Secretary Cover Letter Sample & Writing Guide for 2025
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You can answer the phone with one hand, locate an important file with the other, and take notes using a pencil in your mouth. You’re a veritable pro at secretary duties.
Now you’ve got to make the office manager believe it by sending them a perfect secretary cover letter. Grab your pen. It’s time to write!
In this guide, we give you first one of the best sample cover letters for secretary positions you’ve seen. Then, we up the ante by providing you with the best tips on how to write an administrative secretary cover letter.
Want to write your cover letter fast? Use our cover letter builder. Choose from 20+ professional cover letter templates that match your resume. See actionable examples and get expert tips along the way.
Secretary Cover Letter for a Resume—See more cover letter examples and create your cover letter here.
Want some other secretary-related cover letter examples? Try these:
- Administrative Cover Letter Sample
- Administrative Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Medical Receptionist Cover Letter Sample
- Front Desk Cover Letter Sample
- Receptionist Cover Letter Sample
- Office Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Office Manager Cover Letter Sample
- Personal Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Law Firm Cover Letter Sample
- Human Resources Cover Letter Sample
Want to explore your options further? See our full selection of cover letter examples for every career: Professional Cover Letter Examples
This is the Zety idea of a great secretary cover letter sample:
Secretary Cover Letter Sample
William S. Adams
Middle School Secretary
609 Ford Street
Oakland, CA 94612
June 15, 2019
Karen J. Snyder
Human Resource Manager
Jackson Haddock Partners
1967 Roosevelt Street
San Francisco, CA 94143
Dear Karen,
Currently a school secretary for Montera Middle School in Oakland, I just now came across your job posting for an office secretary at Jackson Haddock. I must say, this employment advertisement really excited me, and I want to officially turn in my application for the position.
With my 4+ years of secretarial experience, my duties spanned the office spectrum, from administrative tasks to assisting parents and students to helping out with various school-related affairs. During that time, I’ve sharpened my secretarial skills to perfection, and I’m sure they would transfer over perfectly to the position at Jackson Haddock.
I have a few administrative achievements I’m proud of, and here are several of my key wins:
- Overhauled the student record filing system, digitizing over 3,000 entries of former and current students.
- Implemented new memo and correspondence delivery protocol, improving teacher response time by 50%.
These are but a couple of my accomplishments, but I hope they give you a small taste of just how dedicated and diligent I am at my secretarial responsibilities. I’m eager to apply and deliver that same quality performance to the administrative team at JH.
If you’d grant me the opportunity, I would love to further show you how I can easily and readily take on the secretary duties and role at Jackson Haddock.
Sincerely,
William S. Adams
P.S.—Instead of a phone call, I’d be honored to treat you to a coffee and bagel over at Simon’s Sweets to show you how I can bring that 50% response time reduction to JH.
That was my vision of the best of the best secretary cover letter examples.
Continue scrolling down to learn how to successfully tweak yours to perfection.
One more thing—
You might have the greatest cover letter for secretaries they’ve ever laid eyes upon. However, it would be completely useless without a secretary resume which lives up to the same standards. Here’s how to write a resume for secretary jobs: Secretary Resume Sample & Writing Guide
Secretary Cover Letter Template
How to write a secretary cover letter:
1. Format the Secretary Cover Letter Template for Readability
- Search through our list of best fonts to find the ideal one to use on your cover letter for secretary positions.
- Keep the edges clean by using a 1-inch margin on all sides of your cover letter.
- Align all sections of your administrative secretary cover letter to the left side, as that is standard business formatting.
Dive deeper: How to Choose the Right Cover Letter Format
2. Create a Top-Notch Secretary Cover Letter Heading Section
- Jot down your name and address at the top left corner of the school or medical secretary cover letter.
- Next, add the date you’re sending the cover letter.
- Lastly, write the employer’s name, their job title, and the company’s address details.
Dive deeper: How to Add Addresses Onto a Cover Letter
3. Start the Secretary Cover Letter With a Tantalizing Introduction
- Address the office manager or HR staff member by name from the very start, right in the opening salutation.
- Introduce yourself and your desire to fill their open secretary position.
- Write a compelling first paragraph of about two or three sentences which captivates them enough to want to read more.
Are you unable to find the name of the office supervisor or hiring manager you’re meant to address your cover letter to? Just utilize a neutral greeting, such as “Dear Hiring Manager.”
Dive deeper: How to Initiate a Cover Letter Right
4. Show The Office Manager You’re the Perfect Secretary Candidate
- Use the office secretary job description to discern what exact skills and abilities the office manager is looking for.
- Convince them in your cover letter for a secretary position at school or elsewhere that you can meet or exceed those job requirements.
- Give them quantifiable accomplishments to prove to them that you’re the ideal administrative secretary they’ve been searching for.
Is your legal or school secretary cover letter not wordy enough (or way too lengthy)? Bring it down to the appropriate length: What's the Perfect Cover Letter Length?
5. Persuade Them You’re the Top Secretary to Consider for This Office
- Assure the hiring manager that this exact company is the only office you want to work for.
- Win them over with enthusiasm and a show of eagerness for this secretary position.
- Write a targeted cover letter—never get lazy and send a blanket cover letter everywhere.
Are you a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) or have earned the Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) credential? Let them know on your cover letter to immediately gain the upper hand over the other secretary candidates.
Would this be your first job as a paid secretary? Don’t worry. Just talk up transferable skills on your school or legal secretary cover letters: How to Write a Cover Letter Without Experience
6. Submit Your Proposal as You End the Secretary Cover Letter
- Wrap your cover letter for secretary jobs up with a one- or two-sentence paragraph.
- Sum up your desire for the secretary interview where you can speak in greater detail on your administrative skills and office experience.
- Remind them of the value you would bring to their office environment.
Dive deeper: Ending a Cover Letter Correctly (15+ Examples)
7. Finish the Secretary Cover Letter With a Professional Sign-Off
- Choose a common valediction (that closing at the end), such as “sincerely.”
- After leaving a line break, add your name below that. Use extra line breaks if you’ll print it out and hand-sign your secretary cover letter.
- Consider placing a postscript below your signature to mention to them or remind them of one further item—it really catches their eye!
Following up after you send in your secretary resume and cover letter is crucial to landing an interview. Here’s how to do it: How to Follow Up After Sending in a Job Application
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Writing a medical secretary cover letter or executive secretary cover letter and need more specific advice? Looking to figure out how to add administrative skills and office achievements? Let’s discuss down in the comments area, and thanks for reading!
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