Sample Cover Letter: Match Cover Letters to EACH Job!

For anyone who thinks cover letters are merely transmittal documents for the real star, your resume, you’re probably missing out. When you take the time to match cover letters to job descriptions, you increase your chances of getting job interviews you actually want.

If you’re thinking “but automated systems don’t read cover letters”, actually some do. And should you get past the initial screening, a real live human can be won over by a good cover letter. While none of this is for sure, in job search going the extra mile each and every time can pay off.

And a good starting point is the job description itself, loaded with potential key word or key phrase helpers…

Key elements of sample job description

When looking to match cover letters to the job, the job description is your best ally for helping an employer find you. Not only do their words help give you a picture of what they’re looking for, they provide  keyword and kry phrase clues for both your resume and cover letter.

Sample description

Here’s an example of a job description from a recruiter to help guide content and key word / phrase choices for what you send them. I’ve highlighted some important elements that are also addressed in the sample cover letter below.

“Great Jobs International is looking for an experienced health and safety professional to take on the role of Senior Healthy and Safety Officer in our New York City office. You will be expected to help research projects and formulate plans, both independently and along with your team. The ideal candidate has at least 5 years experience leading teams and has worked on health and safety in both the United States and foreign countries. Specific experience in health and safety training as well as a good command of the Spanish language a plus.”

Key elements to match cover letters

Specific to a particular job opening and related job description, you need to select a few key elements to address in your cover letter. Remember that you might get an automated screener or a human screener who doesn’t fully understand the job. So using words the company itself selected will help your screener recognize the match.

Within our sample job description, we find some very useful elements to include in our sample cover letter (and resume):

• health and safety professional
• project planner
• number of years of experience (5 or greater)
• foreign and domestic experience
• team leader with training experience
• Spanish fluency

Sample cover letter (matching job description)

Arlene Jones
555 North South Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(888-888-5555)
Arlene.Jones@emailsample.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlenejonessample/

August 15, 2024

Todd Smith
Recruiters Inc.
100 East West Street
New York, NY 10011

Dear Mr. Smith,

I would like to express my strong interest in the Safety Coordinator position with Great Jobs International as advertised on Indeed.com. As an Environmental and Occupational Health professional, I have 6+ years experience on projects with health and safety components.

Without doubt, safety is essential to a productive work environment and think my background makes me an ideal candidate for this company. I hope you will find these experiences especially relevant:

• • Led local team that trained 70 households in rural Mali on risks to health and safety resulting from unsafe environmental practices.
  • Performed preliminary audits of water, sanitation, and hygiene programs in several South American countries.
  • Assessed FDNY medical records for compliance with evolving pulmonary healthcare standards and took corrective action when standards were not met.
  • Excelled at environmental health and safety coursework on preventing environmental hazards, emphasizing air sampling, water sampling, PPE fit requirements, ventilation, noise, and ergonomics.
  • Fluent in Spanish and French.

I have attached my resume and would appreciate the chance to explore this opportunity with you further. Please feel free to call me at 888-888-5555 for additional information.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon,

Arlene Jones

NOTE:

Resume and cover letter samples are offered as guides. It’s always best to put your own voice into what you create since you don’t want to sound like every other job seeker.

Also, any interesting, positively memorable personal facts related to the job / company / industry can help you stand out. Just make sure to stay professional in what you share.

More posts to help

10 Things I Look for When I Screen Resumes and Cover Letters

How Is a Job Application Different from a Resume?

What Is a Targeted Resume or Cover Letter?

 

10 Steps To Match Your Resume to the Job

What are Automated Resume Screeners?

Cover Letter Basics: What Goes Into a Strong Cover Letter?

 

Can Cookie-Cutter Form Cover Letters Get You Interviews?

Using Keywords and Keyword Phrases on Resumes

Why a Resume Gets Rejected — Even Good Ones!