Writing a Cover Letter: Examples and Tips

On average, it takes about six weeks to find a new job, researchers say. A cover letter could help shorten your wait.

Write your cover letter the right way, and you'll grab a recruiter's attention and get the job you want. We'll help make that happen. In this guide, we'll show you how to:

• Open your letter with a bang
• Highlight real skills
• Customize for success
• Give your letter extra shine
• Send it the right way
• Skip it if these conditions apply
• Avoid letter-writing mistakes

We'll also include a few cover letter examples, so you can see us put all our knowledge to good use.

Think of your job as the happy ending. To make it come true, you'll need a snappy beginning. If you don't start off your letter with a bang, the rest of your resume might never get read at all.

Just as you would begin a formal letter, you'll need to include the name and address of the company you're talking with. You'll also need to include your own name, address, and contact information.

Then, start your letter with:

• A real name. It's easy enough to rely on old tropes like "hiring manager" or "to whom it may concern." Recruiters reading that same opening line over and over grow bored, and boredom is the enemy of close reading. Make sure your salutation is addressed to a real person, even if you have to call the receptionist to get the name.
  
  
• An attention-getting first line. Think of the first sentence as your "hook" that grabs your reader and won't let go. Move past "I was happy to read your job description." Spend time thinking about the company, your career, and your contributions. "I have always wanted to work for Starbucks" or "Coffee is the first thing I think of in the morning, and it's the last thing I sip at night" work much better than their generic alternatives.
  
  
• A mention of the job you want. Some recruiters claim you don't need to mention a job title in your letter. We respectfully disagree. As other recruiters explain, some professionals hire several people at a time. Without a reminder of the job you want, your resume could get popped in the wrong job pile.

Your opening paragraphs might sound like this:

Dear Susan,

My cats are whirling around my feet as I type this letter. We're all hoping you'll consider me for your Veterinary Technician position I saw posted online today.

With an exceptional greeting, you have your reader's attention. Put it to use by highlighting why you're a perfect match for the job at hand. Move beyond templates and word salads and persuade with specifics.

Research the company you hope to work for. Parse the job description carefully. Then, think about how you and your skills interconnect with that organization. You could be the perfect fit due to:

• Geography. Does the company seem anxious to hire people right away? If you're in the area and you can start immediately, the company might love to hear from you.
  
  
• Educational background. Is a specific degree required for the position? Do you need additional certifications and licenses? If you're ready to go, you could have just what the company is looking for.
  
  
• Personal history. Have you worked for this company before? Did you complete your internship in a sister outlet? Are you a long-term customer or donor? Prove background, and you’ll demonstrate a reduced need for orientation and training.
  
  
• Experience. How many years of work are required, per the job listing? How long have you worked in a similar job? Tired managers hoping for turnkey employees will be thrilled if you know the business and the industry.

No matter what route you pick, be prepared to back up your statements with statistics, facts, and figures. A collection of buzzwords like "synergistic" and "collaborative" won't move the needle as much as "managed a team of 20 people, and together, we increased sales by 70%."

This section of your letter might sound like this:

You're the expert in all things pertaining to you and your career. It's tempting to use your cover letter as a hard push that explains everything about what makes you wonderful. Take a moment to turn your focus outward.

Your cover letter isn't really about you. It's about how you will be transformed into an ideal worker for this company you hope to work for. Every sentence in your letter should somehow relate to:

• Problems you can solve. Companies call these "pain points." High turnover, low morale, sagging profits, and enhanced competition are a few common ones. How does your position relate to one of these issues? What specific thing can you bring to the table to fix the problem?
  
  
• Experience you can draw upon. Work history helps to prove that you're a solid choice. Use numbers, statistics, and other proof points to tell the story of your work history.
  
  
• Talent you can prove. You're not hired for your proximity and salary alone. Your company may want to hire you for a job now and build on your skills. It's likely that the company also rightfully wants to exploit what you know to help the organization do better.

What does all of this mean? You guessed it. You can't send the same cover letter to all the companies on your wishlist. Every organization will have different priorities and particulars. Your letter should reflect everything that's unique about the company you hope to work for. There's no such thing as customizing too much. The more detail you add about the organization, the better.

Follow the steps above, and you'll have a solid cover letter. But solid might not be enough to help you land the job of your dreams. Take it to the next level with a few key details that hiring managers are sure to love.

Add sparkle to your cover letter with:

• A reference from someone in the building. Recruiters call this "social proof," and in this time of computers and impersonal communication, it couldn't be more important. Ask a connection within the organization to write you a sentence of support, or stick with the classic name drop. It sounds something like this: "I talked with Brad in accounting about this job during our weekly accounting networking meeting, and he is willing to speak to my skills and dedication."
  
