How to Write a Cover Letter for 2024

How to write an effective cover letter

If you really want to make a good and lasting impression on a hiring manager, a cover letter may be the determining factor. Whether you are writing your very first cover letter or just want to refine your cover letter, this page will provide you with:

• Professional tips on how to write a cover letter to land your dream job
• Example cover letters to use for inspiration
• Additional career resources and articles

What is a cover letter?

A cover letter is submitted alongside your resume when you apply for a job. It is written in a much more conversational tone than your resume and gives you a chance to present a full introduction of yourself to the company you’re interested in working with. A successful cover letter gives potential employers a glimpse into who you are as a person, what you can do and why you would be a good fit for the job.

A hiring manager or recruiter needs to know more about you than what is listed on your resume. A resume cover letter can explain how your personality, work ethic and experience will fit in with the company’s environment.

Why do I need a cover letter?

While your resume provides a listed overview of your career, including your education, work history and skills, it’s not meant to give detailed information about your achievements and personality. A well-written cover letter provides a more thoughtful, detailed introduction to what motivates you, your best qualities and how your qualifications, skills and passion match the industry and job you want.

Here are some advantages of submitting a cover letter when answering a job ad:

• You can expand on your best skills and experiences in more detail than can be communicated with a few qualifications on your resume.
• You can explain any gaps in your employment history or the reason for a career change.
• You have the perfect opportunity to explain further how you can specifically contribute to the company and fit the job requirements.
• You provide prospective employers with insights into your personality and background.

Keep in mind that even if the job listing doesn’t require a cover letter, you should still take the time to write one, and submit it along with your resume and job application. A hiring manager or recruiter will appreciate that you put in the extra effort to prepare a thoughtful cover letter.

How to write a cover letter

The structure of a good cover letter is simple and allows you to get across all the important information you need to make your case as the right choice for a job. Here are the four things you need to include in your cover letter.

1. Contact and personal information

First, you need to include your contact information, which is typically placed as a header that sits at the top of the cover letter:

• Full name
• Phone number
• Physical address — city and state (this can be optional)
• Email address
• Any relevant links, such as a link to your LinkedIn profile

Below your contact information, you should include the hiring manager’s details, such as:

• Their name
• Their job position
• Company address

2. Greeting

The greeting for your cover letter is more important than you might realize. This is partly because the greeting can tell a hiring manager how much work you’ve put into the cover letter and whether you may have just copied and pasted it to every job application you’ve submitted. Try to avoid an extremely generic salutation, such as:

• To Whom It May Concern
• Dear Sir or Madam
• Dear Hiring Manager

These phrases make it seem as though you’ve sent the same letter to many managers or that you didn’t do any research on your potential employer before you applied to the job posting.

Instead, you should address the letter to a specific person (e.g., the hiring manager or someone from human resources). The job description should give you the hiring manager’s name but you may have to do some research on your own to find the hiring manager’s name. A customized cover letter always has a better chance of getting read over a generic one.

• Dear Mr. Smith
• Dear Ms. Smith
• Dear Dr. Smith

3. Opening paragraph

Your first paragraph is your chance to make a good first impression and grab the hiring manager’s attention. Here’s how to do it:

• Speak directly to the hiring manager: Tell the hiring manager your name and why you are writing. If you are responding to a job advertisement, mention where you saw the advertisement and the specific position you’re applying for. If you are applying for a job through a contact, mention the person who referred you.
• Tell the hiring manager what to expect next: If you submit your credentials for the hiring manager to consider, that is what you say in the second sentence of your letter. If your letter has a different intent (i.e., requesting a reference letter), the second sentence in the opening is when you identify that purpose.

In short, your introductory paragraph informs the reader of your interest in the position.

4. Second paragraph

After this, you’ll move on to the body, which may be one or two paragraphs long. Here you’ll dig deeper into the details a hiring manager wants to see. Tie your relevant skills into how you can benefit the company by describing specific work or a relevant accomplishment from your previous role and how you can contribute to the company’s success. Make sure you make this section concise and easy to read. Bullet points may be a good option to point out specific pieces of information.

Avoid repeating what’s in your resume. Instead, discuss one or two projects the hiring managers might find relevant. These should be projects that showed measurable results — i.e., you helped cut costs or initiated a new computer system.

5. Cover letter ending

Your final paragraph should wrap up the letter with a formal closing. Reemphasize your interest in the position and thank the recruiter or hiring manager for considering you. Finish the closing paragraph by stating that you look forward to discussing important details with the hiring manager and inviting them to contact you for an interview.

4 pointers for your opening paragraph

1. Get their attention

Many experts believe that the first sentence of your cover letter is the most important. See it as your elevator pitch. Hiring managers and recruiters see dozens — if not hundreds — of applications a day, so you want to get straight to the point and start your cover letter in a way that captures their attention. For example:

• Instead of: “I’m writing to inform you of my interest in…”
• Go for: “Your story on the energy issue our community faces inspired me to begin a career as an investigative journalist six years ago.”

2. Make it snappy

You only have a few sentences to pack in the most important information about yourself before you launch into your other cover letter sections. Don’t include anything that is not absolutely essential. There’s really no need to tell the reader where you saw their job ad or mention what you’re hoping for in a job. Do include a few highlights about your experience, what you have to offer and past major accomplishments. For example:

“Your story on the energy issue our community faces inspired me to begin a career as an investigative journalist six years ago. Over the years, I have dedicated myself to writing stories where truth is at the center, using my skills in journalism and research, and my passion for creating short documentaries and award-winning articles.”

