Follow This Outline for a Cover Letter That Will Land Interviews

While recruiters might not always read them, hiring managers usually do because they’re valuable in narrowing down the candidates who have passed the initial screening. So don’t skip this opportunity to complement your resume, explain any potential red flags, and provide some interesting details to make your application stand out from the crowd.

A Winning Cover Letter Outline

1. The Introduction

The first part our cover letter outline is an introduction, which is all about making a positive first impression on the employer. Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Let’s start this cover letter outline at the top  with your heading. It should match your resume with the same formatting and contact information. It’s important to be consistent here. Use the same header information that you use on your resume: name, location, phone number, email address, and links to your social network and (for creative professionals) portfolio. 

Skip the outdated practice of including the company’s address as well as addressing the letter to “sir or ma’am” or “to whom it may concern.” Instead, address the letter to the name of the person who will be reading it. This shows that you are thorough, pay attention to details, and are willing to put in the effort to get a job done properly.

Some job descriptions list the person to whom your application will be sent. Many don’t, which means you need to put on your detective hat and get ready to do some digging. A good place to start your research is the company website, where you might be able to find the name of the hiring manager. Check the “About Us” or “Meet the Team” pages for clues. LinkedIn is another great place to search for hiring manager or recruiter contacts. If all else fails, you can call the company to request the name of the hiring manager.

Once you figure out who you are writing to, make sure you correctly spell their name and address their gender. It is best to start with some respectful formality by using “Dear” followed by “Mr.” or “Ms.” and the person’s full name. If you don’t know the person’s gender, just use “Dear” and their full name. And if you know that someone is a professor or doctor you should use those letter salutations instead.

Here are a few examples: 

Dear Ms. Tonyia Cone

Dear Pat Smith

Dear Dr. Bob Rogers

Dear Professor Amy Jackson

If you really can’t find a name to address your letter to, your best bet is to use “Dear Hiring Manager,” since a hiring manager is most likely your audience.

With those details out of the way, it’s time to move on to the meat of your letter. It’s really important to grab your reader’s attention from the beginning with a targeted hook in the first sentence or two. This is where you get your reader’s attention and convince them to keep reading. Give them the good stuff right away! 

Your main goal when submitting a job application is to show how you are a good fit for this particular position. This means you will need to tweak your cover letter outline every time you submit it with an application so that you show how your experience and expertise align with each individual job description. 

A cover letter hook is a great place to make a great first impression by showing how your motivation and past successes match the employer’s needs. Be careful not to simply rattle off your qualifications, because your resume already does that. Your cover letter is the place where you can share your professional philosophy and how that makes you an asset to their organization.

2. The Body

The body of your cover letter contains specific accomplishments that show why you’re qualified for the job. Photo by Lala Azizli on Unsplash

The body of your cover letter is the section where you can continue to develop how you are a good fit for the duties and qualifications from the job description. Using personal anecdotes and including your voice are effective ways to keep your audience’s attention and encourage them to keep reading while expanding upon details from your resume. 

For example, are you really proud of a problem you solved or a challenge you overcame? This is the place to explain those situations. Or if your resume states that you increased sales by 30%, use your cover letter to provide more background on how you achieved that impressive accomplishment. This will paint the accomplishment in full color and show more of your full skills than just your resume bullet point about it, as important as that may be.

This section of your cover letter outline is also an important place for you to find a balance between professionalism and personality by emphasizing your reasons for applying and clearly laying why you want to work for this specific company. While you don’t necessarily want to go off-topic or sound too casual, you do want to take advantage of the cover letter to clearly show why you, the person, (not just you, the stat sheet) could see yourself in this job.

You can also show that you’ve done your homework and that you are a good fit for the organization’s culture and values by showing how your outlook aligns with their mission. One way to do this is by including the company’s mission statement (most companies have it on their website) and tying it back to your professional goals.

Finally, there are a lot of things you should leave out of your resume, and the body of your cover letter can be a good place to address those items. Do you have volunteer experience not included on your resume that somehow aligns with the job description or makes you a stronger candidate? If so, explain that here, rather than taking up too much of the valuable space on your resume. 

Are you changing careers,worried about a career gap, or even recovering from a sudden layoff? A cover letter is the right place to address any of those by explaining your situation and how your experience translates to the position you are applying for. The space of your cover letter gives you a chance to show why these “obstacles” are nothing to worry about, without setting off a red flag or wasting space by only trying to describe it on your resume.

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