When a company is hiring for a human resource (HR) position, the person they’re hiring needs to be able to do their job effectively and genuinely care about the people they’re working with. Employee relations can be a difficult job to pull off well, so it makes sense that a hiring manager would want to be extra careful when interviewing for an HR position. If you’re interested in becoming a human resources manager, assistant or another HR role, here are writing tips and an HR cover letter example you can use to improve your cover letter writing.
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Begin your human resources cover letter effectively by ensuring that you address the cover letter to the hiring manager directly. You can typically find the hiring manager’s full name by checking the job listing, looking at the company’s profile on LinkedIn or by calling the company and asking for the name. This will make your cover letter look more personalized and less like a form letter. From there, you can move on to writing the perfect cover letter.
In the first paragraph, you need a hook so the hiring manager keeps reading. A recruiter will typically get dozens, sometimes even hundreds of applications for a single human resources job. If you want the hiring manager to read your entire cover letter, you’ll want to catch their attention from the first sentence. This applicant opens by stating that she has almost 15 years of experience.
In the second paragraph, you’ll go through more reasons why you’re the right person to hire for this job. Lean into metrics as much as possible. Numbers are a great way to show why your skills are genuine and would be a helpful addition to the company’s numbers. You can mention other work experience and even add bullet points below this paragraph if you have more relevant information to include.
In the third and final paragraph, you’ll re-emphasize exactly what makes you the right person for this job description, then end with a call to action, asking for a job interview. In this situation, the applicant states that she’s been successful in positively impacting employee experiences, then states, “I look forward to speaking with you.”
It’s always a good idea to write a cover letter, whether the job application specifically requests one or not. Part of your job search should be ensuring that the hiring manager has as much information as possible to see why you’re the best HR generalist for the job. While professional resume examples can be great in showcasing your skills, cover letter templates show you how to provide more information about why you’re the right human resources professional for the job. The ResumeNerd cover letter builder is a great way to create a cover letter.
One of the most common cover letter tips has to do with the length of your cover letter. Remember, hiring managers have to read through dozens and sometimes even hundreds of applications for every new employee they want to hire. That means you need a cover letter long enough to cover your skills, but short enough that the hiring manager wants to read it. A professional cover letter is usually between half a page and three-quarters of a page long, or about 250-350 words.
It can. The most important point to remember is that an HR expert will typically need some amount of experience to get the job in the first place. However, if you’re looking to write a human resources assistant cover letter, you may not have as much experience beyond perhaps a bachelor’s degree in a business management area. In these cases, you’ll want to emphasize your skills, knowledge and experience in related areas. You can also include internships and volunteer work.