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How to Write a Cover Letter: 10 Easy Steps & Tips

Your cover letter is often the only thing that recruiters read during the first round.  It’s not because they don’t care, it’s because they have to decide whether you make it through to the resume reading stage or not.  As such, you’ll want to put some time and effort into your letter cover and make sure that you are going about it the right way.  Here are some steps to use to help you, and some general tips to help you make it pop out (in a good way) against the competition.

10 Easy Steps to Write a Cover Letter:

There are some general steps that will help you make sure that you’ve thought about, and planned, each stage of the cover letter itself.

1. Use a template: There is nothing wrong with using a template to help you out.  There are all sorts of options out there that will help you get justifications, paragraphing, font and more right without you having to mess around with the formatting yourself.
2. Find examples: Also take the time to read through a bunch of cover letter examples before you start with yours.  It’ll help you learn some of the general tone and language to use and it’ll make your cover left draft that much easier.
3. Get the header right: When it comes to actually start your cover letter, the first thing to think about is the header.  This has your contact information as well as that of the company you are applying for.  Make sure there are no typos or errors in either section. Recruiters will scan it.
4. Use a personalized introduction: Make sure you take the time to figure out the recruiter’s name.  It shows that you are really interested in the job opportunity and that you are applying for.  It also means that you’ve taken the time to get to know the company, the staff, and other information online,  In short: it shows you’re interested.
5. Create an engaging first paragraph: The first paragraph — particularly the first sentence — is what is going to pull them into the rest of the cover letter.  The paragraph should highlight your successes in similar positions before.  It should also show them that you’ve been just waiting for those job opportunities to open up so that you can slot yourself in.
6. Explain why you’re a fit for the job: Explain relevant past experience in a job position and give them quantifiable results that will show them just how good you are.  Keep it sort of bragging, but don’t be afraid to use those real numbers and statistics.
7. Express how excited you are to work for them — professionally: While keeping your tone professional, make it clear that you’re a genuine fan of the company and you can’t wait to work with them.  Explain what you like about the company and about how you are looking for that in your job search.
8. Close strong by showing how you add value: Finish it by reminding them how you can bring your skills and passion to the position.  This should be re-iterating your points above, essentially, and bringing them to a final close with a “let me help you” kind of approach.
9. Use the proper ending salutations: Go with a formal but not-stilted ending salutation to the letter.  For example “Thank you for your consideration” or “Best regards”.
10. Make use of a postscript for a little extra tidbit: While PS doesn’t look professional, it’s a great trick to add a little bit of “hush-hush” detail that they don’t want to miss (special skills or a particularly impressive statistic).  It also will draw their eye, so make it worth their time to read!

This will help make the cover letter for a resume as strong as possible.  All of these factors will work together to form a great introduction so that they can’t wait to read your resume.

Tips for making your cover letter pop:

For a little extra detail to help make all of those sections even better, here are some reminders. 

• Focus on strengths and not what you’re missing: A lot of us want to apologize for the things we’re missing.  We’ll say “Even though I only have 2 years of experience…” and it’s a drawback.  You can still say the same thing, but you should frame it differently.  “In the past two years, I have…” for example.

• Don’t be too formal: We all want to be professional, especially when the writer covers letters for a big job, but don’t come across as stilted.  Omit the “thus” and “therefore”.  Use professional language, but keep it approachable too — just like you would in an interview.  Better yet, take a look at their online presence and mimic the tone they use. 

• Be bold and forward: We all need to be bold and forward about showing ourselves off.  If you aren’t going to show what you can do in a job application for your dream job, then when?  Your cover letter is the place to show off your skills and talents and accomplishments.  That’s what they’re looking for, after all.

Try our Free resume builder to create Job winning resume in just 5min.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Your cover letter format should be professional, detailed but still not too long.  Ideally, go for 100-300 words and always try to keep it on the shorter side, wherever possible.  This will show the recruiter further respect, as you aren’t trying to waste their time with filler content and unnecessary sentences.            

Still, need some help on making sure that your resume is ready to go in the best form it can be?  Take a look at our resume builder and see just how it can give you the confidence that you’re looking for.  It is fast to use, easy to navigate and input with your own information, and it will help you to see just how good your resume can look.  All of the professionalism and none of the stress!  Your dream job awaits you, and the right cover letter will help get your foot in the door.

How to Write Work Experience on a Resume: Tips for 2025

We all know that work experience needs to go on a resume no matter what kind of resume format you choose.  That being said, there is an art to listing work experience on the resume and it’s not something that is often thought about when even an experienced resume writer sits down to refine a resume for the position in which they’re applying.  If you’re ready to make sure that you get that experience section right, here’s what you’ll want to keep in mind.

What does the work experience section do?

Before we can take a look at the actual format and content when it comes to the work experience section, it’s important to understand why you’re listing work experience in the first place.  Sure, it’s to show that you have worked at a company for more than 2 months, but that’s just the start.

This section on your resume is going to show what you’ve accomplished within the various jobs that you held.  How long did you stay?  How long did it take you to find another job?  What kinds of roles did you fill within the job?  Are any surprising considering how low or high up the company ladder you were? 

