Store manager cover letter

Store Manager Cover Letter (With Examples)

Store managers oversee operations at retail locations, recruit and train staff, and create strategies to improve sales.

While your resume may already cover these types of skills, it’s still necessary to include a cover letter with your application if you want to truly stand out from competing candidates.

The cover letter will supplement your resume perfectly by allowing you to expand on your achievements and further highlight your abilities.

In this article, we’ll discuss the core elements and structure that all compelling store manager cover letters share. We’ll also provide you with free writing samples and useful tips to help you take your cover letter to the next level.

The Most Important Parts of a Store Manager Cover Letter

Although it isn’t a strict science, your store manager cover letter should include the following general sections:

These sections are:

1. 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 Manager,” or an alternative will suffice.

2. Opening paragraph. Hook the hiring manager’s attention by immediately jumping into your most significant accomplishments and sharing quantifiable results.

3. Body paragraph #1. Align your key skills with those mentioned in the job listing.

4. Body paragraph #2. Now that you’ve proven your past success, explain how you’re going to recreate those rules at the company you’re applying to.

5. Closing. Thank the reader for taking the time to read your application and invite them for a follow-up discussion.

Store Manager Cover Letter Opening

Most hiring managers spend less than a minute reading over each applicant’s cover letter, so it’s important to catch their attention as quickly as possible.

Begin your opening paragraph by briefly stating the intent of your cover letter, and then immediately provide an impressive achievement that's relevant to the position.

Next, follow up by sharing a few more relevant achievements to further strengthen your credibility.

When choosing which accomplishments to highlight, make sure that you’re:

• Describing results, not duties. Although it’s important to know how to run a store on a day-to-day basis, focusing on such basic level proficiencies won’t impress the hiring manager or separate you from the dozens of other job applicants.

  Your goal should be to pick achievements that demonstrate what makes you above-average, and how you were able to generate exceptional value for your previous employers.

• Quantifying your achievements. At the end of the day, companies just want to hire individuals that can make them the greatest amount of money.

  If you’ve boosted a store’s sales by a considerable amount in the past, make sure to show it off and quote the actual figure.

  Those numbers will speak for themselves and put you at an immediate advantage over any competing applicant who can’t point to their similar level of performance.

If a contact referred you for the position, you’ll also want to mention that in your opening paragraph.

Make sure to briefly explain who they are and why they’re credible, as well as integrate them into one of your achievement examples.

Here is a sample store manager cover letter opening paragraph to show you how to put these principles into practice:

Store Manager Cover Letter Body Paragraph #1

Use your first body paragraph to highlight specific key skills that you want to demonstrate to the hiring manager.

Follow up by highlighting some relevant key skills. Make sure to:

• Showcase a variety of skills. To successfully run a retail store, managers must often utilize a variety of skills.

  Make sure to demonstrate your multi-faceted proficiencies, rather than just focus on a single area of expertise.

  Important categories of skills for store managers to possess include:

  1. Job-specific skills. This category includes skills such as budget management, sales experience, and understanding merchandising strategies.

  2. Interpersonal skills. As a store manager, you’ll be responsible for recruiting, training, and improving teams of employees.

     This demands a variety of even more specific skills, such as leadership, communication, and organization.

     You’ll also need to know how to politely and professionally deal with customers and answer their questions.

  3. Technical skills. Depending on the specific company or store you’re applying to, you may need to use technologies such as in-store logistics software, invoicing programs, and sales forecasting tools.

• Tailor your skills to the job listing. You won’t have enough room to discuss all of your skills, so it’s important to make sure to choose ones that really count.

  Above all, prioritize skills that the position mentions as its main requirements.

• Focus on benefits, not features. You’re not leveraging the unique advantages of the cover letter format if you just list out your skills.

  Each time you say you have a certain skill, make sure to integrate it into an example of when you’ve used it to generate value for a past employer.

Take note of how this sample body paragraph implements each of the above principles:

Store Manager Cover Letter Body Paragraph #2

By this point, you’ve highlighted your key skills and demonstrated how you were able to generate value for employers in the past.

What the hiring manager reading your cover letter may still be wondering, however, is whether you’ll be able to replicate that same success for their company.

The purpose of your final body paragraph will be to confidently and convincingly answer that question.

Here’s exactly how to do that:

1. Set the scene. Read the job listing carefully and identify the single most important duty or skill requirement that the company is looking to fulfill when hiring a store manager.

   Begin your paragraph by mentioning how you’re experienced in this exact subject area.

2. Align your experience. Provide an example of when you created value for a previous employer using the exact key skill that the current company is looking for.

   This is possibly the most important achievement that you’ll reference in your cover letter, other than the initial hook of your opening paragraph.

   Therefore, it’s more critical than ever to practice all the achievement-writing tips that we’ve covered so far.

   Namely, make sure to focus on results rather than duties. Don’t forget to quantify those results as well.

Consider how the following sample paragraph uses this tactic:

Store Manager Cover Letter Closing

Finish your cover letter by:

• Summing up your offer. Briefly remind the hiring manager of the skills you offer and reiterate your interest in joining the team.

• 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 these three bases:

Store Manager Cover Letter Sample

Here is a complete version of the data scientist cover letter sample we’ve covered so far:

Important Store Manager Cover Letter Tips

Here are some additional tips to further improve your store manager cover letter:

1. Show off your ability to adapt. Flexibility is an incredibly important skill for store managers to have, due to the often unpredictable nature of the job.

   You’ll often have to deal with customer inquiries, logistical setbacks, and all sorts of personalities in the staff you hire.

   Make sure that at least one of the main achievements you highlight in your cover letter demonstrates your ability to adapt when it comes to making leadership decisions.

2. Be concise. Unlike corporations with large hiring committees, local stores will typically only have one person in charge of hiring staff.

   This means that they’ll likely be reading many applications in addition to yours, making it important that you keep your cover letter concise and easy to read.

   The content in your cover letter may be impressive, but it won’t matter if the hiring manager skims over most of it.