A great cover letter can differentiate you as a management professional during the job search. The key is to demonstrate how your managerial style and background align with the organization’s culture and needs. Emphasize your people management skills, leadership capabilities, and industry knowledge using tangible examples from your career. This guide provides examples and expert tips to help you translate your experience into a powerful marketing document.
Manager Cover Letter Templates and Examples
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
How To Write a Manager Cover Letter
A great manager cover letter needs to capture the most compelling aspects of your industry expertise and people management experience. Illustrate who you are as a leader and provide examples of you driving organizational growth. Rather than focusing only on task delegation, delve deeper into how you’ve developed and empowered team members throughout your career. Below, we’ll provide additional guidance to support you through each individual paragraph of your manager cover letter:
1. Contact information and salutation
List all essential contact information at the top of your manager cover letter, including your name, phone number, email, and LinkedIn URL. Be sure to address the hiring manager by name — Mr. or Ms. [Last Name]. This is preferable to salutations such as “To Whom It May Concern,” as the subtle change in language is more personal. If you can’t find the hiring manager’s name, use a variation of “Dear Hiring Manager.”
2. Introduction
Lead with a powerful introduction at the start of your manager cover letter. Feature your years of industry experience and key qualifications that align with the job description. Build your paragraph around a defining career achievement that demonstrates who you are as a management professional. In the example below, the candidate focuses on how they helped shape the organization’s culture, which displays their ability to drive change management initiatives and employee retention.
Example:
As an HR manager at Delta Dental, I oversaw HR functions for over 500 personnel. I led strategic initiatives to shape the organization’s work culture and drive employee engagement, which improved staff retention by over 30%. My strong background in HR administration and employee relations will help me contribute to your team as the new HR manager.
3. Body paragraphs
The body paragraphs of your manager cover letter should paint a clear image of your professional achievements and leadership style. Start by highlighting specific details about the company’s reputation and how your management experience can help them achieve their organizational objectives. Demonstrate your ability to enhance operational performance and identify creative ways to help your teams excel. By showcasing different aspects of your management expertise, you’ll position yourself as a strong, well-rounded candidate.
Example:
Cigna Health’s reputation for delivering affordable, accessible health care to patients draws me to apply for this position. I can help your organization improve HR functions and employee engagement based on the following achievements from my career:
- Oversaw all HR functions for over 500 staff, led the response to labor and compensation issues, conducted recruitment initiatives, managed employee onboarding activities
- Developed strategy to improve employee relations, established the employee resource group, and planned events to drive employee engagement, which improved retention by 30%
- Managed the administration and dispersal of over $5 million in annual payroll, benefits, and compensation and served as the point of contact for employee issues
4. Manager skills and qualifications
Instead of providing a long list of skills, focus on tactically integrating key terms from the job posting into your manager cover letter. Rather than mentioning change management or cross-functional leadership as a skill, provide examples of you interfacing with diverse teams and spearheading initiatives to facilitate organizational change. This illustrates how you’ve applied your management skills to generate positive results for previous employers. Below, you’ll find a list of keywords to keep in mind when building your manager cover letter:
| Key Skills and Qualifications | |
|---|---|
| Account management | Change management |
| Client relations | Communication |
| Conflict resolution | Continuous improvement |
| Cross-functional collaboration | Customer success |
| Employee engagement | Employee retention |
| Human resources | Operations management |
| Organizational leadership | People management |
| Process improvement | Project management |
| Relationship building | Stakeholder management |
| Team management | |
5. Closing section
Close out your manager cover letter with a call to action that encourages the hiring manager to schedule you for an interview. Reinforce how your management experience can help their team members and organization continue to excel. Be sure to thank the hiring manager for their time and consideration in the last sentence.
Example:
I would like to schedule an interview to discuss further how my restaurant experience can help Bobby Flay’s Steakhouse enhance the guest experience and improve daily operations. You may contact me via phone or email at your convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Alyssa Brown
Manager Cover Letter Tips
1. Explain your interest in the position
When you create a cover letter, it’s important to explain why you’re interested in the specific position you’re applying for. Providing insights into key aspects of the company’s mission statement or reputation and how they align with your background will help the hiring manager see why you’re the right fit for their work culture. In the example below, the job seeker details specific aspects of Marriott’s history as a leader within the hotel industry and how their mission statement aligns with its core values as a professional.