3. Convey enthusiasm

While it’s true that you want to offer important facts in your letter, a cover letter opening statement shouldn’t be read like a boring laundry list. Work to sell yourself. Use an active voice, rather than a passive one. Be direct. Don’t be too humble. This is the time to brag a bit, as the example above shows, though you don’t want to sound cocky.

4. Consider the audience

In order to write the best cover letter opening statement, you have to think like a hiring manager. Address the points you would want to see if you were hiring. Always think more about what you can offer the company than what you seek in a job.

5 key cover letter writing tips

How to write a cover letter involves more than just including your career history. Here are some tips for writing an impressive, interesting and well-thought-out letter to stand out from the competition.

1. Research the job opportunity and company’s culture

In addition to reading the job posting carefully to ensure you match the requirements, select some necessary skills for the role and tailor your cover letter to match those skills. Also, learn more about the company culture and its mission statement by reading through the company website.

Remember, a cover letter should constantly “evolve” with each specific job you apply to. After you send your resume and cover letter to an employer, keep editing and rewriting your letter for future employers. That way, your application will be strong for each submission.

Good example:

You recently read about an award the company received for humanitarian efforts. Mention that accomplishment in your cover letter and how that ties in with your own ideals.

Bad example:

You misspell the company name or feature the wrong job title in your cover letter.

2. Think of your cover letter as a story

Tell your career story to the hiring manager or recruiter reading your cover letter. Explain why the role you are applying for is a great opportunity for you and a win for the company that hires you, and be positive in your approach.

Good example:

You tell an emotional story about spending a week in the hospital as a child, leading to your passion for the health care industry.

Bad example:

You negatively talk about how you received bad service from a server at a local restaurant, leading you to believe you can do a better job.

3. Focus on the future

Don’t just talk about your past and current experience, specifically mention what you can offer the prospective employer and how you can add value to the company. Focus on what you have to offer that others don’t.

4. Keep it short and sweet

Typically, a cover letter is three-quarters of a page and only a few paragraphs long. It should be easy to read, with some bullet points to allow a busy job recruiter or hiring manager to scan through it quickly.

Good example:

You summarize your career history and accomplishments within ¾ of a cover letter page, just enough for the hiring manager to see that you are highly qualified for the position.

Bad example:

You write a page and a half of career information, and additional filler irrelevant to the job. The hiring manager reads one cover letter paragraph and tosses your cover letter to the side.

5. Proofread before you submit

An error on a cover letter will not show you in the best light. You must reread your cover letter numerous times to ensure you have not made silly typos or grammatical mistakes. If you’re uncertain about your letter, see if you can get a trusted contact to read it.

Sometimes when you’re alone with a piece of writing, you can get so absorbed that you lose perspective. Break out of the bubble, reach out to someone else and benefit from a fresh pair of eyes.

Cover letter examples

An example cover letter can be a great way to jump-start writing your own cover letter. ResumeHelp experts have gathered a sample cover letter for almost every industry and job title to show you how to create a cover letter. Check out these great examples and other cover letter examples for various professions.

• Finance
• Administrative Assistant
• Retail
• Marketing
• Entry-level Job
• Accounting

Create a strong resume to pair with your cover letter

Now that you are ready to write your cover letter, be sure to put in the same effort to create the most effective resume to submit with your cover letter and job application. Just as our Cover Letter Builder easily guides you through the cover letter process, so does our highly popular Resume Builder.

The resume builder is your ticket to a fast, professional and effective resume. Instead of creating a resume from scratch, our builder gives you an immediate jump start. You follow the builder process, taking one step at a time, with expert guidance to build a job-winning resume. Here’s why you should consider using our Resume Builder:

• Get resume designs that complement our cover letter templates
• Choose from professional layouts that work best for your industry
• Ease of writing with expert job-specific resume wording suggestions

More cover letter help

• Cover Letter Builder: Take a generic cover letter to the next level with our step-by-step guidance and writing advice.
• Cover Letter Templates: ResumeHelp’s templates give you a fast start to writing a cover letter.
• Cover Letter Format: Our experts will provide you with everything you need to know about formats and help you create an organized layout for your letter.
• How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?: Learn the perfect cover letter length so you don’t make it too short or too long.
• What to Include in a Cover Letter: Following expert tips from ResumeHelp, you will know exactly what to include in your professional cover letter.
• Cover Letter Heading: Learn what information is critical to include in your heading and stand out from other applicants.
• Cover Letter Layout: Following the right layout will ensure that a hiring manager can easily read your letter.
• Email Cover Letter: Did you know there are different rules to follow when emailing your resume and cover letter?

Cover letter tips to grab the recruiter’s attention

If you really want to make sure the hiring manager is paying attention to your cover letter, there are a few things you can do to make it really stand out.

• Always use spell check. Typos in your cover letter will immediately stand out and they’re one of the quickest ways to get rejected.
• Don’t just rehash your resume. Think of your letter as your chance to elaborate on the major skills and experiences that match up with what the company is looking for.
• Look at sample cover letters for similar jobs and industries before you write yours. Cover letter examples help you understand what employers are looking for.
• Start with a cover letter rough draft, then edit it to fit if needed. Remember, you want to be to the point and concise, no more than one page long.
• Make sure you’re sending your cover letter to the right person. There’s nothing like accidentally sending your letter to a person who isn’t even responsible for deciding whether or not to hire you.