How to Write a Cover Letter – Template and 9 Expert Tips
July 19, 2024
If you鈥檙e applying for a job, you鈥檒l most likely need to prepare a polished r茅sum茅, to practice common interview questions, to request recommendations and references, and to write a cover letter. There are many types of cover letters out there. These include the application cover letter, the prospecting cover letter, and the career change cover letter. In this article, we鈥檒l discuss the most common: the application cover letter, which is what you鈥檒l need when trying to secure a new job (usually for a currently open position). Below, we鈥檒l recommend how to write a cover letter (including how to end a cover letter) and provide a cover letter template to help you get started!
If you like our template and tips you may also want to view our 3 Great Cover Letter Examples for Any Job.
While we can provide a cover letter template to serve as a skeleton for your writing, you鈥檒l need to flesh out your work with important details that are relevant to you, your experiences, and the prospective job at hand. As you begin drafting these details, it鈥檚 important to remember a few essential moves that are crucial as you learn how to write a cover letter:
1) Do your research
Before you send a cover letter to an employer, it鈥檚 imperative that you have a , the job鈥檚 expectations and requirements, your future role within the hierarchy of the workplace, and the overall company culture. Knowledge of these items will help you determine which of your relevant skills and accolades you should include in your letter, the person or people to whom you should address your writing, and the tone and style of your cover letter. It will also help you decide what to leave out of your cover letter. Remember to only stick to items that are relevant to the position at hand!
2) Make particular connections
Use specificity when listing your accomplishments and describing your goals. Just as importantly, describe how you as a candidate are uniquely positioned to fill this position successfully. For instance, a general and less-connected sentence might say, 鈥淚 have strong leadership skills.鈥� But a detailed, job-specific sentence might be, 鈥淎s a project manager for Waterscapes, I oversaw a team of twelve employees working on the development and implementation of River Clean Up 2024, which reduced plastic waste in our local water systems by 27%. This experience will inform my future work with your company as an Assistant Director of Eco-Initiatives.鈥�
Think of each sentence as an opportunity to illustrate potential links between your previous work and your future career. Just like answering a 鈥�tell me about yourself鈥� question in an interview, this is a moment to describe your past, present, and now your future in your hoped-for job.
How to Write a Cover Letter – Cover Letter Template (Continued)
3) Add well-considered details
Does your prospective job鈥檚 company have a strong online presence? Does your future employer have a LinkedIn profile that lists publications, affiliations, or specific awards and accolades? Do you have a personal connection with your employer or someone important at the company? If so, now is the time to utilize some of your social capital and make mention of these items. Doing so adds a personal touch and makes your cover letter more memorable. It also demonstrates your willingness to research and promote the company鈥檚 culture.
For instance, if you鈥檙e applying for a position at a language-learning app company and their motto is, 鈥淐ommunication for All,鈥� this specific phrase could be used as you describe your passion for making language-learning accessible, regardless of the student鈥檚 background or income.
4) Be professional
Depending on the job for which you鈥檙e applying, your overall cover letter tone may vary. If you鈥檙e applying for a job as a copywriter for a quirky astrology start-up, you might be able to include fun details about horoscopes in your cover letter. If, on the other hand, it鈥檚 a position for a tenure-track professor job at a top research university, your tone will be much more formal and will include particulars about your contributions to the field.
Regardless of the job, you should always utilize a professional font (no Comic Sans!) and clear letterhead for readability to convey your seriousness about the position. You should also always try to convey sincerity in your writing. Additionally, make sure your reader knows you really want this job and will do your best at it if you鈥檙e hired.
How to Write a Cover Letter – Cover Letter Template (Continued)
5) Be confident!
Now is not the time to focus on your professional faults or limitations. Now is the time to promote yourself with abandon. Focus on your relevant work experience, your strengths, your accolades, and your willingness to learn and grow in this new job.
6) Brainstorm and draft
Do not rush your cover letter! This is a professional genre of communication that signifies your intentions to advance your career. It should be treated as a formal record of your employment history. As such, spend time cultivating your writing and trimming it so that it is rich, informative, candid and attractive.
Drafting also includes editing details like spelling and grammar checks 鈥� it has long been established that simple errors and problems with writing organization can cause employers to not take your work seriously.[i] Other small details can indicate your level of seriousness about yourself and this work.[ii] For instance, if you have a personal email address like 鈥�[email protected], you may want to think of creating and using a separate email address that is a little more professional, like 鈥�[email protected].鈥�
How to Write a Cover Letter – Cover Letter Template (Continued)
7) Be direct
At all points in your cover letter, it鈥檚 essential to start with the punchline. Studies have demonstrated that readers and listeners often retain the first sentence of a paragraph or presentation before their attention starts to wane.[iii] As such, beginning with your main point and following with examples to support that point is the best way to grab your reader鈥檚 attention and ensure they fully absorb your meaning.
