Start a Cover Letter

A cover letter is a short narrative introduction to you and your work. It should be short and personal, establishing your connection to the company and job. The way you start a cover letter will depend upon your mode of communication. For example, formal email and letter writing differ greatly.

Steps

Sample Cover Letters

Doc:Cover Letter Template,Cover Letter Email,Cover Letter for Employment

Starting a Traditional Cover Letter

1. Ensure you are being asked to submit by mail. Just as most jobs are now advertised online, most cover letters are submitted by email. If you are applying via letter, it is most likely for a company that is more traditional or a position that is higher ranking.
2. Write your cover letter on professional letterhead, if you have it. If you do not have letterhead, it is ok to skip this step. If you are currently employed as a consultant or if you are applying for a contract, you should have letterhead made.
3. Date the cover letter at the top right or top left of the page.
4. Include the company’s department and address next. This should follow the standard format of a formal letter.
5. Research the name of the person looking at the resume. Before you start the letter with “Dear Hiring Manager:” look at the email, company website and job posting to see if they contain the name of the person in charge of hiring.
   • This attention to detail and personalization in your salutation can make a big difference next to hundreds of cover letters that say “To Whom it May Concern:”
   • If you cannot find the name of the person, address it “Dear Department Head” with the name of the department to which you are applying.”
   • If you cannot find the name of the department, try “Dear Director” or “Dear Hiring Manager.”
   • Use LinkedIn to find the hiring manager’s name.
6. Mention the name of a staff member or referral in your opening line. This is the preferred opener for all cover letters, because it establishes a connection to the company.
   • For example, “John Smith recommended that I get in touch with you about the general manager position at EnviroRent.”
   • If you do not know anyone at the company, do some research to establish a distinctive first line. Your next choice can be admiring a recent lecture, job or initiative the company did that attracted you.
   • If you have a strong alumni association, use it to get in touch with someone, and references someone, who attended your college.
7. Follow with a standard 4-paragraph cover letter. After your intro sentences, your next goal is to summarize your career in 1 to 2 sentences. Next, include a paragraph with your accomplishments and a paragraph explaining how you plan to be in touch.
8. End with “Sincerely” before your signature. Include your contact information below your signature.

Starting an Email Cover Letter

1. Underline any possible keywords in the job description. You may also choose to write down other keywords that apply to the position or industry. Large companies use keyword crawlers to sort through hundreds of thousands of resumes, so make sure you include a few buzzwords that directly apply to the job.
   • However, you should never cut and paste directly from the job description. Always bring up the concepts in your own words.
2. Use your subject line. Describe yourself and the job.
   • For example, “Top-performing Sales Manager seeks General Manager position.”
   • If you don’t feel comfortable describing yourself, reference the position name.
3. Skip the date and company address. You will lead directly with a salutation.
4. Write “Dear” and the name of the hiring manager, followed by a colon. Take the time to research the person in the job positing, company website or on LinkedIn.
   • Use Mr. or Mrs. only if you are sure of the gender and marital status. When in doubt, just include the full name of the person.
   • If you are unable to find the person’s name, address the department or “Dear Hiring Manager.”
5. Lead the first paragraph by mentioning a contact or referral at the company. Just like with the formal cover letter, if you cannot make a connection, tell a story about why the company has caught your eye.
6. Use the next paragraph to summarize your career. Follow with your accomplishments. Include only your impressive figures that directly apply to the cover letter narrative and the job.
7. Finish with a sentence about when you will be in touch. Include “Sincerely” and then your full name.
   • Make sure your contact information is included in the signature.
8. Attach your resume. To avoid problems with hitting the Send button early, finish, proof and fill out the subject line of your email before typing the hiring manager’s email address in the “To” line.
9. Send the cover letter email from a professional email, rather than a personal email. Choose Gmail over Hotmail or Yahoo; however, an email from your personal website or Outlook will be better.

General Cover Letter Tips

1. Remember that the larger the company is, the shorter your cover letter should be. Unless they have asked for specific information in the cover letter, you can condense the cover letter from 4 paragraphs to 2, in order to increase your chances of it being read.
2. Proof your cover letter no less than 5 times. Ask someone else to also proof it before you send it out. Never rely on spell check in any word processing or email program.
3. Write drafts of email cover letters in a rich text format program, such as Text Edit or Notepad. Word formats your text, so it may not align correctly when pasted into an email program.
   • If you choose to cut and paste, it may show through if you cut or pasted from any other texts, such as the job posting. Text colors, fonts and italics may have a different look in a different program.
4. Mirror the style of the job posting. If it is playful, your tone can be more playful. Always err on the side of caution, being more formal than informal.
5. Read and reread the job posting to find any specific application instructions. They will always trump these general rules of cover letter writing.
6. Use spaces between your paragraphs, rather than indentations.
7. Don’t forget to attach your resume.

Things You'll Need

• Highlighter
• Resume

Sources and Citations

See also

• Write a Better Resume or Cover Letter
• Request an Interview by Email or Through Your Cover Letter
• List References in a Cover Letter
• Write a Cover Letter
• Write a Cover Letter for a Recruitment Consultant
• Write a Cover Letter to Human Resources
• Write a Cover Letter for a Banking Job
• End a Cover Letter
• Include a Referral in a Cover Letter
• Write a Cover Letter for a Receptionist Job

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