The Four Parts of a Cover Letter

Imagine yourself in the position of an HR professional who has been tasked with finding twenty or twenty-five candidates to present to their hiring manager for a position. You have received over 200 applications, and each one starts with a page-long hard sell that repeats everything on the resume in a narrative form.

If that idea doesn’t give you a headache, it should.

Cover letters are an essential part of a resume and job application. However, you really don’t want anyone to have to read it.

A good cover letter should be short, succinct, and enticing. Instead of saying all there is to say, the cover letter should tell just enough of the story to leave the reader wanting to know more. A half-page cover letter in four parts does the trick.

Part 1: Address the Recruiter by Name

If you want people to like you, say their name. It’s one of the core principals of Dale Carnegie’s famous book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. It’s also an important factor in writing a good cover letter.

If you address your cover letter to “Dear Madame/Sir” or “To Whom It May Concern,” you’ve told the recruiter right away that:

1. You didn’t bother to try to find out who is making this hire.
2. Your generic cover letter probably won’t address the company’s needs.
3. Your career skills are stuck somewhere in the 1950's.

Often—not always, but often—you can learn whom to address in the cover letter with a little internet research. Sometimes, it’s buried in the job description. Job openings on LinkedIn typically include the name of the person who posted it. If you can discover the name of the recruiter or hiring manager, address them by name in the cover letter.

If you can’t discover the name of the recruiter, the contemporary appellation is “Dear Hiring Manager.”

Whether or not you can discover the name of the recruiter or hiring manager, always mention the job title and use the company’s name in the first paragraph of your cover letter. For example:

"Dear Hiring Manager:

I am writing to apply for the position of Product Development Manager at Whackadoodle, Inc."

Part 2: Address the Company’s Needs

The second paragraph of the cover letter is often considered a “greatest strengths” paragraph. A Ford commercial is a pretty good analogy: “Built Ford tough. Best-selling truck in America. Five year / 60,000-mile warranty.”

A Ford commercial, however, is broadcast to millions of truck buyers nationally and speaks to their wants and needs in only the most general way. The second paragraph of the cover letter, by contrast, should demonstrate how your skills and experience address the specific needs of the company. Once again, it’s important to do your homework.

The job opening itself will often indicate what is going to make this a successful hire. Maybe this person is going to help the company define a strategy to take its sales to the next level. Perhaps the company needs someone with extensive industry experience and outstanding research skills to help executives keep abreast of industry trends and opportunities. Increasingly, companies prioritize a good fit with the company values and culture.

A little bit of on-line research will also often reveal news about what’s going on at the company. Is it expanding in your area? Did it just buy a competitor? Is the company developing a new version of its product?

In 2-3 sentences, explain how you can help the company achieve its objectives:

“For the past ten years, I’ve led XYZ Company’s product development team. I’ve helped launch seven new products and positioned XYZ Company as an industry leader in the digital doodling space. I’m an expert when it comes to pulling together the right people around a great idea.”

Part 3: Tell the Recruiter Why You Want to Work Here

Another of Carnegie’s precepts is this: If you want people to like you, say something nice about them. In this case, tell the hiring manager why you want to work at this company.

It’s not necessary to ‘brown nose’ this paragraph. Just say why you think employment here will be engaging and fulfilling. Are you interested in working on a new product line the company is rolling out? Does the company have a reputation as a leader in the industry? Is the company a leader in the regional business community? Is it among the fastest growing companies in the area? Does it have a reputation as one of the best companies to work for? Why do you want to be here?

“I’ve used Whackadoodle’s software for about five years, and I’m really excited that the company is rolling out a new version designed for mobile devices. I’d love to be part of this product development team.”

Part 4: Tell Them How to Reach You

It seems obvious, and yet . . . One of the most common mistakes in job applications is the failure to provide correct contact information.

The fourth and final paragraph of a cover letter is simply instruction on how to contact you if the recruiter wants to set up an interview. In addition to contact information, you may want to tell a recruiter what times are best to reach you. Here is an example:

“I can be reached at (###) ###-#### or by e-mail at david@XYZWorld.com to schedule an interview.”

Thank you

Finally, dismiss with antiquated familiarities such as “Yours truly,” “Cordially,” or “Sincerely,”. End your cover letter with a simple “Thank you.”

Here, in sum, is what a model cover letter should look like:

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