Cover Letters

Your cover letter and personal brand help you stand out when applying for internships and positions. A good cover letter should be specific to the industry, job and the person you’re sending the letter to.

LDE and Peer Office Hours

Cover Letter Labs
Keep an eye out in Handshake events for a cover letter workshop, offered primarily in September, October, intersession, and February, or related workshops on career exploration and interviewing basics.

Your Life Design Educator and Peer Advisors are here to help you with your cover letter and job application materials. Find your LDE (based on major) or attend Peer Advisor office hours to review your cover letter and get tips on how to improve it. View the office hours schedule here.

In this guide:

  1. Before you begin writing
  2. Structure of a cover letter
  3. Other cover letter tips for specific situations
  4. Sample cover letters

When possible, it is always a good idea to submit a cover letter with the rest of your application materials. It gives you a chance to highlight your most relevant skills and experiences while showcasing your writing abilities.

General Tips

Cover Letters

  • Introduce yourself and express your interest in the position
  • Discuss your relevant previous experiences and projects
  • Describe your values and goals
  • Identify what you bring to the company

Before You Begin Writing:

  1. Be prepared to spend one to two hours creating your first cover letter.
  2. Research the company or organization on the web.
    • Read articles about the company
    • Read the “about us” section of their website
    • Find their mission, goals, and values as an organization
    • Learn about their products and services
    • Research the industry as a whole
  3. Each cover letter should be tailored to the job or internship description (if you have a detailed one). In order to tailor your cover letter, make a chart. On one side, list the most important qualifications the employer is seeking in the job description. Re-read the job description and notice any key terms that are mentioned repeatedly. On the other side of your chart, write out how you meet each qualification. If you do not have a detailed job description you need to determine what the key qualifications are for entry-level opportunities in the field you are applying to. Whatever is in your chart should frame the content of your cover letter. Your chart may look something like this:Example QualificationsPossible Experiences that MatchAnalytical SkillsRelevant coursework, Relevant internships, research or in-depth course projectsKnowledge of FieldRelevant coursework, Internships, Student Organization, Alumni Networking/Career Exploration EventsFluency in another language2 years of language courses, Study AbroadAbility to build relationships with othersLeadership role in a student organization, Relevant internship, Volunteer workLeadership PotentialRelevant student organization involvement, Group projects for relevant courses, Leadership role in an internship/job
  4. Have your cover letter reviewed by a life design educator from the Life Design Lab.

Structure of a Cover Letter:

A cover letter should be 3-5 paragraphs in length, and should be no longer than one page. Notice everything is left justified and you do not need to indent your paragraphs. Remember to proofread for grammatical and spelling errors. The framework for your format may look something like this:

Your Address
Your Phone
Your Email

Today’s Date

Contact Name (if you have it)
Organization Name
Organization Address
Organization Phone
Organization Email

Dear Full Name: (If you don’t have it, use the position title)

Paragraph 1, Introduction:

This paragraph serves as your introduction to the employer. You need to state your objective in writing the letter. Make sure when writing your objective that you include the job title, number (if given), department, and location just in case the organization has multiple openings with the same job title in various departments and locations. This paragraph should be no longer than 1-3 sentences. After stating your objective it is okay to introduce yourself and give an overview of your background. Look at some of the opening paragraphs in the sample cover letters included in this handout for ideas.

Body Paragraphs:

The body of your letter should be 2-3 paragraphs consisting of 3-5 sentences each. In your body section, you should begin by highlighting your most relevant education, experiences and skills. Don’t just claim to match the job description, make sure that you are providing specific detailed examples about your skills and experience to show the employer how you meet the qualifications they are seeking. For example, don’t say “I have excellent communication skills.” Instead you could say, “I have proven communication skills. For example, as the Public Relations Officer for the Women’s Pre-Health Leadership Society, I am responsible for conveying our organization’s message to the campus community. This involves writing e-communications, updating our website, speaking at relevant campus engagements, and networking with university alumni to build relationships for our organization.”

In the body of your cover letter, you also want to discuss why you are interested in the organization or that specific department within the organization. This is your chance to showcase all the research you have done about the employer. Try to summarize for the employer how you will fit into the organization and ultimately benefit the work that they do. Remember, the cover letter is showing the employer how you will benefit them, not how the opportunity will benefit you as an applicant. The goal of a cover letter is to introduce your resume and entice the employer to interview you.

Paragraph 4, Closing:

The final paragraph of your letter should be between 1-3 sentences. Make sure you summarize again why you are a good fit for the organization. Thank the recipient for their time and consideration. Then request some form of action. That could be including a statement such as, “I look forward to discussing my questions further in an interview.” If you have any specific instructions for the employer about how and when to contact you, this is the point in the letter where you should provide any specific instructions for contacting you.

Sincerely,

Your Full Name

Other Cover Letter Tips for Specific Situations:

  1. If you are an alumni looking to make a career change from one field to another, it is appropriate to address this in your cover letter. Make sure you talk about your transferrable skills you will bring to the new field and how it fits in with your career goals.
  2. Use the cover letter to briefly address anything that needs explaining in your application. For example, if you are trying to relocate to a new area and are applying with an out of state address, you may want to address that and let the employer know about your timeline for relocation.
  3. If you will be traveling or not connected to your phone or email at all through your job or internship search, make sure you mention that in the cover letter. Give the employer instructions about the time you will be unavailable and the best way to get in touch with you upon your return.
  4. If someone referred you to the position or you have been networking with employees of the organization, make sure you mention this in the introduction to your letter.

Sample Cover Letters:

Cover Letter Sample: Social Science Research Position

1234 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
March 23, 2013

Ms. Ima Employer
Program Manager
Center for Advanced Defense Studies
1 A Street
Washington, DC 20002

Dear Ms. Employer:

I am interested in applying for a Research internship with your organization, the announcement for which was forwarded to me by Ms. Dorothee Heisenberg of the International Studies Program here at Johns Hopkins University. After taking time to research your organization, I am intrigued by the wide breadth of topics on which your research focuses. Also, I find it very appealing that your organization not only researches the security problems of today and the defense issues of tomorrow, but is also dedicated to educating the appropriate audience and implementing novel approaches to promote global security. I have been searching for an opportunity to participate in an internship program this summer with either a think tank or a more action-oriented government organization. The Center for Advanced Defense Studies seems to offer the best of both worlds by providing opportunities for research and the implementation of that research.

My education has prepared me to be successful in your internship program. Through my coursework in the International Studies program as well as the History and Economics departments, I have developed a strong interest in the field of global security. In classes such as Contemporary International Politics and International Monetary Economics, I have learned how fragile a country’s security can be and have studied some of the many factors that can contribute to a country’s safety and stability. In a course I completed on International Law, I intensively studied the case of the League of Nations Mandate for South West Africa, and through this I learned how difficult it can be for a country to achieve security without cooperation between states and international organizations. In addition, as Managing Director of the Model U.N. program on campus, I developed leadership skills through organizing an annual conference for 150 participants. This involved creating and managing ten subcommittees of my peers.

Attached is my resume for your review. I have the desire and enthusiasm to make a difference in your organization. I welcome the opportunity for a personal meeting to discuss my qualifications. Please contact me should you have any questions regarding my candidacy. I will send you an e-mail in two weeks to ensure receipt of my materials. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Ima Student

Cover Letter Sample: Health Policy Full-time Position

1234 Alumni Terrace
Paris, France
March 15, 2013

International Center for Research on Women
1120 20th St. N.W., Suite 500 North
Washington, D

Cover Letters