Marriott has a storied heritage and reputation for innovation that has helped shape the modern hotel industry. Your mission statement of putting people first strongly aligns with my core values as a hospitality professional and draws me to apply for this position. I can help your organization continue this long-standing reputation for excellence based on my career achievements:
2. Feature your strongest professional achievements
Although much of this content will be present on your resume, it’s still important to feature your strongest professional achievements on your cover letter. Given the limited bandwidth of hiring managers to read each bullet point in-depth, drawing attention to accomplishments with compelling metrics and monetary figures on both documents has its benefits.
In the example below, the job seeker is pursuing a position within the restaurant industry. The candidate showcases a high monetary figure for their P&L responsibilities and draws attention to a significant reduction in waste. Both are compelling to hiring managers within this space.
- Oversaw operations for a high-end Brazilian steakhouse, managed P&L valued at over $7 million, and identified opportunities to enhance workflows and operational efficiency
- Managed 30 servers, hostesses, and sous-chefs, and led efforts to improve communication between the front and back of the house during high-volume periods
- Developed new procedures to improve inventory management and forecasting, which reduced waste by 15%
3. Highlight your organizational leadership capabilities
As a manager, it’s important to show potential employers you can lead teams, build inclusive work cultures, and develop highly effective organizations. People management skills are at the heart of any position at this level. As you write your cover letter, be sure to include examples from your career that demonstrate your ability to collaborate with diverse teams and departments.
Manager Text-Only Cover Letter Templates and Examples
- Example #1
- Example #2
- Example #3
Anthony Gentile
HR Manager | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | New York, NY, 12345 | LinkedIn
January 1, 2024
Caleb Morris
Senior Hiring Manager
Cigna Health
(987) 654-3210
[email protected]
Dear Mr. Morris,
As an HR manager at Delta Dental, I oversaw HR functions for over 500 personnel. I led strategic initiatives to shape the organization’s work culture and drive employee engagement, which improved staff retention by over 30%. I am confident my strong background in HR administration and employee relations will allow me to provide valuable contributions to your team as the new HR manager.
Cigna Health’s reputation for delivering affordable, accessible health care to patients is what draws me to apply for this position. I can help your organization improve HR functions and employee engagement based on the following achievements from my career:
- Oversaw all HR functions for more than 500 staff, led the response to labor and compensation issues, conducted recruitment initiatives, managed employee onboarding activities
- Developed strategy to improve employee relations, established the employee resource group, and planned events to drive employee engagement, which improved retention by 30%
- Managed the administration and dispersal of over $5 million in annual payroll, benefits, and compensation and served as the point of contact for employee issues
I hope to speak with you further regarding how my HR management experience can help Cigna Health improve recruiting efforts and enhance employee engagement. Feel free to contact me via phone or email at your convenience. I appreciate your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Anthony Gentile
Manager Cover Letter FAQs
Why should I include a manager cover letter?-
At the higher levels of career progression, a cover letter becomes a more important component of the job search process. Companies are investing more resources and will want to learn more about you as a candidate. Building a compelling cover letter to serve as your introduction allows you to immediately make a strong first impression on potential employers.
Are cover letters becoming obsolete?-
Many believe cover letters have become obsolete. According to a LinkedIn poll conducted by Forbes, 70% of correspondents voted that cover letters are no longer needed during the application process. While cover letters aren’t always required, taking the time to write one demonstrates your enthusiasm and genuine interest in the role you’re applying for. This can sometimes make all the difference in generating interviews during the job search.
How long should my cover letter be?-
Although you’re generally afforded more flexibility with length when applying for senior-level positions, it’s still best to keep your cover letter as concise as possible, limited to no more than three or four paragraphs. This ensures your document remains focused on your most impressive and relevant qualifications.
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