Speech Language Pathologist Cover Letter

Speech Language Pathologist Cover Letter (With Examples)

A few years ago, cover letters were the norm. Most job applications required a cover letter to be submitted in addition to the resume, but nowadays, not so much. Since many jobs list the cover letter as optional, is it even worth writing one?

Absolutely.

The cover letter itself, if written correctly, can be a powerful introduction to supplement your resume and make the recruitment manager reach for the phone to set up an interview.

But even the action of sending a cover letter can say a lot about your work ethic and willingness to go the extra mile for a job you want. Think about it — if your competition takes the lazy way out and doesn’t bother to send a letter since it wasn’t required, you’ve already demonstrated to a hiring manager that you’re more serious about the job and ready to put in the work for it.

Many applicants are quick to download a cover letter template from the Internet, type their name and job title into it, and pass it off as an original letter. The lack of effort isn’t going to impress a hiring manager. If you put time and care into writing your cover letter, you can easily outshine the competition.

Luckily, there are resources and templates available to help you write an eye-catching cover letter.

Parts of a Speech Language Pathologist Cover Letter

Speech language pathologists, also called SLPs or speech therapists, are responsible for diagnosing, assessing, treating, and helping to prevent communication and swallowing disorders in children and adults.

Needless to say, strong communication skills are an undeniable must for this type of job as you’re drafting your cover letter and walking a hiring manager through your resume.

Whether you’re applying to work in a hospital, outpatient clinic, rehab facility, or remotely from home, you’ll want to include the standard cover letter components:

1. Your contact information

2. The organization’s information

3. Dear [Manager Name],

4. First paragraph: intent and opening hook

5. Second paragraph: main body with key skills and accomplishments concerning the job requirements

6. Third paragraph: closing lines with a compelling call to action

7. Best regards, followed by name and title

Proper formatting constrains your cover letter to a single page. Since you don’t have the space to write out your life story (and a hiring manager wouldn’t be interested in reading that anyway), it’s essential to be concise with your words and make every sentence serve a purpose.

Layout is also important. If you’re uncertain about how to properly format your letter to look attractive but professional while still meeting the standards, explore free cover letter templates to help you get started.

Speech Language Pathologist Cover Letter Opening

Before you dive into the meat of your letter, start by including the basic contact information for both you and the company to which you are applying at the top of the letter. Remember, you want the hiring manager to contact you, so it’s imperative that you make your contact information clear and easy to spot so the recruiter doesn’t have to hunt for it.

Addressing your cover letter to the hiring manager by name is the best practice, but it’s not always possible. Sometimes, no matter how hard you hunt for it, the company has chosen not to specify precisely where your letter is going. If you don’t know the hiring manager’s name, opt for a gender-neutral greeting such as “Dear [Company Name] Recruitment Manager” instead.

Avoid addressing your cover letter “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam.” That kind of greeting is impersonal, and what’s more, it’s so generic that it might give the wrong impression and lead a hiring manager to presume this letter is going out indiscriminately to multiple companies. At the very least, include the name of the company in your salutation.

Once the necessities and pleasantries are done, it’s time to get serious. The first two sentences of your letter need to serve several purposes. They need to:

1. Establish the position to which you are applying. Your letter might be going to a general recruiting manager who won’t know which of several job openings you’re interested in.

2. Make an attention-grabbing first impression. If you want the hiring manager to read beyond your opening, you need to make them excited to keep reading. Otherwise, your letter is going to end up on the reject pile.

Pro tip: Numbers are an especially effective tool when it comes to catching attention. If you can use percentages, dollar amounts, or statistics, you’re much more likely to shatter a hiring manager’s trance as he or she is absentmindedly skimming through the stack of generic cover letters.

The applicant in this example used a specific growth measurement instead of making a generic claim about meeting and exceeding goals. This is a much more impactful technique that proves she’s not just putting empty words on the page.

Speech Language Pathologist Cover Letter Body

Catching the recruiter’s attention is only the beginning; now that they’re eager to read more, you need to deliver. The cover letter body should explain:

1. Why you want this job

2. The skills that qualify you for the specific requirements of the job

3. Why you are the perfect fit for the position

This is not the time to list all the skills on your resume. You need to select a few skills and experiences that are most relevant to the position you’re seeking. Let your resume do its job; your cover letter is meant to highlight your greatest qualifications and achievements, while the resume serves a broader purpose to paint a picture of your full skill set.

Note that the applicant not only stated her personal goals, praised aspects of the company that she admires, and indicated how she found the job listing, but she also goes one crucial step further by identifying the company’s exact needs and then illustrating how her experience can satisfy all of those requirements.

Speech Language Pathologist Cover Letter Closing Lines

The conclusion needs to recap your best skills while leaving a lasting impression. It’s essential to make sure you keep your enthusiastic momentum going all the through to the end of the letter. Your final goal is to summarize the key takeaways of your pitch and remind the hiring manager why you deserve an interview.

This applicant managed to accomplish a lot in one sentence. She demonstrated her knowledge, experience, and skills while also praising the company and expressing a strong desire to help people, which is an integral part of an SLP’s job.

Example of a Speech Language Pathologist Cover Letter

As we put all the parts together, the ideal cover letter should start with an attention-grabbing accomplishment right off the bat and keep that same level of energy throughout the entire pitch.

Tips for a Speech Language Pathologist Cover Letter

• Use a limited amount of major vocabulary. You want to show that you’re well versed in the field and know what you’re talking about, but try to keep the SLP lingo light to moderate. Remember, there’s no guarantee that the initial recruiter or assistant reviewing applications is familiar with all of the terminology.

• Communication and empathy are two of the most critical skills an SLP should highlight. You might consider getting letters of recommendation and/or testimony from patients you’ve helped.

• If you don’t have much experience to reference yet, use your cover letter to talk about your education, and any noteworthy accomplishments, projects, internships, or any other experiences you feel will help build your case.

Final Thoughts

Writing a professional cover letter is still an important skill, even if many companies no longer require one.

By following the advice in this article and showcasing your achievements while simultaneously correlating your skills and experience to a company’s needs, you drastically increase your chance of getting that phone call for an interview.

Remember that a cover letter is an introduction. Think of it as a virtual handshake before the interview. With that in mind, don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through in the letter. If you know the head of the department shares a hobby with you, draw that personal connection.

Businesses are looking for someone who has the qualifications and fits into the company culture, so that seemingly obscure detail just might set you apart from someone whose skills match yours.

However you choose to present yourself, make sure your cover letter is yours. If you can successfully do that, you’re guaranteed to stand apart from competitors who sent a boring, copied-and-pasted generic cover letter they found online.