Chapter 86 Cover Letters

Cover letters are a supplement to your resume with a different goal. While the goal of your resume is to provide hiring managers with information about your qualifications for the position, the goal of a cover letter is meant to demonstrate that you are the right person for the job and convey your personality while still being professional. As such, the cover letter you write should be tailored specifically for each and every job application you submit.

Since the company you apply to will have both your cover letter and your resume, your cover letter should not discuss every aspect of your career and educational history. In fact, that’s in your resume, so don’t make people read the same information twice.

Instead, your cover letter should should be memorable. This can be accomplished by telling a story or two about your background as it pertains to this job in particular. Or, you can talk about your personality and skills and give examples of things you’ve accomplished using these that will help you succeed in this position. Finally, cover letters are a place to express why you want to work at the organization or company to which you’re applying. The cover letter is a great place to express all of these sentiments.

As with your resume and every aspect of any job application, all information contained within your cover letter must be true. If a job is in London and you have no desire to move to London, then don’t state that you have been looking forward to a London move for years in your cover letter. Similarly, if you tend to be a serious and not bubbly person, don’t give off the impression that you’re a bubbly individual through the stories and language used in your cover letter. To note, being a serious or bubbly person are both fine personality traits to possess! The important thing however is that you only ever convey information about yourself that is true.

Finally, always proofread your cover letter (and all your application materials!) before submitting your application. Typos and grammatical errors reflect poorly upon you. It’s worth the extra effort to ensure that you do not have errors in your cover letter!

86.0.1 Format

Unlike a resume where there are sections that hiring managers expect to see and will be looking for, cover letters are a lot more flexible in their contents and format. The cover letter should in fact be a letter, so it should follow the following general format; however, what is contained in each of the paragraphs can vary a lot from one letter to the next:

Cover Letter

You’ll note here that your contact information should be at the top of your letter. Then, in the letter itself, you should include the date and then address the letter to the hiring manager or recruiter specifically. The hiring manager’s work address should then be included.

Contact Information

Note that it’s best to figure out the name of this individual rather than addressing the letter “To whom it may concern.” Make the effort to figure out who will be reading this letter by searching on the Internet or talking to individuals at the company.

Use the hiring manager’s name

After including your contact information and the company’s information, you’ll address the hiring manager specifically and then begin your letter. Cover letters need only be a few paragraphs and should not exceed a single page. We’ll discuss what should be in those paragraphs in the next section of this lesson.

Content of letter

Finally, close your letter and include your name on the line after your closing (i.e. “Sincerely,”).

Close your letter and include your name

This is the basic format of a cover letter. Here, we’ve shown a basic template with minimal formatting. However, you can change the colors or layout to best fit your personality and the type of company to which you’re applying. New startups will likely have fewer expectations as to the format of your cover letter, where you have some more flexibility in changing up the letter’s appearance. Corporations that have been around for a long time may have a greater expectation that your cover letter not stray too far from what you see here. Be sure to adjust the format of the letter to best fit your personality while still matching with the hiring company’s expectations.

Regardless though of where you’re applying, avoid fonts that are hard to read, be sure that the layout and formatting does not distract the reader from the content, and save your cover letter as a PDF to ensure the formatting of your letter appears to the hiring manager as it does to you.

86.0.2 Content

Now that we’ve discussed the general format of the cover letter, let’s discuss what is expected to be in each of these paragraphs within the body of your cover letter.

86.0.2.1 Intro

The goal of your introductory paragraph is to draw your reader’s attention in. Open with a unique line and be sure to express in this paragraph that you have a clear understanding of what the company does and what they care about. Additionally, mention a few roles you’ve had, projects you’ve worked on, traits you possess, or passions you have that make you an ideal candidate for the position.

Intro

86.0.2.2 Body

The body of the paragraph should include specific examples of experiences you’ve had or things you’ve accomplished that align with the keywords stated in the job description. If the job description states they are looking for someone “passionate about data,” it is not sufficient to say “I’m passionate about data” in your letter. Rather, give an example of your passion. Was there a time when you came across an article in the news and just had to find the data and analyze it yourself? Tell that story! Tell what you found. Or, was there a time that you generated a dataset to answer a question in your own life that had been in the back of your mind for a while. Tell that story! Be sure to use a specific example or two and at least a few of the keywords stated in the job description in this section. Talk about your work, accomplishments, passions, and interests in this section and use specific examples.

Body

86.0.2.3 Closing

There is a balance to be struck in the closing. You want to summarize the interests, qualifications, and passion you’ve already stated in the letter, but you do not want to simply repeat what has already been said. Be sure that you’re summarizing without simply repeating. You never want the hiring manager to think “didn’t they already say this?” while reading your letter. Be sure to include how you would specifically contribute to the company given your attributes and skillset. Let your personality shine through in this paragraph.

Closing

86.0.2.4 Call-To-Action

Give the reader a reason to contact you. This does not mean you should include things like “I’ll call to schedule an interview.” That is off-putting, overly-aggressive, and not your place. It is their job to contact you about a possible interview. Instead, your call-to-action should be a polite suggestion, such as “I’m excited to hear from you and look forward to the opportunity to provide you with more information.” Additionally, it’s best to thank the reader for reading your letter at this point in time, with something like “Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and I look forward to discussing this position with you more in the future.”

Call-To-Action

86.0.3 What to Avoid

We’ve hinted on a few things to avoid in cover letters throughout this lesson, but we figured it would be best to summarize them all in one place here:

Do your best to avoid:

  • fonts or colors that are hard to read
    • instead: stick to dark colors and simple fonts
  • starting your letter with “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”
    • instead: take the time to figure out who will be reading this letter
  • using generalized statements like “I’d be a perfect fit” without explanation
    • instead: use specific examples to back up that statement
    • instead: tell a story from your experience that explains why this is true
    • instead: use keywords from the job description and specific examples from your experience
  • being overly-aggressive
    • instead: express enthusiasm and interest while still being professional
  • overused phrases
    • instead: be honest and specific in all your statements
  • including unnecessary information
    • instead: edit your letter to only include important information
    • instead: pare down to just what’s essential
  • typos or grammatical errors
    • instead: proofread yourself
    • instead: have someone else also proofread
  • plagiarism - never copy anyone else’s writing
    • instead: use your own words and experiences to let your personality shine through
    • instead: avoid copy and pasting from examples of others’ cover letters

86.0.4 Summary

In this lesson, we’ve reviewed the goals, format and content of a cover letter that will make you stand out. If you let your personality come through the letter and stick to using examples and stories that are specific to your experience, you’ll have a cover letter that is unique and that is not simply glossed over by the individual in charge of hiring. Take the time to ensure that your cover letter is neither boring nor generic.

86.0.5 Additional Resources

86.0.6 Slides and Video

Cover Letters

All illustrations CC-BY.
All other materials CC-BY unless noted otherwise.