How To Write A Cover Letter [Step-by-Step Guide + Examples]

Chances are, you feel the same way I do when writing a cover letter: anxious, tense, and frozen in fear. You may feel like a wind up car that has hit a wall and is spinning its wheels in place– ready to go somewhere, but unsure where.

I’m also willing to bet that you already know how to write a cover letter, but you’re reading this article to compare notes and ease your mind. Let’s take a deep breath together, in and out. Remind yourself: you are smart. You are more than qualified for this position. Now, let’s show that to your prospective employer.

Step 1: Do Your Research

The first rule of cover letter writing is simple: you should specifically tailor each cover letter you write to the position you are applying to. Employers want to hire people who are excited and knowledgeable about their company, so the more you know, the better. Here are some of the basics:

1. The name of the Hiring Manager/Head of Talent Acquisition/Internship Coordinator (so you know who to address the cover letter to)

You may have to scour the company’s website for a sneakily hidden About or Our Team page, or you may see who is listed on their LinkedIn page. This information can be hard to find, so if you honestly cannot find a specific point person, you can address the letter to the hiring manager or someone in HR.

2. The company’s mission

Are they a creative, artsy team, or are they more traditional and corporate? You’ll want to match the organization’s tone in your letter.

3. Any recent news about the company

If you’re applying for a publishing gig, for example, have they published anything particularly exciting recently? You may want to mention this information to show that you’re knowledgeable about the company and the general industry. A good way to receive this information is to sign up for organizations’ email lists and follow their social media accounts.

4. The Job Description

Know the job description like the back of your hand. Read it through at least twice. Look for specific keywords and phrases you can put into your cover letter. In some industries (especially those in tech and finance) and within bigger corporations, applications are processed by an applicant tracking system rather than a person. Thus, you should know which buzzwords they will be looking for and structure your letter accordingly.

5. See if any of your college’s alumni work at the organization by searching on Google or LinkedIn

You can ask if they’d be willing to talk to you about their experience working for the company. Depending on how well the informational interview goes, they might put in a good word for you!

Step 2: Format the Font, Add a Header, and Address the Letter

For your letter, you should use a readable font (no smaller than 10 pts) that is single-spaced and black. In some industries, mainly within the arts, you can be a little more creative with the format (try looking at these templates on Resume Genius). In general, however, your cover letter should be very simple visually.

Next, you’ll add your contact information to the header of your document. If you used a certain header for your resume, use the same one for your cover letter. Make sure you have your name at the top, followed by your email address and phone number on the following line.

Then, you’ll want to put the date below the header, along with the following information:

• Contact person’s first and last name (or, if you could not find a name, Internship Coordinator or Hiring Coordinator)
• Title of the contact person
• Name of the organization
• Street Address of the Organization
• City, ST, Zip Code

Finally, you will address the letter like this:

Dear FIRSTNAME LASTNAME:

Yes, there’s a colon after their name, NOT a comma. If you do not know the person’s name, you will write Hiring Coordinator or Internship Coordinator in place of FIRSTNAME LASTNAME.

Okay, the easy part is over. Now it’s time to write.

Step 3: The Introduction Paragraph

As a general rule of thumb, do not start this paragraph with “My name is…” Your name is already at the top of the document. The goal here is not to repeat information, but tell your potential employer what’s special about you.

A decent way to start is “As an ABC, I am exploring/passionate about/interested in XYZ.” For example:

As a junior psychology major at Greendale Community College, I am exploring the ways mental illnesses emerge from childhood trauma.

Next, you will want to identify the position you’re applying to and why (“I am applying to be a ___ because ____). You’ll also want to mention how you learned about the job opening and if anyone who works there referred you. Remember, most jobs are acquired through networking, so if you already have a connection to the organization, use it!

Finally, you should talk about why you want to work for this particular organization and in this particular position. What sets this organization apart from their competitors? What about working for this place excites you? How does their mission resonate with you? If you’ve done your research, these questions should be easy to answer.

Step 4: The Body Paragraph(s)

This section of the cover letter is typically 1–2 paragraphs long and details why you are a strong candidate. The key rule to remember is show, don’t tell. Don’t tell the organization that you’re qualified: show them through at least 3 past experiences. You’ll also want to weave in key words/phrases from the job description while talking about your relevant academic/job/volunteer experiences.

This advice is easier said than done, so here’s a fake job posting as an example:

Greendale Community College is looking for an experienced and passionate law professor to join our team. Job responsibilities will include preparing and presenting daily lesson plans and managing student behavior. The candidate will also provide additional assistance for students with academic issues.

