- Cover Letter Format
Find a Job You Really Want In
Formatting a cover letter correctly is key to ensuring that your letter is professional and polished. After all, you wouldn’t want something as simple as font choice to detract from your qualifications.
If you’re a job seeker working on your cover letter, keep reading. We’ll break down how to format your cover letter and why format is important. We’ll also give you a template for you to reference as you prepare to draft your cover letter.
Key Takeaways
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A cover letter should include a greeting, three to four paragraphs, and a sign off.
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Use a classic font like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman in your cover letter.
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Set your cover letter margins to either 1 or 1.5 inches.
What is the purpose of a cover letter?
The purpose of a cover letter is to explain how your unique experience and skills make you the perfect person for the role you’re applying to.
It’s important to remember that your cover letter shouldn’t replicate the information in your resume.
The function of a resume is primarily to provide an employer with a chronological breakdown of your education and work experience, while a cover letter should provide additional background and clarity to the more technical details in your resume.
Cover letter format walk-through
Here is a basic template that you can use as a guide as you prepare to draft your next cover letter:
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Standard heading and greeting. Put your name and contact information at the top of the page, followed by the date and recipient’s name and contact information. Then greet the reader with a classic “Dear Ms. Smith” or “Dear Mr. Rodriguez.” If you can’t find their name, “Dear Hiring Manager” will suffice.
Example cover letter header and greeting[Your name]
[Your email address]
[Your phone number]
[Your mailing address][Date]
[Hiring Manager’s name]
[Company address]
[Company phone number]
[Hiring Manager’s email address]Dear [Hiring Manager’s name],
If you’re writing an email, leave this part out and just put your contact information under your signature.
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Opening paragraph. The opening paragraph should include:
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Your name
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An explanation of your primary professional expertise
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Why you’re interested in being considered for the role
This introductory paragraph should not exceed three or four sentences.
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Second paragraph. The purpose of the second paragraph is to speak directly to the specific job description.
This is where you should call attention to how your academic and professional experiences have made you uniquely qualified to take on the demands of the role that you’re applying to.
Be sure to highlight specific experiences, accomplishments, and personal qualities that make you well-suited for the job and the company as a whole. Whenever possible, include numbers and concrete data when you’re describing your previous experiences.
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Third paragraph. This third paragraph is optional, but it can make a big difference. Here, you can address the current challenges that the company that you’re applying to is facing and how you will be able to help with the process of overcoming them.
This is a great way to show a hiring manager that you’ve familiarized yourself with the company. It will also show them that you understand why they’re looking for someone who possesses the skills and qualities that were listed in the original job posting.
If this isn’t appropriate for the position you’re applying to, you aren’t sure what to say here, or you’re crunched for space, you can skip this section.
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Concluding paragraph. This short paragraph has two parts:
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A call-to-action
The call-to-action can be an invitation to contact you or a statement like, “I look forward to discussing this position with you further.” It’s a reminder of why you’re writing and that the ball is in the reader’s court now.
This should only be a sentence long, and then you can wrap up the paragraph with a sincere thanks for the reader’s time and/or consideration.
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The sign off. Wrap up your cover letter with a professional “Sincerely” followed by your name. If you’re writing an email, add your contact information under your name, like this:
Example cover letter email signatureSincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Phone Number]
[Your Email Address]
[Link to Your LinkedIn Profile or Online Portfolio (optional)] -
Saving the file. Now that you’ve written your cover letter, it’s time to save it in a way that will allow you, hiring managers, and automated applicant tracking systems (ATS) to easily find and read it.
Typically, the best file types for cover letters are Word documents or PDFs, since they’re compatible with most systems. Check the application to see if it specifies which one you should submit, and if it doesn’t, one of these is usually safe.
Name your file something like this when you save it: First Name-Last Name-Cover-Letter. This will make it easier for you and the reader to keep track of it.
Cover letter format examples
These examples of professional cover letter format will give you an idea of what your cover letter should look like.
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Cover letter format example
Eloise Horton
eloisehorton@email.com
222-333-4444
5678 Oak Street
Roanoke, VA 24001September 24, 2022
Wesley Patterson
3456 Main Street
Roanoke, VA 24002
333-444-7777
wesleypatterson@email.comDear Mr. Patterson,
I am writing because I am interested in the Business Analyst position at QuintilesIMS.
