Covering Letter Format and Writing
Email subject line
Cover Letter – Job Title – Your Name
Cover Letter: Your Name for Job Title
Your Name Cover Letter: Job Title
Cover Letter: Your Name for Job Title
Your Name Cover Letter: Job Title
Cover Letter Format Guide
1. Start by including the date and your contact
info in the top left of your letter.
2. Address the letter to the attention of the
hiring manager.
3. Begin your cover letter with a common
salutation, such as “Dear Alex Johnson.”
4. Introduce yourself and show how the role
aligns with your career goals.
5. Mention any current employees that referred
you for the position.
6. Connect the position’s required skills with
your previous accomplishments.
7. Thank the employer for their time and
consideration.
8. Close the letter with a friendly, yet formal
signature, such as “Sincerely.
Align left with single spaced, only one page if necessary,
decrease the margins to half an inch for all sides, font of 12-10 points and be
calibri, arial.
Elements of a cover letter
Date and contact information
Salutation/greeting
Opening paragraph
Middle paragraphs
Closing paragraph
Complimentary close and signature
Date and contact information
There are two ways to list contact information on your cover
letter, depending on whether you’re providing a digital or hard copy.
If you’re submitting a digital copy online, feel free to leave
off your specific address and just use your city and state, phone number and
email—and leave off the company and hiring manager’s contact information
altogether:
Date
Your Name
City, State
Phone Number
Email Address
Although it’s becoming less common, there may be a time when
you’re required to submit a paper copy of your cover letter. In this case, the
top left-hand side of your letter should include the following elements:
Date
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Your Email Address
Hiring Manager’s Name
Company Name
Company Address
Company City, State, Zip Code
Salutation / greeting
Start your cover letter off on the right foot by addressing the
hiring manager. If you can, find out the name of the hiring manager for the
role you’re applying for. Reread the job description to see if it’s listed
there or check the company website. It’s also an option to call the company and
ask for the hiring manager’s name. Explain that you are applying for a job and
would like to address your cover letter to the correct person. It’s not
necessary to add Mr., Mrs. or Ms. since it may require some guesswork about
gender and marital status on your part—just use their first and last name:
“Dear Alex Johnson.”
If you can’t find the hiring manager’s name, stick with “Dear
Hiring Manager.” Avoid outdated greetings such as “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To
Whom It May Concern.”
Opening paragraph
The opening paragraph is your chance to catch the hiring
manager’s attention, introduce yourself and enthusiastically tell the employer why
you’re applying for the job. You’ll want to make this paragraph specific to
each job listing you apply for. Include why you’re excited about the job and
the company, and how the job lines up with your career goals. Avoid making
this paragraph sound formulaic by including keywords from the job
posting and matching your skills to the employer’s requirements.
If you were referred to this job by someone who knows the hiring
manager or already works at this company, you may want to mention this referral
in your opening paragraph.
Middle paragraphs
Now that you’ve introduced yourself and established your
enthusiasm, it’s time to dig into your most relevant experience and talk about
the specific qualifications and skills that make you the perfect candidate. In
one or two paragraphs, make the connection between your previous
accomplishments and your readiness for this new role. Think of these paragraphs
as a way to pitch yourself as the ideal match for the role. Employers will
likely have read your resume already, so avoid repeating the bullet points. Instead,
include details that more deeply illustrate those highlights.
Closing paragraph
The main goal of your closing paragraph is to thank the employer
for their time and consideration. You also have the option of making any
clarifications. For example, you can justify any major gaps in your employment
history. You can also use this space to sum up your qualifications for the role
and express an interest in continuing to the next stage in the hiring process.
Complimentary close and signature
Choose a complimentary closing that is friendly yet formal,
followed by your first and last name. Closings you might consider include:
Sincerely
Regards
Best
Respectfully
Thank You
Thank You for Your Consideration
Avoid closings such as Cheers, Warm Regards, Thanks a Ton, or
Yours Truly which may be considered too casual or affectionate.
If you’re providing a hard copy of your cover letter, make sure
to handwrite your signature, plus your full typed name.
Font
When it comes to font, keep it simple and professional. Choose a
basic, clear font like Arial, Calibri, Verdana, or something similar. Avoid
using fancy or decorative fonts.
Many employers use applicant tracking systems—software that
allows automated sorting of job applications based on specific keywords, skills,
job titles or other fields. Complicated fonts can make it harder for the
software to read your letter, which might prevent your application from moving
forward.
Use 10 and 12 point size for easy reading. Anything smaller and
you’ll leave the hiring manager squinting, anything larger and your letter will
look unprofessional. In general, you should use the same font and font size
that you used in your resume.
Spacing
Good spacing is essential for your cover letter—whitespace in
the right places will make it easier for the hiring manager to read quickly.
Follow these guidelines
Make your cover letter single-spaced
Add a space between each section: contact information,
salutation, opening paragraph, middle paragraph, closing paragraph and
complimentary closing. (There’s no need to indent any of your paragraphs.)
Length
Keep your cover letter to a single page made up of three
paragraphs. You can add an extra middle paragraph if absolutely necessary.
Before doing this, however, always ask yourself if you can communicate the
essential information in fewer words.
Margins and alignment
Align your text to the left and use standard 1-inch margins all
the way around. If your letter is spilling off onto a second page, first reread
it and see if there’s anything you can cut. If you can’t cut anything, you can
consider shrinking the margins to ¾” or ½”, but avoid going smaller than that
so your cover letter doesn’t look squished on the page.
File format
Since an applicant tracking system may be parsing your cover
letter, make sure you save your document in a compatible file format—either
.doc or PDF. It’s also a good idea to rename your file to something specific,
especially since hiring managers can see the file name of your online
submission. Follow the format of First Name-Last Name-Cover-Letter (e.g.
Jade-Young-cover-letter.doc) to make it more convenient for the person
downloading it.
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