How Do I Write a Cover Letter?
Updated: Jun 30, 2022
What is the point of a cover letter? It can seem monotonous when employers ask for both a resume and cover letter because they are pretty much the same right? Wrong. Resumes serve the purpose of giving employers a feel for your past experience and skills. Cover letters serve the purpose of explaining to the employer your interest in the role and why you would be a good fit. It is essentially an extended version of your resume that gets into the nitty-gritty of why your past experience and skill make you fit for the job.
The first item to tackle is how to properly format a cover letter. Every cover letter should take the same format as a business letter. This includes:
Header with correct date and contact information
Greeting
Introductory paragraph
Body text
Conclusion
Letter ending and signature.
Your cover letter should be only one page in length, with a basic font style, like Times New Roman or Arial, and should be 10 to 12-point font.
The next step is understanding how to properly write your cover letter, given the format above.
Header
The header is something you should not overcomplicate. Make it simple. The employer will expect your header to contain the following information: your name, your address, your phone number, your email address, and the date. Below the date, be sure to include the name of the letter recipient, the title of the recipient, the company name, and the company address. The header should be located on the left-hand side of your letter and make sure that all of your contact information is correct, as the employer may use it to follow up with you. For reference, look at the example below:
Johnny Appleseed
(xxx) xxx-xxxx
100 North Drive
New York City, NY 44793
February 17, 2022
Noah Weiss
Uncommon Sports Group
6318 Cambridge Street
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Greeting