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Structure of a Cover Letter

The cover letter is a professional note that you send to an employer, along with your resume. In a few paragraphs, cover letters express why your history, experience, qualifications, and traits make you a good candidate for that job opening and potential teammate. Although they're not always required, cover letters are an excellent asset for your application and can set you apart from the competition.

Category
Exploring Careers, Advancing or Changing Careers
Topics
Career Help, Exploring Careers

What Is a Cover Letter and How it Complements Resumes

A cover letter is a short narrative, two to five paragraphs long, that is submitted along with your resume and serves as your pitch for yourself to your new potential employer. It is unique for each job you apply to, addressing the employer by name and briefly explaining who you are and why you’re a fit for the job. It also introduces your resume and provides context for it without just repeating what’s already in there. Cover letters can take time to craft, but help your application shine. 

Why It’s Important

A cover letter shows the employer that you care about this opportunity, and are willing to put in the work to create a tailored introduction. The cover letter also helps the employer connect the dots and get a better understanding of you as a person, your communication style, and your resume. If needed, cover letters can also address areas in your resume like lack of experience, gaps in employment, and frequent job changes.

Before Getting Started

Before starting your cover letter, you’ll want to complete the resume first to know what to talk about. At this point, you should also be familiar with the organization, the position, and what type of person they are looking to fill this job. If you are hazy on anything, look through the company website, or scroll through the company’s social media accounts—you could even contact the employer for clarification if you have questions. The more understanding you have of the job and organization, the more tailored your cover letter will be to help you get closer to an interview.

Basic structure

All that being said, the cover letter is concise and one page long with an intro, body, and closing. You should follow the common structure of written letters:

  • Your contact information
  • The company’s contact information
  • An appropriate salutation to the hiring manager/recipient
  • Intro
  • Body
    • Why you are qualified and excited about this position
    • Keywords from the job posting
  • Closing
  • Signature

You can paste this structure below into a document, then fill in the details. If you need additional clues for language, visit the Browse Careers page and refer to career cards for jobs you’ve had and the job you’re applying to.

Your First Name Last Name

Your Town, State

Your Email@email.com

Your phone number

Your LinkedIn ur (optional)

 

Date of application

Name of  the recipient

Title of the recipient (or use generic recipient like “Hiring Manager” or “Human Resources Department”)

Company name

Company address

 

Salutation

Use one of the following

  • Dear Mr./Mrs. [ contact’s last name ]
  • Dear Hiring Manager
  • To Whom It May Concern 

Intro 

Start by addressing what position you are applying for and why you would be a good fit

Include how you learned about the position

Examples:

  • “I am applying to the position of [ job title ] that I found listed on your website.”
  • “As a [ professional title ] with a background in [field of work or education ], I am confident I would be a great fit at [ name of company].”

Body

Why you are a strong candidate for this position through your work experience, skills, and achievements


Examples:

  • “As my resume shows, I have…”
  • “In my last position as [ former title ], I [ work that is relevant to the new job ].”
  • “As [ title ], I have a comprehensive background in [ area of expertise ].”
  • “I look forward to using my [ skill ] to assist in [ new job responsibility 1 ] and [ new job responsibility 2 ].”
  • “My professional qualifications in addition to my [ personal qualities, soft skills, or interests ] will help me make a seamless transition into [ new job title ].”

Closing 

Thank the employer for their consideration and extend an invitation for them to reach out

  • “Thank you for reviewing and considering my application.”
  • “I am excited to learn more about [ company ] and how I can help in its success.”
  • “I look forward to the chance to discuss my qualifications further and can be reached at [ phone number ] or [ email address ] at your convenience.”

 

 “Sincerely,”

[ Your name ]

Double Check Your Work

Did you: 
  • Read it out loud to yourself. Does it make sense? 
  • Are your paragraphs easy to understand? Are the words you use simple?
  • Use spell check 
  • Can you send it to a friend or family member to review?
  • Show that you know about the organization and the job requirements?
  • Showcase why you are a good fit, and why you want the position? 
  • Use a personal, but professional tone
Make sure you don’t: 
  • Guess who the recipient is.
    • If you aren’t certain what the recipient’s name is, use a generic term like “Dear Hiring Manager” or “To Whom it May Concern”
  • Mention the wrong company or job title
  • Use different contact information than is listed on your resume
  • Simply repeat your resume
  • Be too informal or casual in your language
  • State any frustrations, badmouth your previous employers, or emphasize hardships
  • Overuse buzzwords like “synergy” or words that may require a dictionary
  • Use acronyms the reader may not know (like PTO for paid time off) 
  • Lie or embellish
  • Plagiarize, or copy, a letter from an existing template

 

Good luck!

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