospective employer to contact you
and know who you are. Before you begin
your letter, make sure that you have the
proper letterhead .
Make sure your document is aligned
to the left.
Include the current date, then
separated by a space, add your
contact information:
Name
Address
Phone number
Email address
Personal website (if you have
one)
LinkedIn profile
Include the company’s information.
After you include your information,
you need to include the name of the
employer to whom you are applying for the
job, his title, name of company and
address. [1]
By including the contact information
of the company to which you are
applying, you are showing that you
have taken the time to write a
specific letter or application to this
company, and have done your
research on the hiring manager for
the position.
Doing your homework puts you ahead
of a majority of applications which
are clearly generic cut and paste
letters, and shows you are dedicated.
If you don’t know the name of the
hiring manager, search the
company’s website to see if you can
find him. Go to LinkedIn, and even
search Twitter. If you can’t narrow
down a specific name, see if you can
find the head of the department to
which you are applying. If all else
fails and you have no name, it’s ok to
address your cover letter to the
hiring manager of the department.
Example: “[Department] Hiring
Managerâ€.
Address your letter to the person
whom you are writing. To begin your
letter, you want to be formal and start with
a proper address. Don’t address it to “To
Whomsoever it May Concernâ€, as this is
informal, generic, and gives the impression
that you haven’t researched the company.
Once again, if you don’t have the
hiring manager’s name, a simple
“Dear [Department] Hiring Managerâ€
will do.
Part Two of Three:
Writing Your Letter
Write an engaging first paragraph.
Employers read a lot of cover letters,
and most of the time a hiring manager will
scan them quickly deciding if your letter
goes in the trash or the “keep†pile. Don’t
bury the lead, treat your application letter
like a news article. [2]
Open with a strong, declarative
statement that informs your reader
that you are excited to be applying
for [the position] at [company].
Be short and specific with what
attracted you to the job. What is it
about the company that you like?
Give an example, and don’t be afraid
to be a little conversational
depending on how casual the
company is.
Show the manager that you are not
only familiar with the company’s
work, but that you are a good fit by
writing in a similar tone to the
company.
For example: if you are applying to a
company that writes news articles,
try to embody a tone that is similar
to those articles. Are they serious, do
they add humor? If it’s a more formal
company like a big marketing firm or
financial institution, you might want
to be more authoritative, but always
be polite.
State where you found the position to
which you are applying. Before
applying, do some research and see if you
know anyone at the company. It’s always
better to have an in and reference, and
don’t be afraid to name drop if you have
the employee’s permission.
If you don’t have a contact at the
company, still be sure to include
where you found the application, such
as via a job site, the company’s site,
in a newspaper, etc.
Explain why hiring you will benefit
the employer. You don’t want to tell
them why getting hired will benefit you.
There’s a reason this position is open,
there’s a problem that needs solving.
You’re here to solve it.
Look at your list of accomplishments
and experience and find one or two
examples that you can speak about.
These should highlight why you will
be great in the role.
For example, if you see that the
position needs someone who can
lead a team and handle multiple
projects at once, look at your
accomplishments to see if you have
any experience that solves that need.
If you've led team members before,
briefly speak to how your leadership
skills increased productivity across
multiple projects.
Anytime that you can provide stats
and numbers, do so. When describing
why hiring you will benefit the
employer, try to use stats like an
increase in revenue or a cut down on
costs under your leadership.
Briefly summarize your strengths,
qualifications, and experience. In
your second paragraph, you want to mirror
the job qualifications to two or three of
your abilities and experiences that show
why you’re perfect for the role.
Refer to your CV or resume, and your
skills section from your outline for
more explanations of your
qualifications and skills.
Look for quick anecdotes that
highlight how you’ve been able to
solve issues that the company you
are applying for might have based on
the requirements.
Include the most relevant aspects of
your career. While more recent
accomplishments are a good place to
start, you may have done something
in the past that fits perfectly to the
requirements; don’t be afraid to dig
deep.
Paint a picture of yourself that’s not
on your resume. A hiring manager
can read your CV or resume and see what
you have done in your previous jobs. You
want to show the hiring manager who the
person behind the accomplishments is. [3]
In one or two sentences, express
how the company has impacted you
personally. If you are applying to your
dream job, chances are this company
has somehow shaped your life.
Don’t get too sappy, and keep it
short. But by showing the human
side of yourself with a story, you
show that you’re more than just facts
on a piece of paper.
Part Three of Three:
Finishing Up Your Letter
Briefly summarize why you’re the
perfect candidate for the job in one
sentence. Ending your letter of application
on the right note is a very important part
of your letter as it can help you land the
interview. [4]
When you explain how you can
contribute to the company, remember
that you want to put yourself in the
shoes of the hiring manager. It’s
about how your contributions will help
the company, not how the company
will help you.
Ask yourself what you would be
looking for in a candidate if you were
hiring.
Invite the hiring manager to contact
you. Inform your reader that you
would love the opportunity to speak
further about the position and provide your
contact info again.
You can conclude your letter by
thanking the hiring manager and
ending with a statement like I look
forward to hearing from you at your
earliest convenience.
Don’t just ask the hiring manager to
contact you if he feels you are a
good fit. Show some confidence
(without being cocky) by telling him
that you look forward to speaking
further.
Sign off. Signing off can seem like an
afterthought, or become frustrating if
you don’t know what is appropriate. Use
Yours sincerely or simply “Bestâ€.
Being too formal can hurt you here
as you may come off insincere, or it
may not fit the style of the rest of
your letter.
By saying something like “Best†or
“Best wishesâ€, you show respect
without sounding like you’re writing a
love letter. [5] Alternatively, something
like “Cheers†may be too informal
and can come off as presumptuous.
Write your name underneath. After
you sign off, write your full name on
the last line, and consider including a
signature.
If you have set up a signature on
your word processor, you can insert it
under your name.
Alternatively, you can print out your
letter and sign your name by hand if
you wish. Although with this method,
you will have to scan your letter back
into your computer.
A signature is not always required.
