Job Cover Letter Example

Cover letters for job applications are written and submitted along with a resume or curriculum vitae when applying for a specific advertised opening. It is important to submit a well thought of and well written letter as employers read it and base their decision on it when choosing which person to hire. Also, it is considered to be proper business etiquette to submit one, even if you are not required to. Job cover letter examples can be found online but it is also necessary for you to know the common format to be able to write a good one.

Typically, a job cover letter example would contain four main sections, and are all written on a single page. Sections of the letter are the header, the introduction, the body and the closing.

The header section includes the sender’s address (which can also be positioned after the signature line) and other information like your contact number and/or email, the date when the letter was written, information about the employer or the recipient such as his or her title or position, the organization he or she works in and the address, and the salutation, which can be as simple as “Dear Mr. /Ms. /Dr. ____.”

The next section is the introduction where the applicant states the position applied for and with the intention of catching the employer’s interest. Here, you can tell your employer how you learned of the job opening. Here you can start with “I have learned through your company website, that you have an opening for____”, or “I read in the April 23rd Washington Post classified section that your company is in need for____.”

The third section is the body, where the applicant summarizes all his or her skills that are important to the position, when he or she is available to start and generally, the value that he or she can bring to the organization. Some job cover letter examples of this section would start with “I have worked for 5 years for ___”, or “In addition to my practical skills and experience, I have also undergone training in ____.” You can also use, “While working toward my Master’s Degree in ____, I was also employed in ____ as a ____.” Here you get to impress the recipient of the letter with your accomplishments which are stated fully in the resume.

The next and final section is the closing, which is a summary of the whole letter and lets the recipient know what the applicant’s next step is. This section also includes the signature line. You can end your job cover letter with “I look forward to your kind response” or “I will contact you to confirm if you have received my email and to answer any questions you may have.” For the signature line, you can use “Sincerely,” or “Respectfully Yours.” Then you can add your address and contact number after, if you haven’t done so yet at the header section. At the footnote, you can also add information that you have attached your resume – “Resume attached as MS Word document” or “Resume attached to this letter.”

Job Cover Letter Example