For the last three years, I have been a part of the business development team at ZippiaILM, a well-known IT company in Virginia. While working with ZippiaILM, I have repeatedly shown an ability to perform all of the range of skills and abilities a Business Analyst is expected to have. Some of these key abilities are expressed below:
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System and business analysis
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Data analysis
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Managing multiple teams with all varieties of people
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Acting liaison between IT teams and the clients
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Consult on systems limitations
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Implementation of business process models and decision models
Given my experience, and prior accomplishments, I believe I am in a position to assist you in quickly meeting your goals.
My resume is enclosed and I look forward to your reply. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Eloise Horton
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Email cover letter format example
Subject: Winston Schmidt – Cover Letter
Dear Ms. Hernandez,
My name is Winston Schmidt, and I am applying to the Account Manager position at AMCE, Inc. I have six years of experience in sales and account management, and I’m excited about the opportunity to grow my skills and use them to further ACME, Inc.’s mission of providing top-tier service and products to their customers.
In my last role, I managed eight accounts and received high customer service marks on each one. I prioritized listening to their needs and finding the products that would meet those needs, and as a result five of those accounts increased their spending by over 15% in the first year I had them. After the first year, all eight increased their spending by at least 10%, year-over-year.
I noticed that your company’s goal is to improve customer retention, and I believe that my experience and passion for going above and beyond for my clients would allow me to make a meaningful contribution to this goal.
I look forward to discussing this role with you further. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Winston Schmidt
Account Manager
333-444-5555
wschmidt@email.com
linkedin.com/winston-schmidt
Tips for formatting a cover letter
When you put in the time and effort to properly format your cover letter, it will communicate to your reader that you’re a candidate who can be relied on to pay close attention to detail.
And, as it turns out, attention to detail and organization – not to mention communication skills – happen to be qualities that most employers are always looking for in a job candidate.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to draft and submit a cover letter:
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Keep it to one page or less. Hiring managers are busy people, which means it’s important to keep your cover letter to one page, single-spaced.
Remember, your cover letter should not simply regurgitate and restate the information that’s included in your resume: It should highlight the specific reasonswhy you’re interested in – and qualified for – the role you’re applying to.
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Choose a traditional font that’s easy to read. Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Verdana, or Times New Roman are all good options.
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Set your font size between 10 and 12 points. The font size of your cover letter should be large enough to read legibly, but not so large that the type takes up too much space. A 10-to-12-point font is in that sweet spot.
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Set your document margins to either 1″ or 1.5″. It may seem inconsequential, but this simple step can make the contents of your cover letter appear more readable.
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Don’t send carbon copies of the same cover letter to multiple employers. Remember, your main goal in writing a cover letter should be to communicate to a prospective employer how and why you’d be an asset to their company.
In light of that, you should always specifically address the needs and concerns of the particular employer in your cover letter.
Taking the time to properly format your next cover letter does not take a lot of time, but it can ultimately mean the difference between being lost in the crowd and being selected for a job interview.
Cover letter format FAQ
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Why is it important to properly format a cover letter?
It’s important to properly format a cover letter because shows you are attentive to detail. Employers want to hire candidates who show they care about doing good work even in the small things like font size and spacing.
While hiring managers likely won’t check your margins with a ruler, they will notice if your cover letter looks wonky or unprofessional, and this will impact their impression of you as a professional.
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What is the correct format for a cover letter?
The correct format for a cover letter is:
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Professional header
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Greeting
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Introductory paragraph
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Body paragraph
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Conclusion paragraph
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Signature
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How long should a cover letter be?
A cover letter should be one page or less. This usually translates to about 250-400 words.
Final thoughts
In the job search process, there are a few critical steps that deserve special attention. You should be sure, for example, that your resume is polished and completely up-to-date before you pass it along to a hiring manager. Similarly, if you’re asked to participate in a job interview, you should make it a top priority to familiarize yourself with all of the most recent interview dos and don’ts.
In addition to nailing the resume and the job interview, any job candidate needs to put in the effort to create an ideal cover letter.
First and foremost, this document will be your opportunity to catch a hiring manager’s eye by outlining some notable details of your professional experience. It will also give you the chance to call attention to the specific skills, qualifications, and attributes that make you uniquely well-suited to the role that you’re applying to.
References
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Purdue Online Writing Lab – Quick Formatting Tips for Cover Letters
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology – How to Write an Effective Cover Letter (With Samples)
- Cover Letter Format
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
Expert
Matt Warzel a President of a resume writing firm (MJW Careers, LLC) with 15+ years of recruitment, outplacement, career coaching and resume writing experience. Matt is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR) with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing Focus) from John Carroll University.