This is where all of that is going to be listed in proper format and depth.  It’s also incredibly important to get it done right, whatever that means for you in particular.

What to include in the work experience section:

Now that you can truly appreciate the importance of this experience section, here are some critical details to make sure that you always include within the section:

• Quantifiable information they can follow up on: Within each position, you don’t want to simply describe the role that you are filling.  The recruiter already knows what a teacher’s assistant does, for all.  Use quantifiable information such as statistics to show off what you did for your employer within the role.  Did you boost test scores?  Did you help improve attendance rates?  Whatever you put should be quantifiable and, of course, easy to follow up on.

• Training and certifications that show off your worth: Within the position, you can go ahead and list certifications as well as any kind of award or notable mentions that you got within the role.  These will not only show your dedication to the role, but they’ll also be helpful within the role that you’re applying for now and that you don’t simply show up to work and do your job.  You strive to do the best possible job you can.  Showing off these certifications is a way for you to say that without actually, you know, coming right out and saying it.

• The job title, company, location, and dates employed: They seem like monotonous details, especially if they’re all local companies and positions.  That being said, they show that you are taking the section seriously and that you can move around the community to take on different roles as needed.  Make extra sure that you don’t have any typos, either, as it implies that you aren’t paying very close attention to the official details.  An experienced resume is going to have several jobs listed here and having them all with their own details in the company, job title, and position as it changed, are important to show your progress.

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Tips for your work experience section:

With that context in mind, let’s take a look at how you actually list that job experience in a way that is going to be comfortable for recruiters to read and also unique enough that it makes an impact.  Here are some reminders to help you make each position pop on your resume:

• Limit it to 3-6 bullet points: Once you’ve got the position and company and location all listed, you’ll want to take the time to properly put a description into the entry in the form of bullet points.  While some use standard sentences, you should go with the bullet point approach,  They are fast to read and your recruiter will enjoy the ease of browsing.  Keep the bullets short and sweet and stay between 3-6 points per entry.

• Focus on active and powerful verbs: When listing your job description stay way from pronouns and filler words.  Use active, unique and power verbs that imply action and encouragement.  If you need to use the help of a thesaurus, that’s okay. Just rely on functional words within the description that imply movement and work ethic.

• Work in keywords: It’s important to keep the texts short and sweet.  But, when listing previous work experience, try to work in keywords from the job in which you’re applying for.  If they use the word “organized” in the listing, trying to use it in part of the description of a past position if it fits.  This will help them see that you do have the experience that they’re looking for.  On that same note, though, don’t over-stuff the keywords.  Just pick a few and use them sparingly.

When you are listing your job experience, you’re doing more than just listing your job experience in itself.  You want them to see why it matters and that you are as good for the position as you know you are.  While the other parts of your resume are important and should get focus, make sure that you give the proper focus and time and effort to the work experience section too.  Take a look online to find examples of resumes and read through different types until you get a true sense of what you’re looking to create.  You’ll love the confidence it’ll give you and it will come through in helping you to put into action a true impactful resume that will show you off in all of the right ways.

You deserve to get the job you’re applying for, and preparing the work experience of your resume is going to be a huge part of making sure that you get the best chance at getting their attention for the right reasons.

Frequently Asked Questions

What To Include in a CV: Tips for 2024

When you apply for a job, the CV that you send off with your application is going to determine whether or not you make it through to the next round.  While we can’t necessarily change the things that are on (or not on) our CV, we can absolutely make sure that what we are presenting is the best possible version of itself.  If you need a little support, here’s what you should know about your CV format.

What is a CV?

This is the abbreviation of curriculum vitae and it means that you are highlighting your experience and accomplishments as they pertain to the job in which you’re applying.  This is very similar to a resume, but a CV is typically what is used outside of North America in job applications and formatting explanations. 

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The absolute must-haves in your CV

There are a few types of CVs out there and you can decide what format to choose based on the information that you’ve got to put on it (or lack there-of) as well as the position for which you are applying.  Here’s what you will always need to make sure is present:

• Your contact information: At the top of every CV template and example that you see is the contact information.  This should be accurate, up to date and, of course, typo-free.  Make sure you choose channels that you are comfortable being contacted on. 

• A succinct, polished professional statement: A professional statement should also be near the top of the CV.  You’ll want to focus this on who you are, what you are looking for, and why you make a great candidate for the job.  This should be no longer than a short paragraph. 

• A section with your core skills and abilities: Make sure you include professional skills as well as abilities.  This should be focused on the ones that are most relevant to the job, of course.  Work from most relevant to least relevant.

• Past work experience and why it matters: You’ll want to also include professional experience on the CV.  This shows what you’ve done as well as why your potential employer cares about it (what you learned from it that you can now take to them).

• Education and certifications: You’ll also want to take the time to list your education (including high school if relevant) and any associated certifications or awards that will show them how dedicated you are to doing things properly.  It should go without saying, but don’t fudge details that aren’t accurate.  If you didn’t get a 3.7 GPA, don’t say that you did.  Those details can be fact-checked and will immediately disqualify you if you fudged them.

