What is a cover letter?

The purpose of a cover letter is to provide the organization with more information about you as a candidate. Think of this document as a support to, not a repetition of, your résumé.

How long should it be?

Cover Letters are typically one page in length and formatted in a block letter style (see below for examples and templates, uses spaces between paragraphs and no indents)

What else should I know about cover letters?

You can utilize one of the samples/templates below to help create your cover letter. You’ll want to match the header with your name and contact information to the one you use on your résumé. We strongly encourage you to tailor your cover letter for each position that you apply for and to submit one if there’s an option to submit one, even if it is not a required part of an application process. Use the position description and your research on the organization to guide your writing.

How should I address and end my letter?

When possible, address the letter to a specific person and try to avoid “To whom it may concern”. End the letter with a valediction or complimentary close (e.g. Sincerely, Regards, etc.) and type your name below. A physical or electronic signature is an option, but not necessary, when submitting a cover letter via email or through an online system.

What goes into a cover letter?

Cover letters are written in three sections: the introduction, the support, and the close.

Section One – The Introduction
- This is the place to introduce your purpose, your connection to the opportunity, and your interest in the position or organization.
- Avoid – “My name is…I am the graduate of…” These are items that are found in your résumé.
- Avoid superlatives like “I am the best candidate for this position…” or “I am exactly the person for this role…”
Section Two – The Support
- Use one or two paragraphs to support how your experiences qualify you for the opportunity.
- Use a true paragraph format, including topic sentence, to focus the content. Avoid listing or repeating what is on the résumé.
- Show don’t tell. If describing your qualities as a candidate, instead of listing them (e.g. team player, organized, etc.), provide context of how you have demonstrated them through past experiences (e.g. “In my role as campus Inter Greek Senate president, I took on a project to track the career paths of fraternity and sorority alumni across the campus. To do this effectively, I worked with presidents of all campus Greek organizations to collect contact information for alumni from the past 10 years.”
- Use the position description to guide the content of this section.
Section Three – The Close
- Wrap up the letter with any additional information the organization may have requested.
- Include a VERY brief summary of your qualifications (a few words, no more than a sentence).
- Thank the reader for their consideration of your application.
- Avoid stating that you will follow up by a certain point. The employer will contact you when they are ready to move forward in their process.

Contents/Links

Sample 1

Sample 2

Template 1 (prompts you to make a copy that can be your own to edit)

Template 2 (prompts you to make a copy that can be your own to edit)

Template 3 (prompts you to make a copy that can be your own to edit)

SAMPLE COVER LETTER 1

JULIO WARRAN

800 West College Ave, St. Peter, MN 56082 | 507-123-4567 | jwarran@gustavus.edu

April 13, 2023

Minnesota Children’s Museum

10 West Seventh Street

St. Paul, MN 55102

Dear Ms. Errickson:

Please accept this letter of application for the position of Youth Services Coordinator at the Minnesota Children’s Museum. Coming from a family of educators, I recognize the clear effects of poverty on education. This is an issue that I deeply care about, and I am ecstatic about the Minnesota Children’s Museum’s AmeriCorps VISTA Project Plan’s goal to combat this issue in a tangible and productive way.

I have been working with teens and young adults for the last seven years through my experience with speech. I have participated in speech in high school and college and have applied these skills as Assistant Speech Coach at Mankato East High School. As a coach, I write and edit speeches, and prepare students for competition. Coming into this role, I saw that speech as an extracurricular activity had not drawn from the entire school population. With the faculty advisor I developed ways to connect with students who had not been tapped for opportunities such as this and show speech as a great way to grow skill and get involved. Several of the students I have coached have advanced to the state tournament.

My experience with nonprofit organizations is another valuable asset. I am currently volunteering at the YWCA to create a portfolio of testimonials for grant writing and advertising purposes, I volunteer with Christ the King Church, Mankato, as a Public Relations and Natural Disaster Crisis Management Strategist, and last summer I interned for the Twin Cities Jazz Festival where my responsibilities included all manner of community outreach projects. Working with a variety of nonprofit organizations has helped me better understand the needs and challenges that nonprofits face.

I am passionate about working with kids, enjoy writing, and seek a creative environment where I can make a difference. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this position further. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Julio Warran

SAMPLE COVER LETTER 2

Jamie Doe

800 W College Ave

Saint Peter, MN 56082

April 20, 2023

WCCO-TV

90 S. 11th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55403

Dear WCCO Hiring Manager,

At a recent Gustavus Adolphus College networking event, I connected with Riley Swift, your current intern, and learned more about his experience with WCCO. He recommended that I apply for your summer sports internship position because of my desire to pursue a career that intersects communication and sports. In the highly competitive Minnesota news market, WCCO stands out as a leader in sports information locally and nationally and I would like the opportunity to intern and learn with a successful news team.

In my previous internship with the Positive Coaching Alliance Chapter of Minnesota, I worked with the Executive Director to develop creative solutions in the planning of the 1st Annual Whiffle Ball Classic, a brand new event for the organization. The goal of the Positive Coaching Alliance is to allow children and high-school aged students to have the ability to not only play sports, but have fun doing it. The problem that I saw when planning this event was the lack of involvement from local sports teams. This is important because these children grow up idolizing professional athletes, with the hopes to be successful themselves. To solve this problem, I developed the idea of having mascots from our professional sports teams participate in this event. I contacted various board members and representatives from sports teams inviting them to participate in this event, as well as coordinating their arrival. The event was enhanced by having mascot representation from the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Wild, and local high schools.

My sincere passion for all sports is another reason why I am applying for this internship. As a member of both high school and college teams, I have had experience watching and analyzing sporting events and team performance. Watching and participating in sports has made the terminology, rules, and atmosphere second nature to me. As a summer sports intern, I will take this knowledge and help the Sports Department team develop the sports stories important to the WCCO audience.

I look forward to continuing this process and thank you for your consideration of my application for this summer internship position.

Thank you,