A great cover letter can make all the difference to your job application. Cover letter templates can help you to stand out from the crowd and bring in job offers.
The Pros and Cons of Using Cover Letter Templates
Free Cover Letter Templates
The average hiring manager receives hundreds of job applications for every single job that they post. This means that standing out from the crowd can be tough, even for the most qualified of job seekers. A great cover letter can make all the difference to your chances of success and the right cover letter template can elevate a basic cover letter and make it great.
Why Are Cover Letters Important?
First and foremost, a cover letter is an essential part of any job search because it is expected. Hiring managers expect a cover letter with every application. In fact, Forbes reports that 83% of recruiters look more favorably on resumes that have matching cover letters. Beyond this, a cover letter represents an opportunity to provide information that can’t be covered in your resume. For example, if you were only able to provide a brief overview of your most notable achievements in your resume, you can expand on them in your cover letter. As long as you don’t simply repeat the information in your resume, the best cover letter should add value to a job application rather than being just another document for the recruiter to read. Finally, the perfect cover letter will help your job application rank well with applicant tracking systems (ATS) employers use to scan resumes.
The Advantages of Using a Free Cover Letter Template
While the content of your cover letter is important to your job application, cover letter writing is not the only factor at work. The design and appearance of your application letter is also crucial to making a good first impression. A professional cover letter template can provide you with an effective cover letter structure that you can simply enter your own information into.
If you don’t have robust design skills yourself, cover letter templates can also provide you with appropriate design elements to suit your industry. There are templates available for many cover letter formats, too, so you can find an eye-catching option that suits you. For example, if you work in law or medicine, a modern cover letter template will give you the clean-cut, professional appearance that these industries prefer. On the other hand, if you want to work in a more creative or casual role like graphic design, software engineering, web design, or architecture, a creative cover letter template could give you the edge you need.
Whichever kind of cover letter template you choose, the benefits are clear. The main advantages of a using a template for your new cover letter are:
- Creating a cover letter takes less time.
- Create a “baseline” cover letter that can be edited for different jobs
- Guaranteed to meet all formatting requirements
To make the process using simple cover letter templates even easier, you can use the ResumeNerd cover letter builder. You can consider cover letter examples that are relevant to the jobs you are applying for to get inspiration for the content of your letter, too.
How to Customize a Cover Letter Template
Once you have used a professional cover letter template to create a basic cover letter, you will still need to make changes for each job application. Each job application you submit should have a unique cover letter to impress a potential employer. When tailoring your cover letter, whether it's a file that you'll upload on the company’s website or an email cover letter, you should keep these factors in mind:
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Contact information
Ensure that your phone number, email address, and professional portfolio link details are up to date. Update your LinkedIn profile when you start a new job search.
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Salutation
Can you say dear hiring manager in a cover letter? Ideally, you should update your cover letter to address the hiring manager by name. If you cannot do that (for example, the hiring manager’s name is not listed or there is no single recruiter in charge of the hiring process), you can use a professional, generic cover letter salutation like “Dear Sir/ Dear Madam” or “Dear Hiring Manager.” While it is preferable to use the hiring manager’s name, these professional alternatives can be an acceptable last resort.
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Job details
Consider the job description that you want to apply for and use the company name and the precise job title that you have applied for. Give the reason that you want this job, if you can. If it is your dream job, don’t be afraid to say so.
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Relevant skills and achievements
The skills, qualifications, and achievements you discuss in your cover letter should be relevant to the job description you are applying for. Ask yourself what the best experiences you have that you can draw on are.
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Call to action
Your call-to-action statement may not need to change much between drafts, but you should still review it. Something simple like “I look forward to speaking with you further” can prompt a recruiter to reach out to you.
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Sign-off
Ensure that you sign off with an appropriate statement and your full name. Closings like “Yours sincerely” or “Warm regards” are appropriate in most cases.
If you want to make the best possible first impression on a hiring manager, use a resume template that matches your cover letter. Even if it is a minimalist template, recruiters will notice the similarities.
