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Project coordinators play a critical role in determining the success of any project, as they’re responsible for monitoring everything from the project’s timeline and budget to its scope and delivery.
Due to these high stakes, companies will practice extra scrutiny when hiring for the position.
If you want to beat other candidates and secure such a competitive job, a resume alone isn’t going to be enough. You’re going to need to also supplement that resume with a well-written cover letter.
Fortunately, our experienced career experts here at Zippia have read hundreds of cover letters and know exactly what works and what doesn’t.
In this article, we’ll discuss the core structure and elements that all effective project coordinator cover letters share. We’ll also provide you with important tips and writing samples that’ll help you take your cover letter to the next level.
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Although it isn't a strict science, most compelling project coordinator cover letters follow a similar structure and include many of the same important elements.
These key components are:
The header. List out your contact info, followed by the company’s info. You should also use a professional greeting, such as “Dear [Hiring manager’s name].”
If you don’t know who will be reading your cover letter, using “Dear Hiring Committee,” or another alternative to “Dear Hiring Manager” will suffice.
Opening paragraph. Hook the hiring manager’s attention by immediately jumping into your biggest achievements and sharing quantifiable results.
Body paragraph #1. Provide more career achievement examples to demonstrate a variety of key skills.
Body paragraph #2. Now that you’ve proven your past success, explain how you’re going to replicate it at the company you’re applying to.
Closing. Thank the reader for taking the time to read your application and invite them for a follow-up discussion.
If you want your project coordinator cover letter to be compelling, it needs to be perfect from the very start.
Make sure that your opening paragraph follows all of these important guidelines:
Hook the reader’s attention as quickly as possible. Project coordinator positions are notoriously competitive, so you’re likely competing against dozens of candidates.
If you don’t want your cover letter to get lost in the pile, you’re going to need to captivate the reader from the very start.
Begin by briefly stating the intent of your letter, and then transition immediately into an impressive career achievement example that demonstrates why you’re perfect for the job.
Focus on leadership. Successful project managers utilize a wide variety of different skills.
For your first achievement example, however, you want to choose one that focuses on demonstrating your leadership ability.
Leadership is ultimately the most important aspect of the job. Demonstrate it first, and then focus on your more specific skills later in the cover letter.
Quantify your achievements. Make sure to back up the achievement you discuss with actual data.
Don’t just describe your duties, use actual metrics that show what kind of value you were able to generate for a business.
If you delivered a project without exceeding its budget, for example, show off exactly how much money you saved the company.
Here’s a sample project manager cover letter opening paragraph to show you how to put these guidelines into practice:
“Tammy Davidson
5551 Maple Street
Katy, TX 33211
923-248-4441
tDavidsonl@gmail.comMarch 6, 2021
Larry Brown
4412 Sapphire Ln
Charlotte, NC 11122
662-313-7731
lBrown@gmail.comDear Larry Brown,
I am excited to be applying for the Project Coordinator position at Booz Allen Hamilton.
With my 11 years of project management expertise and Master’s in Business Administration, I believe that I can lead your organization’s projects efficiently and help you reach your goals.
This is exactly what I did during my previous role as a project coordinator for ClearStone Tech, where I was placed in charge of a project that was behind schedule and exceeding its operating budget.
I immediately conducted a comprehensive analysis of the project’s efficiencies and established a new plan for improvement. By retraining the team and providing continuous leadership, I was able to turn the project around, and even delivered it two weeks ahead of schedule.
The project ultimately exceeded our client’s performance requirements by over 12%, resulting in a continued business relationship that generated over $4 million for the company.”
Once you’ve caught the hiring manager’s attention with your initial achievement example, follow it up with more examples to further strengthen your credibility and showcase other important skills.
For a project coordinator position, the most important types of skills you’ll need to demonstrate include:
Leadership. This encompasses the ability to delegate resources, make strategic decisions, and communicate goals and ideas to your team.
You should also try to convey leadership-related soft skills such as flexibility, resilience, and effective communications.
Job-specific. Project coordinators are responsible for important tasks such as monitoring budgets, updating stakeholders, and making sure that projects are on schedule.
Technical. Depending on the type of company you’re applying for, you may also need to show at least a basic comprehension of different technologies.
For example, consider a project coordinator position for a software development project.
Without any programming knowledge, it may be difficult to understand how close the project is to different milestones and deliverables.
You also won’t be able to determine if the project documentation you’re providing to stakeholders is descriptive enough or even makes sense.
Here’s a sample second body paragraph that demonstrates a variety of skills:
“A few other examples of when I’ve led projects effectively and generated exceptional results include:
At KeyStone Tech, I coordinated budgets, deadlines, and meetings on a 34 member project that finished two months early and 17% under budget.
