Cover letter
University of Maryland Alumni Association 



Introduction
Your cover letter is a crucial step in the application process.  It introduces to the hiring manager who you are, what you can offer to the company and why you want the job. You have to accomplish all of this in one page, while leaving the hiring manager wanting more, in the form of an interview. Follow this guide to learn how to tailor the look and feel of your cover letter to stand out and land you more interviews in today’s challenging job market.


*Example of cover letter that I can point to with call out boxes*




Contact Information: Include information that you would otherwise formally include while addressing a letter. 
First and last name of hiring manager
Their title
Company name
Company address 

Salutation: Address your cover letter to the hiring manager directly. If you don’t have that information, try: 
The organization, ex. “Dear Salesforce Team and staff,”
The team you’d be working on, ex. “Dear Data Management Team,” 
The organization leader or head of the department
If none of the above information is available, use “Dear Hiring Manager”

Three main paragraphs
Introduction: Traditionally, the introduction should include formal recognition of the position you’re applying to and a brief two to three sentence description of your work experience and fit with the position. 


Common Example: Please accept this letter as my enthusiastic interest to serve as the {title of position} at {company name}. I am confident that my experience as {name your most recent or relevant job title and a few industry-specific skills you have as it relates to the job}. 

If you want to make sure your cover letter stands out, be sure to hook the reader with one of the following themes: 
Passion: Share an anecdote of why you’re passionate about this company, industry or job. 

Love of the company: Discuss a distinct moment or fact that relates to your love of the company, and be sure it is accurate. 


Humor: Be careful with humor, but if you are confident a playful opening line would fit the company’s culture, give it a try. 


Accomplishment or accolade: Note a recent accomplishment, award, event success, promotion, etc. as it relates to the job. 



Body: The body paragraph should include concrete examples and accolades from your professional experience as it relates to the position description. 
Expand upon bullet points from your resume. Think: 
What approach did you take to tackling one of the responsibilities you’ve mentioned on your resume?
What details would you include if you were giving the reader a glimpse into how you accomplished that bullet point?
What about your personality, passion or work ethic made you especially good at getting the job done?
Showcase your skills.
Use this space to directly align your skills with what the hiring manager is looking for. 
If you don’t have the *exact* skills they are looking for, talk through your transferable skills. 
My experience in [what you’ve done in the past] has laid the foundation for me to [do what you’re hoping to do next] at {company’s name].
Conclusion: 
Finish strong with a call to action.
Use these last two to three sentences to remind the reader why they want to bring you in for an interview.
Connect to the organization’s mission statement. 
Reaffirm one or two skills/professional assets you bring and what you’d do in the role. 
Relay passion and excitement (modestly). 
Example: As [name of organization] strives to [mission or vision], I believe I am best fit to lead as the [title of position]. In this role, I will provide [pull out one or two key skills or strategies you will implement as it relates to the job description]. I look forward to discussing further with you my vision to [restate key needs as it relates to the position].


The Basics
Keep your cover letter to one page: You should be expanding upon your resume, but not so much that you have nothing to cover in your interview.
Write a unique cover letter for each job: You can follow a format (like the one above), but steer clear of copying and  pasting. 
Mix your passion with your performance: Unlike a resume, your cover letter can include more passion and personality. Think of your resume as the quantitative and the cover letter as the qualitative part of your application (but be sure to still include numbers).
Highlight your soft skills, which otherwise might not come through on a resume. 
Provide context and examples based on bullet points on your resume.