What Are The 4 Parts Of A Cover Letter

Cover letters are essential to any job application. They should be short, enticing, and tell enough of a candidate’s story that the reader wants to find out more. To write the perfect cover letter, you should include four main parts. This article covers these sections and tells you what to write in each one, along with some essential information you should have in the beginning. What Are The Four Parts Of A Cover Letter.

Essential Information

Before moving on to the four parts of a cover letter, some essential bits of information. These include:

Avoid using the same cover letter for each job. To impress your hiring manager and move on to the next stage of the application process, you should write a unique cover letter for each different company. It would help if you also made your cover letter easy to read and avoided making it longer than one page. 

The Four Parts Of A Cover Letter

Address the Recruiter With Their Name

It would be best if you always addressed the recruiter by name. It’s a way of getting the recruiter on your side and is vital in beginning a new cover letter. If you decide to skip this step and use “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern,” you tell the recruiter you did not do your homework. Not knowing whom you are writing to suggests you did not find out who manages the hiring process.  With a bit of research on the internet, you can usually find out to whom to address your cover letter. It might also be found in the job description, or you can see the person who posted the job on LinkedIn (for example). Keep in mind that some postings are put on LinkedIn by external recruiters hired by the company. 

If you struggle to find a name, you should instead start with “Dear Hiring Manager.” You should then continue to mention the job title, along with the company’s name, in the first paragraph. 

The introduction should look something like this:

“Dear Name/Hiring Manager:

I am writing to apply for the position of (position name) at (company name).”

Address the Company Needs

This is the paragraph where you should focus on highlighting your greatest strengths and how your skills and experience will address the company’s needs. To do this, you once again need to do your homework. The job description and advertisements will, in most cases, highlight what they are looking for in a candidate and what will result in a successful hire. Perhaps the company needs someone who can Perform improvement plan, has industry experience, or has research skills to keep on top of industry trends. 

Companies will also recognize a good fit based on their values and culture. To find out these values, a little internet research should help. Research the company’s values by visiting their website and “about us” page. The more you know about the company, the better equipped you will be when writing to the hiring manager.  You should keep this paragraph to around three sentences, highlighting how you can help the company achieve its objectives.

The best blue-collar jobs of the future include roles in renewable energy, skilled trades like electricians and plumbers, healthcare support, and technology-related positions such as cybersecurity.

Let the Recruiter Know Why You Want To Work At The Company

This is the section of the cover letter where you want to tell the hiring manager how much you want to work at the company and why you want to work at that specific company.  You should not lie in this section; instead, focus on why working at the company will be engaging and fulfilling and why you feel it should be your next step in your career. You might be interested in a specific product, or you might want to work for a company that is a leader in that industry. 

You might want to work somewhere with progression opportunities, or you might want to work for a company with rapid growth. Whatever drew you to this company, highlight it and make it clear to the hiring manager why you want to be here. 

Let Them Know You Expect A Call

One common mistake many people make when writing cover letters is that they fail to provide the correct contact information. The fourth paragraph should be a simple instruction on how the recruiter can contact you. When they want to set up an interview, make it easy. You might also want to let the recruiter know the best times to reach you. This section should clarify to the hiring manager that you are enthusiastic, and you expect a call to discuss the position further. You could add to the end of the letter how you look forward to hearing from them.

You should then thank the recruiter for their time and end your cover letter with familiarities such as “Sincerely” or “Cordially.”

Final Thoughts