
35+ Successful Cover Letter Tips & Advice (With Examples)
Cover letter writing tips—sure to turn any boring letter into something employers want to read.
Everyone is sending you back to school to learn how to format a letter. But there’s no going back, only moving forward. So learn everything about cover letter format with us.
Most applicants know nothing about the cover letter format—layouts are sloppy, and the contents basically put readers to sleep.
What if I told you that in 7 minutes, you’d be the only one to learn how to wake everyone up?
This guide will show you:
Want to write your perfectly formatted cover letter in 15 minutes? Use our cover letter templates here.
Sample cover letter made with our builder—See more cover letter examples here.
Here’s how to format a cover letter step by step:
Mary Chao
Digital Marketing Specialist
4710 Oak Way
Omaha, NE 68102
402-214-2558
marychao@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/mary.chao
Omaha, 01/28/2019
Ashley Alameda
Head of Marketing
Avanix, Inc.
2509 Hall Valley Drive
Omaha, NE 72662
Dear Ashley,
Two months ago, I hit a goal I never thought I'd reach. I pushed SEO traffic to 20 million monthly views. One year ago, traffic for our four sites—all of which I manage through a team of 25 employees—rested at just 4 million per month. Upper management challenged me to lead the team toward doubling our traffic. We hit that goal in just six months, blowing away our sales revenue forecasts in the process.
I know your main upcoming challenge will be to grow revenue from your new website. With over seven years of experience in SEO and social media marketing, and as someone who is passionate about staying on the leading edge of tech, I'm confident I can repeat the growth I achieved with XYZ as your new Digital Marketing Manager.
In my current position, I successfully lead creative strategy and internal development teams. Specifically, I have:
What impresses me most about your online marketing strategy is that you’ve managed to build a self-reliant team aligned with two basic key metrics only: traffic and conversions. This perfectly reflects my core professional values.
I'm adept at reading Google and user search intent, then translating that into measurable returns. Can we schedule a call to discuss ideas for growing your revenue by 25% in 2018?
Sincerely,
Mary Chao
Let me walk you through how you can format your cover letter equally well:
Start with the basic formatting before you get down to writing. You’ll benefit from the effort you’ll put into creating your cover letter template. Here’s everything you need to know:
Are you sending a cover letter via email? Here’s exactly what you need to format your electronic letter: Email Cover Letter Writing Guidelines
You need to have specific details handy to write a cover letter header. And they are:
Addressing the cover letter right is the single most important thing in cover letter writing. Fail at this stage, and your application is good to go (to the trash).
Here’s the correct way of formatting the cover letter header:
Mary Chao
Digital Marketing Specialist
4710 Oak Way
Omaha, NE 68102
402-214-2558
marychao@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/mary.chao
Omaha, 01/28/2019
Ashley Alameda
Head of Marketing
Avanix, Inc.
2509 Hall Valley Drive
Omaha, NE 72662
Leave a slightly larger space between your contact information and the date of writing.
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There’s excellent research that shows nothing activates our brains as much as hearing or seeing our own name. So open your cover letter with the correct name, and you’ll get the attention you deserve.
You can look for the name in the job description, company website, or LinkedIn. Call the company and ask for the hiring manager’s name if you're struggling.
By no means open the cover letter with “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam.” Nothing screams generic more than these two. Go for “Dear [XYZ Team] Hiring Manager” or “Dear Hiring Manager” if all strategies have failed.
Now that you have the recruiter’s attention, use one of those opening strategies:
See this example of a powerful opening paragraph:
Two months ago, I hit a goal I never thought I'd reach. I pushed SEO traffic to 20 million monthly views. One year ago, traffic for our four sites—all of which I manage through a team of 25 employees—rested at just 4 million per month. Upper management challenged me to lead the team toward doubling our traffic. We hit that goal in just six months, blowing away our sales revenue forecasts in the process.
In the main parts of your cover letter, focus on what you have to offer, not what you want out of a job. And then make them feel special. Let your cover letter say why exactly you want to join them, not any other company.
These points should help you figure out how to sell yourself in the cover letter:
I know your main upcoming challenge will be to grow revenue from your new website. With over seven years of experience in SEO and social media marketing, and as someone who is passionate about staying on the leading edge of tech, I'm confident I can repeat the growth I achieved with XYZ as your new Digital Marketing Manager.
In my current position, I successfully lead creative strategy and internal development teams. Specifically, I have:
What impresses me most about your online marketing strategy is that you’ve managed to build a self-reliant team aligned with two basic key metrics only: traffic and conversions. This perfectly reflects my core professional values.
Are you intimidated by those achievements? You must be at the beginning of your journey then. Read more: Cover Letter Writing Tips for No-Experience Candidates
The hiring manager wants to give you a shot already, so don’t let them change their mind. Finish your cover letter with a compelling call to action. This is how:
I'm adept at reading Google and user search intent, then translating that into measurable returns. Can we schedule a call to discuss ideas for growing your revenue by 25% in 2018?
A cover letter closing format is the same as any other formal business letter. Write “Sincerely” and sign off with your full name one or two lines underneath.
Optionally, include a digital copy of your handwritten signature in your sign-off. It will add a professional touch.
Now that you’re stocked with cover letter formatting tips see what the best cover letter looks like:
If you want a format that focuses on what’s important in a cover letter, you’re right to choose Cascade. The darker sidebar covers the boring, leaving your hiring manager with the juicy and plenty of white space they can rest their eyes on.
Looking at Cubic, you can tell it was made for C-suite professionals. It’s elegant. It’s neat. It’s perfect. The heading is designed to highlight your position, so use it to your advantage if you’re a senior candidate with an impressive resume.
Are you recruiting to the creative industry? Then Iconic is a perfect cover letter format for someone with a knack for design and communication. Iconic will help you tell your story thanks to a sleek layout that feels complete.
Sometimes you want things to be uncomplicated, and you want to be direct and put your thoughts down uninterrupted. The Primo cover letter format gives you just that.
Entry-level candidates—here’s something just for you. A splash of color and square icons will add personal vibes to your cover letter. It is precisely what employers are looking for in candidates like yourself.
In a nutshell, this is how to format a cover letter:
All check? Then you can be sure your cover letter for a job is formatted perfectly.
Want to learn more about cover letter setup? Have additional questions we didn’t answer above? Drop me a line in the comments, and I’ll be happy to chat!
Cover letter writing tips—sure to turn any boring letter into something employers want to read.
Having trouble putting thoughts to paper? Take the guesswork out—our cover letter outline will make things super simple.
They say that nothing’s perfect. Challenge that by writing the perfect cover letter to get the perfect job.