Cover Letter Templates
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Table of Contents

  • Choose a Cover Letter Template
  • Popular Cover Letter Templates
  • Unique Cover Letter Templates
  • Cover Letter Templates by Industry
  • 3 Tips to Keep in Mind When Choosing a Cover Letter Template
  • Sections of a Cover Letter
  • Recruiter-Friendly Cover Letters
  • Common Questions About Cover Letter Templates & Writing
  • See What People are Saying About Us
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A smartly written cover letter can be the difference maker when competing for a job. A perfect cover letter completes and improves your job application. Use a professional cover letter template from our library to start writing about your impressive parts of your career. Each cover letter template offers popular, eye-catching ideas for layout, design, and paragraph content.

Choose a Cover Letter Template

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Popular Cover Letter Templates

Traditional

Traditional

A traditional cover letter has qualities that have passed the test of time. You may want to use this more formal format for most major companies with well established hiring processes. Be sure to include your own contact information, the hiring manager's name and title in the salutation, and a brief summary of your best skills.

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Classic

Classic

Choose a classic cover letter format when you aren't sure who will read the letter. A classic style exhibits high-quality writing and draws from the best examples. Your writing should include strong word choice and adhere to all rules of grammar. Don't use slang or modern lingo, for example.

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Executive

Executive

With just a glance, hiring managers must see that you communicate well. Get straight to the point and directly link your skills to the needs of the company. Use the job description to pinpoint skills and then show how you've used your abilities to benefit past employers.

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Key Insights

  • Show Some Personality:

    Your cover letter should make employers want to get to know more about you and show that you are right for the job.

  • Tight Writing:

    Keep your content relevant and concise. Add specific details and numbers to boost the impact of the accomplishments in your letter.

  • Complement Your Resume:

    Don't simply repeat your resume. Use cover letter templates as guides when writing your letter and resume.

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Description

Unique Cover Letter Templates

Modern

Modern

One of the most important things when using a modern cover letter template is to customize it to pass applicant tracking systems. This means using a clean format with fonts and tables that the ATS can understand. If you're sending the application in an email, consider adding a letter in PDF format.

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Space saver

Space Saver

Choose a cover letter template that uses space effectively. Rather than spreading your contact information out over four to five lines, combine some details on the same line, for example. Cut out any unnecessary information and really hone in on your top experiences.

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Contemporary

Contemporary

In the past, cover letters and resumes focused on jobseekers. Today's cover letter templates guide you to also focus on the company. Include details about the business and how you can help it grow. Use a tone in line with the company’s culture. Your research into the employer will pay off.

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Key Insights

  • Custom Greeting:

    Don't open with a generic salutation. Research the company to find the name of the hiring manager or recruiter to address.

  • Mind Your Tone:

    Adjust your voice to the employer. A more serious tone befits an established business, while a lighter anecdote may be appropriate for a more casual company.

  • Always Proofread:

    Even simple grammar and spelling errors can come across as unprofessional and make you seem less invested to the employer reading.

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Choose Your Cover Letter Template Now

Recruiter-Approved

Recruiter-Approved

Our cover letter experts have been working with recruiters for the past 10 years perfecting the best templates that will get you a job.

Pre-Written Text

Pre-Written Text

Breeze through each section using our templates. Got writer’s block? We’ll recommend what you should write for each section.

Autoformatting

Autoformatting

Templates automatically format to keep your cover letter in-line, so you can stop struggling with Word!

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Cover Letter Templates by Industry

There are many cover letter templates available, but you need to add job-specific details to have a truly effective letter. Begin by choosing a cover letter template suited to your industry and then add details specific to the job title. Personalizing the cover letter shows employers you care about their businesses.

3 Tips for Choosing a Cover Letter Template

3 Tips for Choosing a Cover Letter Template

  • Choose Industry-Specific Templates

    The resume and cover letter template for a makeup artist may have bolder colors and imagery than a template for an accountant. Choose a template that provides room for you to show your familiarity with a company.

  • Consider Experience Level

    If you’ve just graduated from college, choose a cover letter and resume that focuses on educational experience. If, on the other hand, you’re an experienced job seeker ready for a change, choose a cover letter template that allows you to focus transferable skills.

  • Adjust Your Tone

    There isn’t one best template for cover letter tone, but you can choose letter formats to show that you understand company culture. For example, when applying to a business that focuses on eco-friendly products, a cover letter template that travels well through digital media may be most appropriate.

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Sections of a Cover Letter

Cover letters have one job: convincing employers to read resumes. These strong cover letter tips guide your writing so your first introduction to an employer is memorable. Our cover letter builder will help you create a great cover letter that stands out.

