Although this isn’t a mandatory requirement, electronically signing your cover letter can sometimes help to give your document a nice touch of flair. Taking the time to add a small detail, such as a signature, also shows hiring managers that you’re professional and that you care. Throughout this guide, we’ll walk you through how to sign your cover letter electronically and the best value programs on the market.
Do I Need to Apply an Electronic Signature?
Applying an electronic signature isn’t mandatory for most job applications, although you may find it more common when applying for academic or federal positions. While you can opt to write your name at the bottom of your cover letter, adding an electronic signature may provide a touch that stands out from other applicants if you have the time. This is why it’s also important to use a professional template for your cover letter, as you want your document to look aesthetically pleasing to the hiring manager.
What Program Should I Use for Electronic Signatures?
You can use various software and programs to generate electronic signatures for your cover letter and other documents. Below, we’ve compiled a list of top-ranked programs based on pricing and value for your convenience. Any of these products are viable, but you’ll want to ensure that you have a long-term need for them before you sign up for a monthly subscription.
- DocuSign (Free Trial, Monthly Subscription)
- Pandadoc (Free Trial, Monthly Subscription)
- HelloSign (Free Trial, Monthly Subscription)
- SignWell (Free Software)
- Signnow (Free Trial, Monthly Subscription)
- pdfFiller (Free Trial, Monthly Subscription)
- Adobe Sign (Free Trial, Monthly Subscription)
How Do I Sign a Cover Letter Electronically?
Now that you’ve seen some of the programs you can use, we’ll walk you through how to add your signature electronically, step by step. For this guide, we’ll be using DocuSign as our example. The first step in the process is to add your document to the program.
Next, you’ll select the recipients in the box below. For this, you can choose “I’m the only recipient,” which will allow the “Sign” option to appear at the bottom of the screen. You’ll select that next to add your signature to the document.
The next step is to apply your signature to the document. First, you’ll select the “signature” option from the menu and manually place it at the bottom of the cover letter.
Now you’ll see two options. The first automatically allows the program to generate an electronic signature for you.. This can be helpful if you find yourself struggling to draw a professional-looking signature digitally.
The other option available is to draw your own signature by selecting the “Draw” option at the top of the screen. Rather than relying on an automatic signature, you can create your own. Use this option only if you can use the interface to create a signature that is of the same quality as if written on paper.
Once you’ve created and selected your signature, you’ll add it to your pdf file. You can change the positioning accordingly, but you’ll always want to place it at the very bottom of your cover letter. Once you’ve added the signature, all you need to do is select “Finish” and download your newly created pdf.
