Cover Emails & Letters

Your cover email or letter should give an employer one or two compelling reasons to read your resumé and should open the door to an interview

Most career advisors recommend that you always send a cover email or letter with a resumé.

Creating effective cover emails and letters

• Use a computer. For printed cover letters, use good quality paper.
• Keep the message short and simple. See a template.
• Address the letter or email to a specific person. Ask the employer if you don’t know who to send it to.
• Write the way you speak. Avoid stuffy or formal expressions, e.g. enclosed please find.
• Limit sentences starting with I.
• Be enthusiastic—show that you’re interested in the job you’re applying for.

See sample letters in word document and email format:

Cover letter examples
Cover letter template 

Email example
Email template 

Sending your resumé as an email attachment

• If the employer asks for a cover letter, include it as the first page of your resumé. Your resumé pages will be numbered but your cover letter should not be.
• If the employer doesn’t ask for a cover letter, regard the email as the cover letter.
• Beforehand, email your cover letter and resumé to several friends to be sure the documents retain their formatting and read well on a variety of computers.

How to submit your cover email or letter and resumé online.