  
• A story. Do you have a real-life example of something that went right with your interaction with the company? Or something that went wrong? Our brains are hardwired to respond to first-person stories. Tap into that, and you'll mesmerize your reader. It reads like this: "The first time I walked into your veterinary clinic, I knew I was in a special space. All the cats seemed calm and relaxed as they waited, and you even gave me a calming spray for my rowdy cat. I'll never forget it, and I recall from that moment that I wanted to work here."
  
  
• Your portfolio. Imagine that your reader isn't quite sold on your skills after reading your letter and resume. Make the next step clear with an online portfolio of work. You could include projects completed, performance reviews, letters of support from customers, and more.
  

Your letter shouldn't end abruptly. You'll need to draw the conversation to a close, with a few words that keep your reader wanting more.

Your closing paragraph should include the next step you're hoping for, along with some words about your availability.

It could read like this:

I'd love to talk with you about this opportunity, and I'm ready for an official interview. I'm available to talk between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday. If you'd like to connect during a different time, please let me know. I'm happy to make arrangements.

We've talked quite a bit about what to include in a cover letter. What should you leave out? There are five things recruiters warn against, and if you include them, they could torpedo your chance at the job you want.

Your letter should never include:

• Graphics. Most employers run both resumes and cover letters through computers. They can't read words you put over photos or in charts. Your cover letter should have words only.
  
  
• Slang or obscenities. Your future employer isn't your friend. This is professional communication, and it should be treated as such.
  
  
• Catchphrases. We've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. Everyone is a "hard worker" who knows how to "collaborate" to "synergize" and "get results." Find a new way to talk about who you are and what you can do.
  
  
• Complaints. You're looking for a new job for a reason, and it might be unpleasant. Don't air your dirty laundry in your cover letter.
  
  
• Detailed plans. Save some of the goodness for your interview.

We've sprinkled one cover letter example throughout this article, but we thought it might be useful to include a complete example, so you'll understand our detailed recommendations. A personalized, customized cover letter might sound like this.

In the good old days, searching for a job meant mailing your resume and cover letter to as many organizations as possible. Those days are gone. The majority of companies accept job applications online, which means you'll need to shift your strategy accordingly.

Standing out in the past meant printing your cover letter and resume on bright, thick paper, and some may add a little crazy formatting to make it pretty.

Don't take these ideas forward.

What we're suggesting is that you shouldn't send your cover letter as a PDF with a colorful background and lots of graphics and photos. It also means not to clutter your document with weird fonts and unusual formatting.

Instead, send your document as a simple document, either in Microsoft Word or as a PDF, in standard fonts with no crazy formatting.

Unless the employer specifies otherwise, you can tap your cover letter into the email you use to send your resume. These e-letters work just fine for a cover letter. If you follow this route, you won't need to include a physical address in your cover letter, but the greeting and the rest of the letter will remain the same.

Remember to be patient. Researchers say 60% of job seekers bail on online job application screens due to complexity. Don't let the desire to get a job quickly keep you from following the instructions properly and doing everything the employer asks of you.

Clearly, crafting and sending the perfect cover letter takes time and patience. We don't blame you for attempting to skip it, especially if you've read the statistic that suggests that 60% of recruiters don't even read cover letters.

In most cases, you need that cover letter. In that same study, researchers found that among the 60% that don't read a cover letter, 50% still thought the document was required.

There are three times in which a cover letter is truly skippable:

1. You don't have time to customize. The deadline is tight, and you can't squeeze in research time. It's better not to send a cover letter at all, as opposed to sending one that seems rushed and forced.
   
   
2. You have nothing to say. You've looked over the company, and you have no idea why you're the best person for the job. Don't make something up. Skip the letter.
   
   
3. You have no solutions to offer. You know the company is in trouble, but you're not sure how to fix it. When you don't have something to say, stay silent.

There's a common thread running through these examples. If you can't be bothered to customize, or you just can't find anything at all to say, is this really the right job for you? Should you apply for the position at all?

Don't let the lessons you've learned go to waste. Search for the job you want on our website. We have hundreds of titles to choose from, and we make sorting a snap. You're bound to find the position that's right for you, and you can start your cover letter writing in earnest. Search for your dream job now.

Here's How Long It Really Takes to Get a Job. (October 2015). Money.

Cover Letters: Do Recruiters Actually Read Them? Undercover Recruiter.

This Is How You'll Look for a Job in 2019. (January 2019). Fast Company.

Do Employers Even Read Cover Letters Anymore? (October 2014). LinkedIn.

Study: Most Job Seekers Abandon Online Job Applications. (March 2016). The Society for Human Resources Management.