5 Tips for Producing a Quality Cover Letter

This week on Instagram, I received a comment from a friend on the template post for the week requesting cover letters. I realized that I have not made it clear that I do in fact design and write cover letters.

If you are in need of cover letter editing, writing or designing, I offer all of those services.

This post is going to go over some basic principles of cover letter writing and etiquette, because yes, employers still ask for them.

Here are five tips for creating a well-written, professional cover letter.

1. Research the company/employer

Few things are as unimpressive to an employer as an applicant who knows absolutely nothing about the company to which they are applying or the employer they are giving the resume/cover letter to. Take your time to research the company. Read their mission statement, read their content and learn about their history. The more you know, the better off you are. However, don’t go over the top and write a history of the company in your cover letter. They know their own spiel. Just find ways to incorporate their values, qualities and mission with your skills and qualifications. It will not go unnoticed.

2. Tailor your cover letter to each company

Going hand-in-hand with the first tip, this is crucial. Don’t make the mistake of sending out the same cover letter to every employer and just filling in the name of the company and the employer you’re sending it to. Your cover letter is actually going to be read. It has a purpose, which is to let the employer know why you want to work for their company. Not just any company you can get to hire you. Specificity is something that should always be implemented in professional documents.

3. Don’t include your entire job history or extra fluff

This goes for every professional document, but since a cover letter is longer and in fact a letter, people can get carried away. People tend to write their entire work history in their cover letter, which is a mistake. Don’t let your cover letter steal your resume’s thunder, and don’t make it a long, repeated version of your resume. Your experience and qualifications should be included in the letter, but it shouldn’t be the star of the show.

4. Follow a template

A cover letter template, like the one I’ve created below, will help you keep your words organized and concise. Mine isn’t perfect, and by no means do I think it’s the best, but it’s broken up into paragraphs and organized in a way that an employer would appreciate. Having a guide or template will make you a lot more confident in what you’re writing and will ensure you staying on topic.

5. Create a cover letter that matches your resume

If you have a creative resume, your cover letter should share the same color scheme, fonts and designs. Look at them as siblings. If you have a Word document, black and white resume, your cover letter should mirror that. This probably won’t make or break your chances of getting the job, but it looks nice and shows effort.

This is a cover letter I designed for myself when applying for an internship. I implemented the tips a teacher of mine gave in a career workshop. The notes in orange clarify the purpose of each paragraph.

Good luck!