Browse top cover letter examples by job, industry, format, and experience level. Every sample is created and approved by our team of Certified Professional Resume Writers (CPRW).
Focus your accounting or finance cover letter on how you can expertly manage assets or raise the company’s bottom line. Name your top three or four achievements, and quantify them in terms of a clear percentage or dollar amount.
| Accountant | Bookkeeper | Finance |
Even in your creative field, the cover letter is a simple tool for professional communication and should be formatted that way. Feel free to use a template if it helps you keep your letter simple and focused.
| Acting | Artist | Editor |
| Graphic Design | Interior Designer | Photographer |
| Portfolio | Production Asssitant | User Experience (UX) Designer |
| Web Designer |
In today’s competitive business landscape, a cover letter introduces you to employers and can help you advance in your career. To stand out among many candidates, align your cover letter with each job posting.
| Business | Business Analyst | Data Analyst |
| Human Resources (HR) | MBA | Recruiter |
When changing careers, focus your cover letter on your transferable skills and experiences. Only address an employment gap if it’s ongoing and you’re trying to return to the workforce.
| Military to Civilian |
For a strong cover letter in this field, show you can provide a safe and healthy environment for children or pets while building good relations with parents, guardians, or clients.
| Babysitter | Veterinary Receptionist |
When applying to computer science and information technology (IT) jobs, focus the cover letter on your relevant technical skills. Then, tie each skill to the hiring company’s stated goals.
| Computer Science | Computer Science Intern | Data Scientist |
| Information Technology IT | Software Developer | Software Engineer |
| Web Developer |
For construction jobs, use your cover letter to highlight projects you’ve worked on of a similar scope or budget. For maintenance jobs, describe similar facilities you’ve worked for and the tools or methods you used to keep them running smoothly.
| Carpenter | Construction Worker | Electrician |
| Electrician Apprentice | Forklift Operator | Janitor |
| Machine Operator | Mechanic |
For a good cover letter in customer service and retail, focus on how you can help raise survey scores or drive revenue growth for the franchise location or company that posted the job.
| Bank Teller | Call Center Representative | Cashier |
| Customer Service Representative | Customer Success Manager | Retail Manager |
| Retail Sales Associate |
When writing your education cover letter, show you can help provide great learning experiences for students of the hiring school or district. If you’re applying to a direct teaching position, emphasize your skills in classroom management and parent relations.
| Camp Counselor | Elementary Teacher | Librarian |
| Professional Substitute Teacher | Research Assistant | School Counselor |
| Special Education Teacher | Student Teacher | Teacher |
| Tutor |
To write a good engineering cover letter, focus on how you can help design complex systems or technical solutions for the company that posted the job.
| Civil Engineer | Electrical Engineer | Engineering |
| Mechanical Engineer |
You can write a great cover letter for this field by showing how you help people overcome illness or achieve better physical and mental well-being. Give examples from your career that overlap with the employer’s hiring needs or health specialty.
When writing your cover letter for legal jobs, show how you’d apply your expertise to help the firm represent clients or navigate complex legal issues.
A good management cover letter expresses how you’d advance business goals and motivate staff of the company that posted the job. Cite achievements that show you’ve helped teams work more quickly or cost-effectively.
| Assistant Manager | Executive | Manager |
| Operations Manager | Product Manager | Program Manager |
| Project Manager |
To draft a strong cover letter for administrative jobs, focus on how you can help the company streamline daily operations for better efficiency or service quality.
| Administrative Assistant | Clerical | Data Entry |
| Executive Assistant | Office Assistant | Office Manager |
| Personal Assistant | Receptionist | Secretary |
| Supervisor |
For cover letters in this field, pay close attention to the employer’s stated mission. Express how your values align with the organization. Show how you’d help it serve the public, support underprivileged groups, or advance other important causes.
| Case Manager | Firefighter | Law Enforcement |
| Pastor | Police Officer | Security Guard |
| Security Officer | Social Work |
Hospitality is all about ensuring a great customer experience – on your cover letter, highlight any skills or achievements that show your ability to do just that.
| Bartender | Event Planner | Food Service |
| Hospitality Hotel Front Desk | Restaurant Manager | Server |
| Waiter / Waitress |
Cite your career highlights to impress on employers how you’d help them engage clients, promote products, and drive business growth. Performance data is key to this field, so quantify your results in terms of a clear percentage or dollar amount.
| Account Manager | Brand Ambassador | Marketing |
| Marketing Assistant | Marketing Manager | Medical Sales Representative |
| Real Estate Agent | Regional Sales Manager | Sales |
| Sales Director | Sales Manager | Social Media |
How to write a cover letter with little or no work experience? Focus on pertinent skills you’ve gained through school coursework, community service, or extracurricular activities. When possible, speak to how the employer’s mission and values align with your own.
| College | High School | Internship |
| Recent Graduate | Student |
For a good transportation cover letter, focus on how you can expertly move people or goods from point A to point B. For a good logistics cover letter, explain how you’d help the company streamline its workflows or manufacturing procedures.
| Aviation | Delivery Driver | Truck Driver |
| Warehouse Worker |
Get the attention of hiring managers with a cover letter tailored to every job application.
Yes, in most cases. The majority of job postings require or allow you to send a cover letter along with your resume. While not every hiring manager reads or prioritizes them, a well-crafted letter assists you in standing out from other applicants. It will also help you clarify what points to emphasize during the interview.
Any explanation you give for why the specific job opening or employer interests you. These details distinguish the cover letter from your resume and other application materials. They let you prove you read the job posting and are responding to it specifically. The information also sets the stage for a good discussion about how you fit the role and the company’s work culture.
Take 10 minutes to brainstorm and jot down why you’re drawn to the opportunity and what it has in common with your background. For instance, maybe it’s in an industry you’re eager to return to or requires certain technical skills you possess.
When you’re done brainstorming, review your notes: Do any stand out as especially important or persuasive? Take another 10 minutes to brainstorm and elaborate on them. Repeat this process until you have at least two or three concise sentences that speak to the job opening at hand. These sentences will form the body text of your letter.
Typically, your cover letter should have five sections, in this order:
1. Heading with your name, contact info, and the date
2. Salutation
3. Hook citing a relevant achievement from your resume or a key qualification the company is looking for
4. Body text describing why the job or employer interests you and your key strengths
5. Closing request for an interview, with thanks for the hiring manager’s consideration
No more than one page, or around 250 words. Resist the urge to tell your whole career story. Give just enough detail to intrigue hiring managers so they take a closer look at your resume.
