How to write a cover letter that will sell your education and experience to an employer. A well-written cover letter is the starting point to getting an employer's attention and getting hired.
This guide will present the various parts of a cover letter, explain how to complete each part, and give you the knowledge to achieve a better chance of getting an interview.
Writing does not have to be a difficult chore. Using some basic suggestions, and focusing on marketing your skills, learning how to write a cover letter is an achievable goal. Our ‘how to write a cover letter guide’ will explain the do's and don'ts so you can educate yourself and not make
mistakes.
Use the instructions presented here to simplify the writing process by addressing each part one at a time. There are additional tips you can use by following the links embedded in each section.
How to Write a Cover Letter
1. Be sure that your words are spelled correctly and that you have used
proper grammar.
2. It is important that anything you write is true and accurate and that the facts included are the same as is written on your resume.
3. Address your important points first.
4. Tailor each cover letter you write specifically to apply to the job. One size does not fit all.
5. When sending as an email, send it as the body of the email, don't send it as an email attachment.
Cover Letter Formatting
When
printing a hard copy use a white, gray or ivory colored resume paper, which is normally 8 1/2" X 11" and 24# or 32#.
You will then set the margins to one inch on all sides.
For both printed and electronic copies use common,
easily read fonts like the fonts our creator uses.
Within each part, single space your sentences, our creator automatically does this. Then space each part as described here.
Make the headings stand out by making them bold, capitalized, or underlined. Each style we offer has this feature built-in.
Cover Letter Parts
Your Contact Information:
Enter the same information you used on your resume. You will want to maintain consistency between your resume, cover letter, and reference page. Put a blank space between your info and the employer's info.
Employer Contact Information:
Enter the full name of the employer and the employer's position title, next enter the company's name and address, then enter a blank line.
Salutation:
This section is for the greeting. Show initiative by making an effort to obtain the name of the person to whom you are sending the letter. It would be best if you had their name; you wrote it in with the employer's contact info.
If you don't know their name, check the job posting, or contact the company to find it. Enter a blank line after your salutation as well.
Body:
The body is composed of three parts. Our creator program contains built-in body templates that are pre-written to provide you with a starting point. It is a simple matter of adding in your details, then modifying the body as needed to fit your job application. This is the place where you would use
action verbs to enrich your details and
keyword optimization to target your writing.
- Opening Paragraph: This is the first paragraph that you use to hook them in, to make them want to find out more about you.
- Main Paragraph(s): Here you will bolster the qualities you wrote about yourself in the Opening Paragraph.
Write in a manner that gets straight to the facts. We don't want to add words for the sake of having them. The Main Paragraph(s) should consist of a paragraph or two.
- Closing Paragraph: Use this final paragraph to make a last-ditch effort to drive any final points home and have the last chance to mention anything you wish to accentuate.
Closing Line:
Add one blank line then write your closing line. Our creator already formats this for you. Some examples of a closing line would include: Sincerely or Respectfully. Put a comma at the end of the line and capitalize the first letter only.
Signature Line:
After skipping four lines, type your name. Between the Closing Line and Signature Line, you will sign your name with a blue or black ballpoint pen.
This guide has shown you how to write a cover letter and
optimize it. We have listed the various parts and what to write for each one.
To make this process easier you are welcome to use our
free cover letter creator. Good luck with your job search.
