Human resource specialist cover letter

Human Resource Specialist Cover Letter (With Examples)

Resumes are clearly an important part of any job application, but at the end of the day, they really only cover the basic information.

Cover letters, on the other hand, shed more light on who you are as a person. They allow you to speak directly to the person who is hiring, and they give you the opportunity to explain why you would be the perfect fit for the position.

Writing the perfect cover letter can seem like an impossible task, especially if you are prone to imposter syndrome or you are uncomfortable talking about yourself. Luckily, there are several templates at your disposal; nearly every word processor has them — including Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Parts of a Cover Letter

No matter the template you use and no matter the job you are applying to, cover letters typically follow the same general formula: an opening, a body, and a closing. To help you write the perfect, attention-grabbing cover letter, we’re going to take you through it step-by-step.

Human Resource Specialist Cover Letter Opening

The beginning is the easiest part since they are usually the same across the board.

To start, make sure you are typing in 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced. In the header of your document, include your full name, your contact info, and perhaps a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Having this important information at the top allows for the hiring manager to find it easily when they inevitably decide they want to interview the writer of the cover letter.

The first line of the document should be today’s date or the date you will be submitting the application. The date format should be Month Day, Year.

Start a new paragraph. This next step will involve a little bit of research, as you will be listing the name of the person responsible for hiring you, their job title, the company, and the company’s main address. Take a look at their website, their LinkedIn pages, and their Google listing, if they have one.

Then, try and find the name of the hiring manager if it isn’t included in the job listing itself. LinkedIn can be great for finding this information. If you are unsure of who will be reading the letter, or you are unable to find their name, you can omit their name altogether and just address the letter to “Hiring Manager.”

Once you have included all this information, your opening should look something like this:

Doing this little bit of research can show the hiring manager that you are demonstrating interest in the company, which can already set you apart from your competition.

The final bit of your opening will be your salutation. This is the section where you actually begin speaking to the person who will be receiving the letter. If you have the hiring manager’s full name, use it. This helps your letter seem more personalized.

Depending on the culture of the workplace, using a prefix such as Mr. or Ms. could show that you are a professional. If the company appears to be more casual, addressing the hiring manager by their first name only could also be appropriate. Just to be safe, however, it is best to err on the side of professionalism rather than to appear aloof.

The only case in which this rule does not apply is if you are unaware of the hiring manager’s gender. Perhaps they have a unisex name, such as Jessie or Pat, or a name you are unfamiliar with altogether. In this case, simply address them by their full name.

As we stated before, if you do not have the hiring manager’s name, using “Dear Hiring Manager” will be just fine.

At the end of this first step, your document should look like this:

Human Resource Specialist Cover Letter Body

This is probably the more challenging part of writing this letter, as this part needs to be tailored to both your experience and the requirements of the position you are applying to. While it may not be as formulaic as the opening, there is still a general outline you can follow when writing the body of your letter.

This section is where you explain why you are writing to them, why you believe you would be a good fit for the position, and why they should consider reaching out to you.

Start out this section by stating why you are writing to them. There is no need to beat around the bush or add any social platitudes. “I am writing to you to …” is a great way to begin. You can also explain what drew you to this job listing in particular. For example, “As a long-time admirer of your firm, I am excited to submit my application…”

In this first sentence, it is important to mention what job you are applying to and how you found it. The former allows for the hiring manager, who may be hiring for multiple positions at once, to keep organized and consider you for the correct position.

The latter gives the hiring manager valuable information about which of their job listings is producing results and drawing in candidates.

With that in mind, your first sentence should look a little like this:

Now that you have stated your intent, you are now going to explain why you are the ideal candidate for this position.

To begin, take a look at the job listing itself again. Make a note of what skills they are looking for and which ones you have. The next sentences you write should highlight these skills and emphasize what makes you unique.

When describing your skillset, you can use similar language to the skills listed in the job description. For example, if the job listing asks for someone familiar with managing insurance programs for over twenty people, you can say, “I have considerable experience managing health and life insurance programs for large groups of employees.”

If you are listing off several technical skills or skills that do not require much explanation, you can choose to present these skills in a bulleted list. However, keep this brief, with four to five items on the list.

Here is an example:

In this section, you can also take a few lines to talk about your story or your career path. You can talk about your most recent position and the responsibilities you had there, or you can describe how the experience you have gives you a unique perspective. For example:

This is also a chance for you to emphasize some of your accomplishments, whether that be a project you are particularly proud of or an obstacle you had to overcome. Try to use stats in your accomplishments.

Having data that can back up a claim makes it more credible. For example, you will get more results from, “I managed pension and benefits packages for over thirty employees, located across three states,” than you would from “I managed many pension and benefits packages in many states.”

This can be the hardest section to write, especially as many of us do not enjoy talking about ourselves. But, this is your time to shine, and you deserve to have your hard work recognized. Do not be afraid to brag a little, as this is the time and place to do it.

Human Resource Specialist Cover Letter Closing Lines

Now that the hard part is over, and you’ve portrayed yourself in the best light possible, it is time to wrap up the letter with a proper conclusion and farewell.

Start by reiterating your interest in the position.

Include your contact information one more time.

Thank them formally, and end with a professional signature.

“Regards” and “Yours” can also be appropriate closings.

Example of a Human Resource Specialist Cover Letter

Once your letter is complete, it should end up looking something like this:

Final Thoughts

Though it can be scary, writing a cover letter does not have to be difficult. It actually can make good practice, as writing a cover letter allows you to work on pitching yourself to someone who doesn’t know you, which can be an important skill in any interview.

Cover letters are what will set you apart from the competition, especially since you will be far more likely to catch the eye of the hiring manager and possibly land the coveted interview. Luckily, there is no shortage of resources out there that make writing a cover letter as easy as possible.