Header/Contact Information
Salutation
Opening
Body Paragraphs
Closing

Select resume section:

Make sure your contact information is up-to-date and you have the correct information for the employer. You don't need to include your full address.
Keep the greeting respectful and use the full name of your contact person. The correct punctuation is either a comma or a colon, depending on the type of template you've chosen.
Specifically address what you're bringing to the company. Choose an example from your work experience that shows your skills in action. Add details to define your benefit to your employer.
Convince hiring managers to call you in for an interview. Choose duties from the job description and mention how your skills are a good fit in each short paragraph.
Close by thanking the hiring manager for the consideration. Re-emphasize your value to the company and what you offer in positive terms. Finally, end with a professional farewell.
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Header/Contact Information

Make sure your contact information is up-to-date and you have the correct information for the employer. You don't need to include your full address.

Salutation

Keep the greeting respectful and use the full name of your contact person. The correct punctuation is either a comma or a colon, depending on the type of template you've chosen.

Opening

Specifically address what you're bringing to the company. Choose an example from your work experience that shows your skills in action. Add details to define your benefit to your employer.

Body Paragraphs

Convince hiring managers to call you in for an interview. Choose duties from the job description and mention how your skills are a good fit in each short paragraph.

Closing

Close by thanking the hiring manager for the consideration. Re-emphasize your value to the company and what you offer in positive terms. Finally, end with a professional farewell.

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Recruiter-Friendly Cover Letters

Employers often use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to scan cover letters before they reach hiring managers. Get important tips on how to write your cover letter and resume to get past the software when you apply. Use this guide to learn more.

Common Questions About Cover Letter Templates & Writing

  • What Makes a Good Cover Letter Template

    Strong cover letter templates will match your resume both in looks and in the kind of information they include.

    The layout should make your work story easy to read and your contact information easy to find. You want to get your points across as clearly as possible. That means that the design should be clean—not cluttered.

    The template should also include the four key sections of a cover letter:

    • Greeting
    • Strong Opening
    • Body Content
    • Closing

    Finally, the text should not exceed one page, and the font size should not be smaller than 10-point.

  • How Should a Cover Letter Template be Formatted

    Appealing cover letter templates will start with an eye-catching header that details your full name and contact information. You may also want to consider including links to your social media profiles and online examples of your work.

    Separate the header from the content of your letter by using design elements like color, a larger font size, or simple bold and underline styling.

    The font size for the rest of your cover letter should be between a 10- and 12-point font. The margins should be 1 inch. This is generally the default setting in Microsoft Word.

    The text of your cover letter should be separated by clear paragraph breaks. In some cases, you may even want to use bullet points to quickly communicate some key points. This makes it easy for busy hiring leaders to scan and digest your cover letter.

  • What is the Best Cover Letter Template

    There is no best cover letter template. There’s only the best cover letter template for you.

    Here are some elements to consider when choosing from cover letter templates:

    • What kind of company are you applying to?
    • What kind of work do you do?
    • How much experience do you have?

    If you’re applying for a job at a hip start-up, then you may want to choose a cover letter template that’s more vibrant and trendy. If you’re trying to win a job at a serious corporate or big firm, it could be better to choose a more traditional layout.

  • What are the Worst Cover Letter Mistakes

    Every recruiter and hiring manager has their personal pet peeves when it comes to cover letter red flags. Overall though, here are some common mistakes that the hiring industry across the board loathes:

    • A sexist greeting. Don’t assume your reader is a Mr., Ms., or Mrs. Only include this information if you know for sure.
    • An opening paragraph that lists the wrong job title or company name.
    • A cover letter that’s longer than one page.
    • A cover letter that’s not personalized or shows that a candidate hasn’t done their research on the company.
    • A cover letter that ends with a call to action that’s too pushy. For example, don’t say, “I’ll give you a call in the next 48 hours so that we can decide on an interview time.
    • A cover letter littered with spelling and grammar errors.
    • A cover letter that doesn’t align with the skills and experience listed in the job posting.

  • Can I Use the Same Cover Letter Templates for Every Job

    Yes! You can certainly use the same cover letter templates as starting points for any job you’d like to apply to. However, it’s essential that you then customize the templates to reflect the skills and experience each job posting requests.

    At its simplest, this means mentioning the name of the hiring manager in your salutation and the job title and company name in your opening paragraph.

    A truly strong, unique cover letter will go beyond that though, detailing specific accomplishments and responsibilities that prove you could add value to the business in question.

  • What is a Good Resume Template to Go with my Cover Letter Template?

    Ideally, your resume will match your cover letter both in the way it looks and in the kind of information it includes. Have a look at these resume templates if you need a reference point for starting this part of your job application.

  • How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?

    While a resume may be anywhere from 1 to 3 pages, a cover letter should never be longer than one page. Hiring leaders and recruiters have precious little time to review these documents. Accordingly, you need to keep your work story short and to the point.
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