Cover Letter Guide

A cover letter is written to the person or organization offering the position for which you are applying. This letter that is attached to your resume is meant to introduce you in a more personal manner in order to incentivize your reader to comb through your resume. Thankfully, there are a vast number of resources online such as those offered by Indeed, to research cover letter writing. Moreover, there are tools such as My Perfect Cover Letter that helps guide the creation of a cover letter.

I. Use a Professional Cover Letter Heading

Include your personal contact details such as name, email address, and phone number. Subsequently, address the name of the hiring manager or the company. Make sure your contact information is consistent across your resume, cover letter, and social media profiles as well as professional.

II. Open Your Cover Letter with a Proper Greeting

This will be the very first thing the hiring manager will see, therefore address it directly, if possible. This is a simple aspect but crucial because the salutation is tailored to that manager, company, or position. Sample greetings include but are not limited to:

III. Write a Catchy Opening Paragraph

• Dear ______, I.e. Dear Kathleen

• Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. ________, I.e. Dear Ms. Jones

• Dear Hiring Manager,

• Dear [XYZ Company] Team,

These few sentences at the beginning of your cover letter will determine whether the hiring manager will read on. You need to make your cover letter introduction attract and hold the hiring manager’s interest, do so by allowing it to be reflective of your personality, yet professional.

“As a lifelong enthusiast of XYZ’s marketing initiatives, I was thrilled to see your posting for the position of Digital Marketing Manager. I am positive I can help with XYZ’s upcoming challenges. As a member of the Marketing Club at New Jersey City University, I have experience participating in various student business challenges which have increased my knowledge of digital marketing and given me the transferable skills to succeed in the field. (sourced Business Impressions.)

IV. Explain Why You’re the Perfect Candidate

You need to get the hiring manager exactly what she’s looking for. You must show that you’re going to satisfy the company’s specific needs. List the skills in a conversational manner that you possess for this job.

“In my current internship at ABC Creative Marketing Agency, I have gained experience working on a social marketing campaign. For this campaign, I was tasked with increasing the Instagram engagement rate of one of our clients. By posting catchy content relevant to the target audience, I helped lead the client’s Instagram account to an engagement rate of 5%. This in turn increased engagement on their merchandise sites. (Sourced Business Impressions.)

V. Explain Why You’re Eager to Join

But what they also want is for you to enjoy working with them. They want your future job to feel rewarding to you—that way, they know you’re more likely to stay with them for a longer period. You can express that enthusiasm by following these steps:

• Start with a company fact - for instance, an upcoming project that you find pride or interest in.

• Say why you find it interesting.

• Reiterate that your experience and knowledge will let you succeed with the project.

VI. Make Your Personal Offer in the Closing Paragraph.

Once you’ve written the body of your cover letter, you just need to put a formal closing at the very end. Write “sincerely” and follow it with your full name. Adding your handwritten signature is optional, but it’s recommended for more formal cover letters. Remember to focus on what you have to offer to the job versus needing the job. Sample sign offs include but are not limited to:

• Thank you,

• With best regards,

• Thank you for your consideration,

• Truly yours,

• Respectfully yours,