8) Pay attention to length
How long should a cover letter be? In most cases, a cover letter should not exceed one page of single-spaced writing (about 250 to 400 words, max). Remember that your prospective employer may be reading dozens of cover letters. He or she will probably not have the time nor inclination to read an unnecessarily long cover letter.
How to Write a Cover Letter – Cover Letter Template (Continued)
9) Finish on a promising note
As you consider how to end a cover letter, it鈥檚 important to focus on positivity and continuing dialogue with your prospective employer. Gesture toward future communication with closings like, 鈥淚 look forward to your response,鈥� or 鈥淚 look forward to sharing more with you about my previous experience and qualifications for this position.鈥�
Is it okay for me to use this cover letter template?
As you sit down to brainstorm how to write a cover letter, you may be wondering: How can I be original if I鈥檓 using a template? Aren鈥檛 I just copying what someone else has written? In short, the answer is: you can definitely use a cover letter template because templates are simply great starting points! You aren鈥檛 copying the content of the cover letter template. Rather, you are using the frame of the cover letter template to create your own original writing.
Templates are generative, meaning they are simply a beginning or prompt for your own writing and ideas to grow and flourish. Templates help you make writing moves you might not have otherwise considered. In the case of a cover letter template, using a model can be inspirational, helping you remember important details about your r茅sum茅 and other job-related skills you may have forgotten. Finally, templates can combat writer鈥檚 block and help you organize your ideas into a coherent cover letter. Ultimately, 鈥渢he aim of templates is not to stifle critical thinking but to鈥e direct about the key rhetorical moves鈥� necessary for a piece of writing.[iv]
Below, you鈥檒l find a cover letter template to get you started. Good luck!
Cover Letter Template
[Your name]
[Your phone number]
[Email address]
[Optional: Your mailing address 鈥� you usually only need to include this if it鈥檚 a printed cover letter or if the employer will not be contacting you via email or phone.]
[Date]
Dear [specific title and name of application recipient],
As a [your professional title] with [number] years鈥� experience in [field], I am applying for the position of [job title]. To this position, I would bring [highlight the 1-3 most important ways you will bring your specific skills to this job to benefit, develop, and serve the company or employer].
[Body Paragraph 1: Using the skills you mention at the beginning of the letter, find 1-2 relevant, concrete examples from your previous work experiences to demonstrate how you鈥檒l be a good fit for this new job].
Because of [skill or experience listed in first paragraph], I can facilitate [your company] with [specific requirement listed in the job description]. Furthermore, my previous work with [specific skill] can additionally help [specific job requirement].
How to Write a Cover Letter – Cover Letter Template (Continued)
[Body Paragraph 2: Using the skills or experiences mentioned at the beginning of the letter, demonstrate how your current work will make you a good candidate for this job.]
In my current position as [job title] at [current place of work], I [list specific responsibility with detail] and am eager to continue to grow professionally at [your company] with [similar work that will be required at this new job]. At [your company], [insert specific detail about the company culture, job requirements, or general news about the company], I am eager to use my current skills as a [insert your experience] to help expand this work.
[Body Paragraph 3: Using the skills and experiences mentioned at the beginning of the letter, demonstrate how you hope to grow as a worker in this new position].
I have always seen myself as a [particular job title or responsibility] and to be afforded the opportunity to do so at a company as prestigious as [company name], will let me develop [specific professional skills] while promoting the company鈥檚 mission to [include part of the company鈥檚 mission].
I am available to answer any questions you may have about my r茅sum茅 or previous work experiences. Please don鈥檛 hesitate to reach out. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
How to Write a Cover Letter with Template – Works Cited
- [i] McDowell, Earl E. 鈥淧erceptions of the Ideal Cover Letter and Ideal Resume,鈥� Journal of Technical Writing and Communication. Volume 17, Issue 2, April 1987.
- [ii] Martin-Lacroux, Christelle, and Alain Lacroux. 鈥淒o Employers Forgive Bad Spelling in Resumes?鈥� Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, Volume 80, Issue 3. 26 October 2016.
- [iii] Garner, Joanna K. and Michael P. Alley. 鈥淗ow the design of presentation slides affects audience comprehension: A case for the assertion-evidence approach,鈥澛�International Journal of Engineering Education. Vol. 29, Issue 6, 2013.
- [iv] Graff, Gerard, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2006.
How to Write a Cover Letter with Template – Additional Resources
