Writing a Cover Letter Without Job Experience: Examples & Templates

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This article was co-authored by Shannon O’Brien, MA, EdM, and wikiHow staff writer Johnathan Fuentes. Shannon O’Brien is the Founder and Senior Advisor of Whole U. (a Boston, MA-based career and life strategy consulting firm). Through consulting, workshops, and e-learning, Whole U. empowers people to pursue their life’s work and live balanced, purposeful lives. Yelp reviewers ranked Shannon the #1 Career Coach and #1 Life Coach in Boston, MA. She has been featured on Boston.com, Boldfacers, and UR Business Network. She has a master’s degree in technology, innovation and education from Harvard University. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

When applying for a job, a cover letter gives you an opportunity to impress a potential employer and convince them to interview you for the position. But what if you don’t have experience in the job you’re applying for? If you want, go ahead, but you’ll have to write your cover letter a little differently. This guide explains how to write a cover letter when you don’t have relevant experience. We’ve even included a sample letter and template that you can use in your own job search. Read on to convince a recruiter to take a chance on you, all thanks to a great cover letter.

• Read the job ad carefully and thoroughly research the organization. Consider the specific skills, qualifications, and experience required for the position.
• Explain why you are interested in the role. Discuss your skills and any related prior experience, then describe how they might transfer to the job you’re applying for.
• Emphasize your talents, personality, work ethic, and other attributes that qualify you for the job. Explain why the company aligns with your career goals.

1. 

   Read the job ad carefully and research the organization. Go through the post several times and note all keywords for specific skills, qualifications, and experience. Learn as much as you can about the organization and the work they do. You will use this information to compose your letter in the following steps.

   • List your skills, qualifications, and previous work experience that may be applicable to the job.
   • For example, if you’re applying for a teller position at a local bank, you can list previous customer service experience, money handling experience, and your overall reliability and work ethic.
   • Visit the organization’s website to learn more about their work. For a bank teller position, for example, you can learn more about the specific financial products and services the bank offers.

2. Put your name, contact information and date at the top. Put your name in bold in the upper left corner. Include your street address on the next line, followed by your city, state, and ZIP code on the third line. Finally, put the date below the address.[1]

   • You may also include your phone number and email below your mailing address, above the date.
   • For the best appearance, center your contact information at the top of the letter, just as you would on a resume. If you do, put the date to the left, two lines below your contact information.

3. Place the recipient’s name and organization below their contact information. Skip the row after the date and include honorifics like “Dr.” or “Professor” in front of your name if necessary. List your title or position on the next line, then list the name of the organization or business on the next line. Use the next two lines for the recipient’s address.[2]

   • For example, if the recipient were a professor and department head at a university, you might write “Prof. Emily Smith” followed by “Chair, Department of Physics” on the next line.
   • Align this data to the left, two lines below the date.
   • If you don’t know who will read the letter, exclude the recipient’s name and title. Be sure to include the name and address of the organization.

4. Include a formal greeting. If you know the recipient’s name, greet them with “Dear,” for example, “Dear Mr. Brown.” Otherwise, use “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Hiring Committee.” Place the greeting below the recipient’s contact information (or below the organization’s name and address, if the recipient’s name is unknown).[3]

   • Use a comma after the “Dear” greeting, such as “Dear Mr. Brown.” Use the recipient’s name whenever possible, as it makes your cover letter more personal.

5. Let them know that you are writing to apply for a specific job. Begin your introductory paragraph by stating the job title and the company for which you are applying. Mention the post where you found out about the position. Then briefly explain why you are interested in the position.[4]

   • You might say, “I am writing to apply for a position as an instructor at Lotus Yoga Studio. I found this opportunity on your website.”
   • Then you can add “I have been practicing yoga for several years and would like the opportunity to teach it to students.”
   • If you heard about the position from a specific person, you can mention that person in the opening paragraph: “My close friend, Abby Smith, who used to be an instructor at her studio, told me about this opportunity.”
   • You don’t have to introduce yourself by name, as in “My name is Sofia Romero.” The recruiter will see her name at the top of the letter.

6. Explain how your skills and experience are relevant to the job. Use the second paragraph to discuss specific skills and explain how they can transfer to the position for which you are applying. Explain how the work you did in previous jobs could help you succeed.[5]

   • Use job posting keywords that relate to specific skills. For example, “customer service,” “teaching experience,” or specific programming languages ​​like “Javascript” could be keywords.
   • If you’re a student, emphasize extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and academic achievement.[6]
   • If you are applying for a K-3 math teaching position, you may want to mention your academic performance in math classes. You can also talk about previous experience working with children, such as babysitting or being a camp counselor.
   • Talk about your temperament and work ethic. For example, you could say, “I am patient, kind, and very comfortable working with groups of children in a learning environment.”

7. Emphasize that you are great for the job. Use the third paragraph to explain how your interests, personality, and long-term goals align with the position. List specific short-term and long-term career goals and discuss how working for this organization would help you achieve those goals. Tailor your explanations to the company and position you are applying for.[7]

   • For a sales job, you might say, “I am very outgoing and thrive in fast-paced environments. I also enjoy the challenge of overcoming adversity. For these reasons, I believe I am a natural candidate for a career in sales.”
   • You can also reference the company’s mission and values: “I am impressed with the quality of ABC, Inc.’s products and their commitment to their customers.”

8. Request an interview. Conclude with a concluding paragraph stating that you would like to interview for the position. Reiterate your enthusiasm, skills, and appreciation for the organization. Finally, thank them for their attention.[8]

   • You could write: “I would appreciate the opportunity to interview for this position. I believe my experience and skills make me an excellent fit for this position, and I see a future at ABC, Inc. for me. Thanks for your time and consideration.”
   • If you know the recruiter or their managers by name, you can thank them personally: “Send my best regards to Ms. Rhodes and the rest of the team.”

9. End with “Sincerely,” followed by your full name. Place “Sincerely,” three lines below the last paragraph, left-aligned. Be sure to put a comma. Then put your printed name three lines below.[9]

   • If you are signing a letter, do so in the space above your printed name.
   • Make sure your letter will fit on one page. If it’s too long, consider shortening a few paragraphs, but avoid changing the margins or making the font too small.

10. Review your letter carefully before sending it. Run your letter through a spell checker like Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or Grammarly. Read the letter out loud or use a text-to-speech program to have it read to you. This will help you catch misspelled words or other errors not related to spelling and grammar.[10]

    • Put the letter aside for a few hours or overnight, then read it again with “fresh” eyes. This makes it easier to detect errors.
    • Ask a friend or family member to read the letter and offer feedback. Ask them if any part was unclear or confusing.
    • Double check the job posting to make sure you have covered everything. If you forgot to include something important, add it to the letter now and then correct it again.

11. Save the final letter as a PDF and send it. Use the PDF format to ensure that the format of the letter does not change. Then send the letter by attaching it to an email and sending it to the recruiter or hiring manager, or send it through the company’s online hiring portal.[11]

    • Check the PDF after saving to make sure the format is correct. Check the spacing and font, and make sure the letter will fit on one page.
    • If you are sending your letter via email, please include a subject line such as “Re: Cover letter for marketing position at ABC, Inc.” Write a 2-3 sentence email to introduce yourself. Please indicate the position you are applying for, reference the attached cover letter and include your contact information.

Categories: How to
Source: HIS Education