How to Write a Cover Letter

How to Write a Cover Letter

• Use quality, letter size paper.
• Use paper that is light colored. Stores sell resume paper usually in 24# or 32# weights with envelopes. Use the same paper for your resume, cover letter and reference page.
• Use common, simple to read fonts that are without shadows and outlines. If they electronically scan your letter, the program that reads it will have more difficulty interpreting the characters. Consult our resume fonts page for more details about font selection. Our Free Cover Letter Creator program uses easy to read fonts for best results.
• Use an easy to read font color that is dark and contrasting to the color of the paper you have chosen. Dark blue or black are common choices.
• Keep the fancy stuff to a minimum, you want the employer to focus on your job skills not your decorating choices.
• Use single spaces within the body section.
• The margins are set to one inch on all sides.
• Keep your letter to one page in length, get to the point and keep it short.
• Create your letter with your Apple iPhone or Android mobile, smartphone, or tablet.

• Contact Information
  This section consists of your name, street address, telephone number, and email address where the employer can contact you for an interview. Use your full name, your complete mailing address, a telephone number including the area code, and a mature sounding email address. Not an address like partydude@email.com, but something using your name like johndoe@email.com or something relevant to your field. Then leave a blank line under it.
• Date
  Enter today's date and put a blank line below it.
• Company Name and Address
  Write the full name of the employer, their job title along with the complete name, and address of the company. Leave another blank line.
• Salutation
  Find out the name of the person with whom you would interview. In their mind, if you can't find that bit of info what else are you unable to do. Call the company's main number or look online to find the name of this person. If you can't find out then write “Dear Sir or Madame” or “To Whom It May Concern” but that would be the last resort. Leave a blank line here.
• Letter Body
  You will want to write brief paragraphs about your qualifications and how you would be an asset to the company. You can use this section to optimize your training and skills to fit the job. We provide free cover letter templates where you can simply plug in your details and use them as is or rework them to be more personalized. Please take a look at our templates as a better example of what to do. Be sure to use action verbs in your writing to further optimize your training and skills for the job.
  
  The conclusion paragraph belongs in this section. In your last paragraph, thank them for considering you and include a summary of what you wrote in the first part of the body. It is your opportunity to restate how you would benefit their organization.
• Closing
  This last paragraph is the ending after the body, leave one blank line between the body and closing line. Our templates do this for you already correctly formatted. Closing lines such as “Sincerely” or “Respectfully” only capitalize the first word and put a comma at the end.
• Signature
  Type your name four lines below the closing line. This space will leave room for you to sign your name with a pen in blue or black ink. Sign your name between the closing line and the line where you typed your name.