Writing a cover letter for your CV
What Should a Great Cover Letter Say?
A good cover letter for your C.V. is made of the following four parts:
- Salutation: A professional greeting that addresses the hiring manager by name.
- Introduction: An attention-grabbing opening paragraph that introduces yourself and your intention to apply for the open role.
- Body paragraph(s): One or two paragraphs describing your relevant professional experience, achievements, skills, and education.
- Closing paragraph: A cover letter ending that contains a call to action, asking the hiring manager to invite you in for an interview.
The example below describes how to write each of these key sections:
Salutation
Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],
Opening Paragraph (Introduction)
Your cover letter opening should contain a self introduction. Write about who you are, where your expertise lies, where you found the job posting, and why you want to apply for the job.
Body Paragraphs
The second paragraph of your cover letter should respond directly to the job description written by the hiring manager. Describe how your previous job experiences, skills, and abilities will help you meet the company’s needs. To make that easier, you should include exact words and phrases from the job descriptions in your cover letter.
- You can include a bulleted list of your accomplishments
- Make sure to use numbers or percentages to emphasize your bullet points (e.g. Increased online revenue by 13%)
Do some research about the company and find out what their current activities and goals are. Explain how you can help them achieve those goals.
Closing Paragraph
Your cover letter closing is the call-to-action portion of your cover letter. Inform the hiring manager that you’d love to go in for an interview. Provide your email address or other contact information and tell them that you’ll reach out in a week if you don’t hear back. Thank them for spending their time reading your cover letter.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Here is an example of a cover letter for a position as UX Designer:
Oct 30, 2021
Hiring Manager’s Name
Company Address 123
0123 Oslo, NORWAY
(xxx)xxx-xxxx
hiring.manager@gmail.comDear [Hiring Manager’s Name]
As an innovative and solution-focused UX Designer with a proven history of enhancing user experience and engagement for renowned brands, I am excited to submit my application for the UX Designer position with [Company Name].
Over the past 10 years, I have designed and delivered highly interactive, user-centric interfaces with a focus on usability, usefulness, and desirability. Currently, as UX Designer for Tech USA, I manage 15+ front-end projects, delivering innovative concepts, wireframes, low and high-fidelity prototypes, and engaging user experiences. Below is a snapshot of my key strengths and achievements:
Created front-end for 170+ webpages, using jQuery, JavaScript, SASS, Razor, and C#
Designed a corporate WordPress site using personalized HTML/CSS content with various plug-ins
Developed 30+ e-commerce sites for small business owners using various web technologiesIt would be a pleasure to learn more about [Company Name]’s needs, and I would welcome the chance to provide further insight into my technical abilities and personal attributes. Thank you for considering my candidacy for this position. I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Your Name
