Key Elements Of A Cover Letter
The cover letter is usually the first item an employer reads from you. Your letter should immediately indicate what position you are applying for and then give information that demonstrates why you should be considered for the position. Do not repeat all of the information contained in your resume. Instead, highlight or elaborate on resume items that are directly applicable to the position for which you are applying. The following information should be included in your cover letter.
Information about you
Begin your cover letter with your contact information. It should be in block style, on the left margin of your paper, towards the top.
- Name
Include a date as you would do with any business letter.
Contact Person’s Name, Title, Employer, and Address
Including a specific name can get your letter and resume to the hiring manager more quickly and can be an effective personal touch. If you are applying for an advertised position that does not give a name to contact, call the company and ask for the department manager’s name.
Salutation
Choose the appropriate way to address the contact person.For example:
- Dear Mr. Johns
- Dear Ms. Smith
- Dear Prospective Employer
Opening Paragraph
In the opening paragraph tell how you learned about the position. You may, for example, know of a job through:
Middle Paragraph
This paragraph gives a summary of your background and critical skills that make you qualified for the position.
Contact Information and Closing
How To Address A Cover Letter Without A Name
If youve exhausted all your options and still cant find the hiring managers name, or youre not positive its the right name and dont want to risk addressing the wrong person, dont worry.
There are plenty of ways to address your cover letter if you dont know the name of the hiring manager. Here are the most common ways to address your cover letter to an unknown person:
- Dear Sir/Madam
- To Whom It May Concern
- Dear Human Resources Director
- Dear Hiring Manager
Additionally, if you want to add a personal touch, address your cover letter to your prospective department or manager. For example, Dear Customer Service Department,.
Addressing your cover letter with To Whom It May Concern is considered old fashioned, so in most cases its best to use Dear Sir/Madam. However, its unlikely that any employer will hold your cover letter salutation against you, so theres no actual wrong choice.
How To Mention Relocation On Your Resume And Cover Letter
ZipJob Team
6 min read
The search for a new job can be an emotional roller-coaster for job seekers. While it can be exciting to move on to the next stage of your life and career, there are often unexpected challenges and anxieties. Thatâs especially true when youâre planning to relocate and land a new job at the same time!
The good news is that being from another state doesnât need to put you at a disadvantage in a long distance job search. You just need to mention relocation on your resume in a way that helps you compete with local candidates seeking the same job. Here are some of the best strategies to help you manage any out-of-state job search, and minimize the concerns employers may have about dealing with relocation issues.
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How To Address An Email Cover Letter
If youre sending your job application through email, chances are youll need to format your cover letter in the body of the email, or as an attachment along with your resume.
First and foremost when youre addressing a cover letter in an email is the subject line, which should be between 6-10 words long.
Considering that hiring managers receive countless emails daily, you want to make sure that yours is a job application immediately. And the way to do that is straight through the subject line, which should indicate exactly the position youre applying for and your name so that its easier to find through the recruiters swarmed mailbox.
Here what we mean by that:
Examples:
- Subject Line: John Doe – Software Development Job Application
- Subject Line:John Doe – Job Application for Marketing Manager Position
- Subject Line:John Doe – Stock Manager Job Application
Afterward, if youre including your cover letter in the body of the email , begin by using a salutation, add space, and start your letter.
If someone referred you for the position, make sure to mention that in the subject line of your email as well as in your opening paragraph.
So, lets see how all the above plays out in practice:
Example:
Subject Line:John Doe – Carl Jacobs Referral for Software Developer
Dear Dr. Leonard,
I was very glad that Mr. Jacobs, a long-time partner at your firm who also happens to be my mentor from college, referred me for the Software Developer position.
What Is Different About A Cover Letter For A Federal Job
While all cover letters allow you to highlight your qualifications, a cover letter for a federal job typically requires certain elements a traditional cover letter does not. The specific information you need to include varies by job. In addition, when you apply for a government job, you need to be specific and to the point instead of using descriptive language detailing your experience. Since you’re applying for a federal position, you also need to ensure your cover letter focuses on how your qualifications align with the goals, mission and focus of the agency you’re applying for.
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How To Format A Cover Letter
Your cover letter should be well-presented, concise, and to-the-point.
