Internal medicine is one of the most competitive and rewarding career paths in the world today. In addition to your medical skills, you will need to convey to the recruiter your leadership skills, communication skills and ability to empathize with your patients. If you want to land the best roles in the most prestigious hospitals, you will need to write a resume and cover letter that highlight your skillset. This physician cover letter sample will help you to distinguish yourself from other applicants and really kick-start your career.
Cover letter formatting is also important. If you want to make this process easy, you can use the ResumeNerd cover letter builder. This free online tool also offers access to cover letter templates that balance design with proper function, too. Cover letter tools offer you a great quick start to writing your physician cover letter.
Beyond including your contact information with your phone number, email address and address, and carefully proofreading for typos before you apply, here are three main tips you should keep in mind when writing your cover letter.
A medical job search is unlike any other because of the intensity of the job. You need to convince the recruiting manager that you are capable of caring for sick people and providing top-notch healthcare. This cover letter example creates a connection by addressing the recruiter by name rather than starting with “Dear Hiring Manager,” and notes that the job seeker has already worked within their medical group during a residency.
When first exiting residency, you may not have many notable achievements to mention in your cover letter. This cover letter example acknowledges that point by discussing volunteer work, community outreach and work at a medical center. Customize your middle paragraphs to your own experience, but remember that a recruiter is aware of what achievements you would have at that level and not expecting that you have already won awards for service. Hard work and empathy are the cornerstones of medical care so highlight those and other skills prominently.
In a field as competitive as medicine, your confidence will help to make a good impression. This cover letter politely asks for a job interview or meeting. If you prefer a more gentle approach you could simply use the assumptive call to action, “I look forward to speaking with you.”
Yes. Medicine is a competitive field. Even if a job posting doesn’t request a cover letter, you should take the time to write and provide one. Failing to submit a cover letter may reduce your chance of getting a job interview because you missed out on a chance to further explain your achievements in detail.
Your cover letter should be no more than one page in length, but it is preferable to stick to around three-quarters of a page when possible. Hiring managers are busy reading dozens to hundreds of resumes for a particular job posting. You don’t want to be discounted because your cover letter was so long, the recruiter did not finish reading it. Remember to proofread your cover letter before you submit your application to make the best impression.
If the job you’re applying to requires good verbal communication, then yes. Simply customize the content in a creative way that showcases your strengths and achievements. A cover letter is as much an example of your communication skills as proof of your qualifications. Be sure to write in a way that does not simply repeat information from your resume verbatim.
