What are the parts of a cover letter?
A cover letter is a formal business letter that acts as an introduction to your resume.
- Date: This is the date you are writing the letter.
- Address Line #1: For the address, you should provide your home mailing address. You may design this as part of your standard letterhead.
- Address Line #2: This line includes the address for the Company you are applying to. Include the Name and Title of the Hiring Manager if known, followed by the street address, city, state and zip code.
- Greeting: The greeting is an important part of your cover letter. It establishes who you are sending the resume and cover letter to. If you know the name the name of the hiring manager use it here. If you can’t find a name, use a generic term like Staff Selection Team or Hiring Manager.
- Body: The body is the main part of your cover letter. This is where you explain what job you are interested in and how you learned about it.
It should also present you as the best possible candidate for the job, and explain what actions you will take next.
- Close: Use a polite and professional phrase here, such as Sincerely, Respectfully, or Kind Regards.
- Signature: This area contains your name (typed), and your written signature (you can create a signature PNG and import it into your letter),
and include another way to contact you (such as a phone number or email address).
- Enclosure line: Use this line whenever you include a separate item in the same envelope or email message. It will tell the recipient to look for the enclosed attachment, which will usually be your resume, but could also be samples of your previous work. It is documented as follows:
cc: Enclosure