So use an easy-to-read font, and dont get carried away with embellishments. No pictures, no Comic Sans, and definitely no word art necessary.
Aside from ensuring its written using clear paragraphs it also should be the right length. Too long, and youll risk rambling but too short, and youre unlikely to have covered everything.
Aim for half a side of A4 , and youll be on the right track.
Subject Line Of Email Cover Letter
The first thing the hiring manager will see is your email cover letter subject line. So, never leave the subject line blank.
Hiring managers sort the email cover letters by the job title. And if your cover letter does not have a subject line, it will not show in the hiring manager’s list.
Here is an example cover letter subject line :
Subject line: Job Application for Video Editor Position, Ref: Hanna Moore
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How To Address A Cover Letter Without A Contact Name
Many job postings dont include a contact name and even with a bit of investigating you cant find out who the hiring manager is. Sometimes companies prefer the hiring manager to be anonymous for various reasons.
In these cases, you can use general salutations for addressing your cover letter. Many choose the classic cover-letterTo whom it may concern. This is absolutely fine though a little old-fashioned, consider the company image and think whether its suitable or not. Here are some other general salutations you can use
Dear Hiring Manager
Cover Letter Format For An Email
Theres no need to include the date or the hiring managers contact information.
Heres an example of a cover letter in email form:
Once youve properly formatted your cover letter, you should double-check for spelling and typos . Then send it off. Good luck on the job hunt!
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Don’t Just Rehash Your Resume
What’s the first thing to know about how to write a cover letter? Your words should do more than restate salient details from your resume. Check out this brief checklist of important functions of a cover letter:
- Draw attention to specific skills and experience that make you an ideal candidate.
- Mention other relevant skills your resume may not illustrate.
- Explain why you would love to have the job in question.
- Show you’ve done research on the company, its mission and key leadership.
Use An Appropriate Title
Some common titles that you might encounter include:
- Dear Mr. Langman
- Dear Dr. Irving
- Dear Sgt. Diaz
It’s important to use the correct title to avoid any confusion. Always use a recipient’s professional title, like ‘Dr.’ or ‘Sgt.’ over ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs./Ms.’ If you’re unsure of the hiring manager’s title, you can use their full name, for example, ‘Dear Lamya Khalid.’ Using their full name makes it clear exactly who you are addressing.
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Check The Application Materials
Sometimes a job posting or other application materials have the name and title of the person reviewing your application listed. Many companies include information about who to contact in order to streamline the job search process, so read the job listing carefully for any instruction on who to address your letter to. Look at email addresses or social media profiles linked to the posting and see if the hiring managers name is listed. If you previously communicated with someone at the company about your application, consider reaching out and asking who you should address your cover letter to.
Address The Cover Letter With Dear Hiring Manager
It is the most common way to address a hiring manager with no name. In fact, 40% of hiring managers prefer this salutation over no salutation at all.
This address allows the hiring manager to quickly focus on the meat of the letter, aka the main body, instead of rejecting the cover letter right away.
However, the best way to address a cover letter is by highly personalizing it.
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The Importance Of Addressing Your Cover Letter Correctly
When applying for jobs, one of the most important things you can do is find a way to make sure your name, face, or correspondence matches up with your application.
So when hiring managers sort through a pile of sometimes hundreds of applicants, they can say, Oh yeah, this person contacted us the other day and seemed great and professional lets see what their application looks like.Now, this doesnt mean that calling the HR department of the place you are applying to 24/7 is a good idea. You dont want to seem needy or impatient. But you can still show that you are genuinely interested in the position by attempting to find out who will read your cover letter.Making an effort to find out who the recipient of your cover letter will go to, especially if that information is easily available, shows that you have a real interest in the position. You are willing to take an extra few minutes to do some digging to make sure your application stands out.
Who To Address Cover Letter To If Unknown
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Addressing A Cover Letter If You Don’t Know The Recipient’s Name
Sometimes you may not be able to find the recipient’s name even if you checked the website, reviewed the job posting and called the company. It’s perfectly acceptable to use a more generic salutation in this case. Most hiring managers understand this situation and usually focus more on the actual content of your cover letter.
