What is a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is a document that accompanies your resume.  A cover letter is a letter that highlights your interest in the job, your qualifications, and how well you will fit into the position you are applying for  (Columbia University Center for Career Education, n.d., Indeed).  The letter is also a way for the recruiter to see a bit of your personality (Columbia University Center for Career Education, n.d.).

The Approach to Writing a Cover Letter

While not always required, a cover letter should be written as a business letter.  If you are not sure how to write a business letter, there are many templates and formats available online.  However, always look at the site you are using.  Not all online formats are correct.

Do Your Research

Before you even start writing the cover letter, you should do your background research into the company.  Look at their mission statement, core values, website, social media, and news articles.  Do they align with your own? You want to analyze how well you fit into the company (Columbia University Center for Career Education, n.d.; Gallo, 2020; Herrity, 2023a).

Think Through The Job Description

A job description will have requirements that you will need to meet in order to be hired for the job.  Requirements will be skills and qualifications.  You will need to find those and then analyze how you meet each of those requirements.  You need to highlight how you meet these requirements in your cover letter (Columbia University Center for Career Education, n.d.; Herrity, 2023a).

Why do I Want This Job?

Finally, you need to think about what attracted you to this particular job (Columbia University Center for Career Education, n.d.; Herrity, 2023a).

Writing the Cover Letter

A cover letter is written in the format of a business letter.  Again, there are many templates online.   The general outline of a cover letter should follow (Columbia University Center for Career Education, n.d.; Gallo, 2020; Herrity, 2023a; Herrity 2023b):

Header

The header of the letter should be your name, contact information and date.  Followed by the name and contact information of the hiring authority.

Example:

Salutation or Greeting

Just like any letter a salutation or greeting is done to begin the letter.  You can use their name, if you know it, or you can use their job title of the person that will be reviewing your documents

Example:

• Dear Jane Doe
• Dear Hiring Manager

Body of the Letter

The body of the letter should highlight your skills and experience that meets the job requirements. The opening paragraph you should mention what specific job you are applying for.  Here is where you can showcase that you have done your research on the company.  A statement about your interest and how you fit in with their company’s values is a way to do that. Again, you only have 6 seconds at the maximum to appeal to the hiring authority.  Pack a punch with this opening paragraph to really sell yourself.

The middle paragraph should explain how you meet the job requirements or any achievements that relate to this new position. Use the job description’s key words and tailor it to how you meet those requirements.  You can include a couple of examples of what you accomplished that equates to the required job skills.

The closing paragraph is a good place to sum everything up.  If you are changing fields, you can discuss transferrable skills that apply to job tasks no matter what setting you are in

Example:

As a physical therapist I was required to communicate with patients, other professionals across disciplines, and caregivers; develop treatment plans based on examination and evaluation of a patient; educate patients and caregivers about their condition, treatment plans, and home programs; work as a member of a healthcare team; delegate tasks to assistants and techs; and perform medical documentation electronically legally and ethically.  These skills are transferrable to my current work as a faculty member:

• Communication with varying age groups and educational levels
• Critical thinking skills that allow me to identify areas of improvement for development of course curriculum
• Education of various age groups, skill levels, and learning styles
• Work as a member of a team to accomplish tasks
• Take on leadership roles to delegate tasks appropriately
• Technical skills to include the use of Microsoft Office Suite and other computer programs
• Abide by appropriate legal and ethical practices that include confidentiality laws

Ending and Signature

When concluding your letter, the ending should have a short sentence to wrap everything up.

Example:

• Thank you for your consideration.  I look forward to learning more about the teaching opportunity at Cameron University.  I feel the qualities I have outlined above make me the ideal candidate for the faculty position.

You should then end the letter with a closing word such as “Sincerely” followed by your signature.  Underneath the signature, you should then have your printed name.

Example:

Formatting

Formatting of the letter should be:

• One page
• Single spaced
• 1 inch margins
• Professional font

Keep this in mind when writing your letter.  You need to be concise with your wording to keep the letter at one page.

Check Yourself

References

Gallo, A. (2020, December 23). How to write a cover letter. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved July 17, 2023 from https://hbr.org/2014/02/how-to-write-a-cover-letter.

Herrity, J. (2023, July 14). How to write a cover letter (with examples and tips). Indeed Career Guide. Retrieved July 17, 2023 from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cover-letter?from=careerguide-autohyperlink-en-US.

Herrity, J. (2023, March 1). Transferrable skills: 10 skills that work across industries. Indeed. Retrived July 17, 2023 from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/transferable-skills.

How and why to write a great cover letter. (n.d.) Columbia University Center for Career Education. Retrieved July 17, 2023 from https://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/resources/how-and-why-write-great-cover-letter.

Petrone, P. (2019, September 30. How to write a resume that will actually get a recruiter’s attention. Career Success Tips. Retrieved July 17, 2023 from https://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/career-success-tips/how-to-write-a-resume-that-will-actually-get-a-recruiter-s-atten.