Now, here is a cover letter body paragraph for this fake job posting:

My prior teaching experience will make me an excellent law professor at Greendale. As a Board-Certified Spanish Tutor at my alma mater, I prepared and presented weekly lesson plans to a group of seven students to review Spanish vocabulary and grammar. During these group tutoring sessions, I managed student behavior by resolving interpersonal conflicts. Finally, I provided additional assistance to students with academic issues by working in one-on-one tutoring sessions. Ultimately, my work as a tutor equipped me with all the necessary pedagogical and teaching experiences that will ensure my success as a law professor.

What works about this example?

Notice how this applicant’s tutoring experience required very similar skills to the prospective teaching job, even though they are two different positions. When you are first starting off in the workforce, you may not have a lot of past work experiences that line up exactly with the career you want. However, you will have a lot of transferable skills, or abilities that are utilized in many different careers, such as public speaking or collaboration. In a cover letter, your goal is to talk about different situations where you performed similar tasks and actions to those required by a job posting. Even if you’ve never been in that exact position before, your body paragraphs should prove that you have the necessary background experiences to succeed as an employee.

Step 5: The Concluding Paragraph

Finally, the simplest paragraph to write! All you have to do is:

• Refer to your resume and any other application documents you’re submitting
• Restate the best way to reach you (most likely your phone number and/or email address)
• Thank the reader for their consideration

Then, you’ll sign your name. If you have an electronic signature, you should insert that below. Otherwise, simply type your first and last name.

Step 6: Proofread, Save as a PDF, and Send!

Before you hand in your cover letter, you’ll want to proofread for spelling/grammar errors. I recommend reading the entire letter aloud (including the header!) at least once. You’ll want to look out for these common mistakes:

1. Is your cover letter addressed/targeted towards the right audience?

When I’m completing a job application, sometimes I use an old cover letter as a template. This strategy can be risky if you forget to change who the letter is addressed to or what position you’re interested in. If you like to re-use your old cover letters, make sure there are no references to other organizations or applications in your writing.

2. Are you using concise language?

When I first started applying to jobs, I would write, “You can reach me at my phone number (XXX) XXX-XXXX or my email address XXXXX@XX.com.” However, I didn’t necessarily need to label each form of communication. Now I say, “You can reach me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX or XXXX@XX.com,” or even, “You can reach me at the email address or phone number listed above” (since this information should be in your header anyway).

3. Do you sound confident and authoritative in your letter?

A close friend of mine pointed out recently that I sometimes sound timid in my cover letters. For example, I used to write, “I hope you will find that I am the detail-oriented and driven intern you are looking for.” She suggested that I replace “I hope you will find” with “I am confident you will find,” and when I read my revised sentence aloud, I sounded much more self-assured. I also replaced any instance of “would” with “will” (eg, “I would make an excellent intern” turned into “I will make an excellent intern”). By just changing a few words in your letter, you can show a potential employer that you believe in yourself, and that they should too.

4. What is the file name saved as?

When you save your cover letter, do not save the file as something generic like “Cover Letter.” The hiring manager will probably receive hundreds of applications that they have to download and sort through. Chances are, they won’t want to try distinguishing your letter from 50 other files named “Cover Letter.” Instead, save the file as “FIRST NAME LAST NAME COVER LETTER,” “LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_COVER_LETTER” or any other variation that will help the hiring manager know which cover letter belongs to you.

When you’re satisfied with your cover letter, save a copy of the document as a PDF. As a general rule of thumb, you should submit all your application materials as PDFs because it is the most universal file type and it preserves your document’s formatting. You wouldn’t want your employer to open up your cover letter, only to discover that all the formatting became messed up since you don’t have compatible versions of Word. You should not have to pay money to convert your file from .docs to .pdf– both Microsoft Office and Google Docs have the option to either save or download your file as a PDF. Also, there are free PDF converters available online. Just make sure the PDF looks the way you want it to (and does not go over one page!) before you decide to send it.

Conclusion

After completing these steps, you should have a fully-formed cover letter that you feel confident submitting. However, anxiety works in troubling and mysterious ways, and you may feel like you need an extra nod of approval before you move forward. I myself am a visual learner, so I created an example cover letter that you can reference whenever you feel unsure about your own letter’s content or format.

If Jeff Winger from the TV show Community can receive a job offer after graduating college, so can you. Now, go show the world how employable you are!

This article first appeared on my blog at https://saraabbazia.digital.conncoll.edu/how-to-write-a-cover-letter-step-by-step-guide-examples