How to Write the Perfect Cover Letter By Emily Moore

Cover letters are your opportunity to not only show that you have the background and knowledge needed to do the job well, but that you're also passionate, charismatic and well-informed. For many people, though, it's a daunting task. With so much information to convey, where do you get started?

1. Contact Info

Don't make recruiters dig through your cover letter to find your name and contact info — include it up top so they can easily reach out.

2. Greeting

Forget "To Whom It May Concern." If you can find it, address the recruiter/hiring manager by name.

3. Intro Paragraph

• Relevant anecdotes, quotes, fun facts, etc. are all good ways to make your opening line stand out.
• Make it clear that you know who the company is, what they do and what they care about.
• Mention a few roles, projects, experiences, traits or passions that make you the ideal candidate.
• If someone at the company has referred you, this is the place to name drop them.

4. Body Paragraph(s)

• Incorporate keywords directly from the job description.
• Whenever possible, include concrete metrics that illustrate the results you've achieved.

5. Closing Paragraph

Summarize, don't plagiarize. Reaffirm your interest, passion and qualifications from earlier in the letter, but don't make it sound redundant.

6. Additional

• Cover letters should be clean and easy to read — skip the intricate designs and crazy fonts for party invitations.
• Like a resume, keep the cover letter to one page. If necessary, hyperlink your portfolio, website, or samples of your work.
• Saving your cover letter as a PDF file will ensure the formatting won't change.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/12/how-to-write-the-perfect-cover-letter.html