In most cases, your resume and cover letter will first go through an applicant tracking system, where talent acquisition specialists or human resources review it before passing them along to the appropriate hiring manager. If you’re applying to a position that happens to use an applicant tracking system, keep the cover letter greeting generic. The human resources professional can forward your resume to the correct hiring manager based on the job you’re applying for. Some examples of generic salutations are:
- Dear Human Resources Department
If you know the department name, try these salutations:
- Dear Finance Department
- To the Marketing Department
- Dear Graphics Team
You could also try one of these salutations if you know the title of the hiring manager:
- Dear Head of Design
- Dear Customer Service Manager
- To the Project Director
It’s helpful to be as specific as possible when addressing your cover letter. The more information you can find, the better.
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How To Address A Cover Letter For A Non
If you do have a name but aren’t sure of the person’s gender, one option is to include both the first name and the last name in your salutation, without a title that reveals gender:
- Dear Sydney Doe
- Dear Taylor Smith
- Dear Jamie Brown
With these types of gender-ambiguous names, can be a helpful resource. Since many people include a photo with their profile, a simple search of the person’s name and company within LinkedIn could potentially turn up the contact’s photograph.
Again, you can also check the company website or call the companys administrative assistant to get more information as well.
Do A Quick Linkedin Search
According to a study conducted by Jobvite, . That means, if you search for the Hiring manager of a certain company on Linkedin, there is a high chance that you will find their name.
Many job descriptions specifically tell the reporting managers title in the job description. Then you need to address the cover letter to the reporting manager. The process of finding the reporting managers name is similar.
- Go to Linkedin
- Search with the job title and company name
- In the search result, you can find the profile of the designated person.
- Sometimes for a big company, there might be more than one similar position. Then you need to narrow your search by location to find the reporting manager.
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Find Out Who Will Become Your Superior Or Manager
Many job descriptions include the details about the reporting manager. In such cases, you need to address your cover letter to the reporting manager.
You can find more information about the reporting manager by a quick Linkedin search with the reporting manager’s job title and the company.
If the company is larger, there may be multiple individuals with the same job title. In that case, you can further narrow down your search by location.
How To Find The Appropriate Person To Contact
In many cases, the hiring managers name will be mentioned in the job description.
If you cant find the hiring managers name in the job description, make the effort to find their name elsewhere.
Addressing the hiring manager directly allows you to quickly establish a personal connection, and show youve done some research.
Its worth the extra work, so use the following sources to help you find the hiring managers name:
- The company website: See if you can locate the hiring manager on the About Us or Company Directory page of the companys website.
- LinkedIn: Browse the companys LinkedIn page and use filters such as position title, location, and personal names to find out who heads the hiring team.
- Google search: A can help you uncover the name of the hiring manager. Simply insert the company website and relevant title into Google in the following format: site:resumegenius.com position title
- Contact the company: If youre still unable to find the hiring managers name, call or email the company and ask for the contact persons name . Explain that youre applying for a position and youd like to address your cover letter to someone responsible for filling that position.
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Show That You Did Your Research
Apart from discussing your past experience, include elements about the organization you’re applying for in the body of your cover letter. Essentially, make sure to focus on matching your qualifications to the organization and position’s need. Use your research to tie in how your experience can contribute to the organization’s goal or vision. Doing this shows you’re serious about the job and that you genuinely want to help it succeed.
Use The Right Salutation
First things first: you need to use the proper salutation. In most cases, Dear followed by the hiring managers name is perfect because its traditional and professional.
However, Hello is also acceptable if youre applying to a job with a casual office culture or you know the hiring manager personally.
Not including a salutation and just starting your cover letter with the hiring managers first and last name is also acceptable.
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Write An Email Message To Send With Your Resume
Once you have saved your resume and cover letter and they are ready to send, the next step is to write an email message to send with your documents.
First, open your email account. Then click on Message at the top left of the screen or click on File, New, Message.
You can either type your cover letter directly into the email message, copy and paste from a word processing document, or if the company requests an attachment, send your cover letter and resume with the email message. So, your choices are to send a cover letter attachment or to use the email message as your cover letter.
If you are attaching a cover letter, your email message can be brief. Simply state that your resume and cover letter are attached. Offer to provide additional information and let the reader know how you can be contacted.