Also at KeyStone Tech, I led an initiative to improve the clarity of project documentation, decreasing the frequency of redundant meetings by 40% and saving the company $23,000 in monthly meeting-related travel costs.”
Now that you’ve proven to the hiring manager how you were able to create value for previous employers, you now want to focus on convincing them that you’ll be able to replicate the same sort of success at their company.
The most effective way to do this is to:
Identify the company’s specific needs. Read the job listing carefully and identify the main challenge that the company is trying to tackle when hiring for the position.
If they don’t state a specific problem, then just take note of the most important skills requirements the job listing includes.
Tailor your experience. Think of the most impressive career accomplishment you’ve made that relates as closely as possible to the challenge or skill requirement you just listed.
Keep in mind all the achievement example-writing tips we’ve covered so far, and share that achievement.
By doing this, you’re essentially making the company an offer: “I’ve solved the exact same problem you’re tackling right now. Hire me and I’ll replicate those same results for you.”
Here’s a sample body paragraph that puts this method into practice.
“I see in your job description that you’re looking for a candidate experienced in dealing with government stakeholders, short deadlines, and strained budgets.
Fortunately, this matches one of my greatest career successes as a project coordinator for Hamilton IT Solutions.
When I was initially brought on to lead the development of a new API for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the project was running four months behind schedule and has used up 84% of its budget.
I identified poor communication as the main issue and personally met with relevant stakeholders to clarify the project’s main requirements. I then restructured our team and streamlined its workflow to more efficiently tackle those requirements.
Due to my changes, the team was able to beat the project’s deadline and deliver it a month early. The waste and inefficiencies that I eliminated also allows us to complete the project with only 90% of its original budget, representing a savings of over $700,000 for the company.”
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Finish your cover letter by:
Summing up your value proposition. Summarize the main skills you offer and the type of results you can generate for the company.
Indicating your appreciation. It’s standard practice to thank the reader for their time and consideration.
Inviting follow-up action. Express your enthusiasm for a follow-up meeting with the hiring manager to discuss the position.
Take note of how the following sample cover letter closing covers the above three bases:
“I would love to replicate these exact same results for your company. I look forward to speaking with you soon so we can further discuss how I can use my leadership and analytical skills to efficiently tackle your projects and deliver exceptional value to your clients.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best Regards,
Tammy Davidson”
Here is a complete version of the data scientist cover letter sample we’ve covered so far:
“Tammy Davidson
5551 Maple Street
Katy, TX 33211
923-248-4441
tDavidsonl@gmail.comMarch 6, 2021
Larry Brown
4412 Sapphire Ln
Charlotte, NC 11122
662-313-7731
lBrown@gmail.comDear Larry Brown,
I am excited to be applying for the Project Coordinator position at Booz Allen Hamilton.
With my 11 years of project management expertise and Master’s in Business Administration, I believe that I can lead your organization’s projects efficiently and help you reach your goals.
This is exactly what I did during my previous role as a project coordinator for ClearStone Tech, where I was placed in charge of a project that was behind schedule and exceeding its operating budget.
I immediately conducted a comprehensive analysis of the project’s efficiencies and established a new plan for improvement. By retraining the team and providing continuous leadership, I was able to turn the project around, and even delivered it two weeks ahead of schedule.
The project ultimately exceeded our client’s performance requirements by over 12%, resulting in a continued business relationship that generated over $4 million for the company.
A few other examples of when I’ve led projects effectively and generated exceptional results include:
At KeyStone Tech, I coordinated budgets, deadlines, and meetings on a 34 member project that finished two months early and 17% under budget.
Also at KeyStone Tech, I led an initiative to improve the clarity of project documentation, decreasing the frequency of redundant meetings by 40% and saving the company $23,000 in monthly meeting-related travel costs.”
I would love to replicate these exact same results for your company. I look forward to speaking with you soon so we can further discuss how I can use my leadership and analytical skills to efficiently tackle your projects and deliver exceptional value to your clients.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best Regards,
Tammy Davidson”
Here are some additional tips to help your data scientist cover level reach the next level:
Quantify your achievements. When hiring project managers, companies prefer individuals who have proven their ability to deliver projects that:
Meet or exceed requirements
Are completed ahead of schedule
Are under-budget
All three of these items are metrics-based, meaning you should be able to prove them using numbers.
If you can reference impressive figures to demonstrate your previous career successes, then all competing candidates will be fighting an uphill battle to outline why they’re a better alternative.
Do your research. Depending on the company and the type of project they’re working on, they may be looking for a project coordinator with special expertise.
This means that even if you’re able to demonstrate your general competency, you may lose the position to a candidate with less project management experience but greater knowledge in a specific industry.
Before you even start writing your cover letter, make sure to read the job listing carefully and identify if this may be the case. Looking up the company’s website may also yield more useful information.