Write the Perfect Cover Letter to Accompany Your Resume
Get the job of your dreams.
People can find it hard to write an efficient covering letter for their resume for a number of reasons; structure, content, and pointing out all of their qualities and attributes required for the job. So in just a few short minutes, you can have a perfect, job proven, covering letter written and changed to your liking. Good luck.
(Name)
(Street Address)
(City/State)
(Country)
(Date)
(Name of Application Coordinator)
(Company Name)
(Company Address)
(Company City)
Dear Sir/Madam,
In support of my application for the …………………………… position; I wish to briefly outline my background.
I am extremely keen, enthusiastic and experienced (whatever profession you are currently in) with a genuine passion for the profession and helping people succeed.
My earlier years were spent attending (rural/city) schools as a student at (names of Elementary/Primary schools attended), and at (High School/Secondary School attended) during my teens. I attended the (name of University/College) from (date attended) and completed a (Bachelor of …………. /Masters in ………….. /Doctorate in ………….)
On leaving the (name of University/College), I was accepted to a position at ……………………., in (city) where I worked as a …………………… for ……………………. number of years and enjoyed it immensely. During my ……………………. year at (Company you worked for), I felt like I needed a new challenge and applied for ……………………… where I was accepted to a position in (Job Title/Doing/City)
(Repeat if necessary)
I was able to learn a lot about myself and my abilities as a (Job Title) during my years there.
During the time I have been in employment, I have come to a number of conclusions about myself.
People in my company feel welcomed, and are comfortable and happy in their environment. They enjoy my approach which is balanced and inclusive to all. The facilitation and guidance I provide is at each individual’s level of understanding and expressions of ideas are encouraged. Constructive feedback and support is readily available. Colleagues feel that they can approach me for help, guidance, and general inquiries and find that I can provide insight and reassurance of their abilities.
I am happy and appreciative to be in a working environment each and everyday and colleagues realize this through my efficiency, my appearance, my demenour and the comfortable atmosphere I create.
I believe that if I were to obtain the position (Job Title), colleagues and community members would be inspired, organized, and receive expert advice and guidance.
I believe I meet and exceed all of the criteria to become (Job Title) and my experience, personality, and attitude would be an asset for (Company Name).
I look forward to a response to my application.
Yours Sincerely,
(Signature)
(Name)

28 Comments
I thought that was very interesting… keep up the great work
Very informative and very useful. Well done
This is nice.
Thanks for your comments people. If you know anyone who might need this piece, please pass it on to them.
Great advice. I often struggle with the cover letter. Thanks!
A good one for my students - thanks!
Thanks RJ and Boo for your comments. Much appreciated.
A useful article for those leaving school this year.
Seems kind of long. I’ve been advised to keep it to two or three paragraphs. A little too wordy!
For what audience/culture is this cover letter intended? Not the U.S., I hope, because it is (a) insanely long and (b) closer to a personal memoir than a job-seeking cover letter. Your parents might care about your life story, but potential employers are interested in what use you will be of to them - QUICKLY!
Hi Amy and Molly,
The letter is intended for the user to change it to how they see fit. This outline has worked for me on numerous occasions and yes is probably intended more for the job seekers down under or in Britain. I think employers like to hear how you have been bought up etc and not just the skills you have. Use what you need from the article and cut the rest. Thanks for your feedback.
Hi RJ Chamberlain -
I agree with Amy and Molly to a degree, but not in its entirety. It is a little too long for the US employers, who in my former experience preferred scanning one or two paragraphs, but as you pointed out already - the user can tweak out whatever they choose, so that it feels right for a specific employer. I do like your idea to help others in this way, because with the approach of tightened job markets and the continuing lost of more American job (I can only speak about the US Job Market, because quiet frankly it is where I live) - your cover letter outline will be of great help to anyone at a loss to how to prepare one for their future search for employment.
Good job and great success with this piece of work.
God Bless,
Nelson Doyle
Great job!
i think being able to extend help to so many others on something basic and really important that is writing a covering letter is great. i appreciate that and really wish you luck.
warm regards
baji
Thanks so much Nelson, Juliane and Baji. I sincerely hope it helps others.
Very useful for the job aspirants.
Hi guys,
Thanks for all the comments on this article. If you are interested I have also written an article on setting up a resume. You can find this at
http://www.socyberty.com/Work/Attract-Future-Employers-with-the-Perfect-Resume.216293
Again thanks a lot and hope I have helped some of you.
very good information! good to know!
Unfortunately, I disagree that this would even be useful in the UK or Down Under. Clearly, the entire first section of this “cover letter” is a re-hash of what is already properly in the CV or resume. Never use the cover letter to repeat information that the HR person has already seen in your resume or CV. It’s a waste of his or her time. A cover letter add something, synthesize something, DO SOMETHING other than repeat ad nauseum what the interviewer already has read. This is not a proper cover letter by any standard.
great information…
A must-read for job seekers.
This is a good start, but a job seeker should use the cover letter much more to tie in to the job posting through which they discovered the opening.
Cheers,
Jacob
–
WIN $150! Join the 2008 JobMob Guest Blogging Contest:
http://jobmob.co.il/blog/2008-guest-blogging-contest/
thats gr8 … thanx fr sharing it
Sorry, but I have to agree with those who have commented that the cover letter is too long (actually far too long), is overly wordy, and is highly unlikely to be read by a busy recruiter or HR manager. Where you can, you should personalise the cover letter, it should never be longer than three paragraphs, and should only contain pertinent information that is not in the CV.
Mike
http://www.skillnet-resources.com (HR and Management Consulting)
http://www.makingdollars4u.com (Affiliate Marketing)
too boring and common. Make it stand out and come from the heart.
____________________>**
Thanks mate I really need this right now - j
Great stuff here! There’s this blog that i found which gave out of the box tips in writing resumes. i learned that references aren’t a must and he pretty much stated valid reasons why.. check it out:
http://www.integritycareertransitions.com/blog/ just read the whole blog and you can find pretty interesting points to consider in writing resumes and cover letters.