Try our Free CV builder to create Job winning CV in just 5min.

Tips to help with your CV format:

Other than making sure you’ve got the right skills and professional experience listed, there are also some details that you should think about simply in the formatting and the form of the CV itself. 

• Try to keep it to 2 pages or less: When you’ve got al long list of skills, professional experience, and education, your CV can be upwards of 3 or 4 pages.  While it’s great to see your accomplishments all laid out like that and it is important to note, it’s also important that your CV, you know, gets read.  Since recruiters are busy and don’t have time to flip through all 4 pages, you’ll want to do your absolute best to keep it to 2 pages or less. If it must be 3 pages (that is the unofficial maximum), make sure you’ve got all of the critical details on pages 1 and 2 just in case they don’t get around to page 3.

• Keep the format simple and sweet: The format that you use is also recommended to be simple and to the point.  No fancy fonts or flowery language.  This is intended to tell your core details and important features that make you useful to them.  They will not (and should not) appreciate how pretty your CV looks.

• Research the different kinds of CV: Just like a resume, there are different kinds of CVs that you can create.  A chronological resume is a carefully organized roadmap of where you’ve been in terms of work experience and education.  This is great for those that have targeted experience and want to show it off.  It’s not so great for those that have work gaps or don’t have much experience in the field of the job they’re applying for.  A functional CV is going to put its effort into how you’re useful to them regarding skills and certifications, education and a few work details.  The focus is more on you as a professional person rather than your work history.  Lastly, a combination CV helps you combine work experience with a chronological appeal to the functional form and play both against each other to show them that you’re the real deal in all of the important features.

• Use a CV template: When you’ve chosen a CV format and the time is now to actually put it together, do yourself a favor and use a CV template.  There are all sorts around and you’ll be able to use it to guide you in making sure that one part isn’t too big or too small or that it looks strange or, even worse, it’s unprofessional. Templates are available in a few forms, too, so that you can get the one that looks professional but still feels like you.

Give yourself a leg up on the competition by putting together a CV that is honest, authentic and exactly what the recruiter is looking for.  You know that you’re the best person for the job and if you put that kind of enthusiasm and focus into the CV in all of its details, you’ll convince them as well, and that’s what applying for a position is all about.  Put the proper effort into your CV and it’ll get you to the next stage of interviews faster than a little extra padding would

Frequently Asked Questions

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How To Write A Personal Statement in a Resume

How To Write A Personal Statement in a Resume

Resumes are fantastic when you know how to format them. Past job experiences, education, and certifications, special skills, they all matter. But what often gets pushed to the side is that tiny little section between your contact details and your past work experience. This is known as the personal statement or the career statement, depending on what format or template you use.  Do you omit that section completely from your resume because it seems to useless?  You aren’t the only one, but it could be hurting your chances.

What is a personal statement?

The role of the CV personal statement is to help recruiters understand who you are, what you can do for them, and why they want to hire you instead of the other guy. It’s designed to be short and sweet but chock-a-block full with all of the information that makes you a good candidate.

There are thought to be three main sections of a personal statement. The first section introduces who you are as a professional.  The second section shows how you can be useful in the role they are hiring for. The third section will help them to see what your goals are if they hire you.  Are you a long-term solution or just something who is looking to gain some experience and then pop off somewhere else?

The personal statement will tell the recruiter, in a nutshell, whether the rest of the resume or CV is worth reading or not. It often can be the only thing that they read. As such, if you don’t even have one, it may immediately put your resume on the “no” pile.

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How do you format a resume statement?

Now that you know the importance of this resume statement, it’s time to make sure that you are formatting it the correct way to make for easy scanning of the right, intended information for both you and the recruiter.  Here are the details to remember.

• Make sure all 3 parts are present: You need to make sure that you’ve addressed all their parts properly in 1 sentence per section (2 at the very most):
  • Who you are: Why are you important to them as an individual?  What part of your career and field do you like?  These are details to include in this sentence.
  • Your importance to them: That’s all great, but why should they care?  What achievements do you have that make you the ideal candidate for the position?  Use this sentence to highlight the most relevant details.
  • Your goals: Make it clear what you’re looking for. Do you want short-term or long-term?  Part-time or full-time?  All of this matters and it should be in the last part of your introduction.

• Choose a first or third person to match the rest of your CV: You can choose between writing in the first person, “I” or third person, “s/he”.  If you decide on the latter avoid the actual pronoun of her or him.  Frame it so that there is no pronoun needed.  After all, they know who you are already.

• Consider tailoring it per job (and per position): You don’t have the space or the time (from the recruiter) to address the position that you’re applying for, so make sure that you write a fresh one of these for every single position.  It’s excellent practice and the fact that it is tailored will show up to the recruiter — in a good way.

Details to remember when creating your career statement:

Now that you understand its importance and how to go about creating it, it’s time to do just that.  When you sit down to actually put this important introduction together, here are some details to keep in mind to help it stand out as well as make the writing process itself a little easier.

• Short and sweet: This was stated above, but it’s important enough to put here.  This statement should be between 50-200 words.  Ideally, closer to 50 if possible.  The focus on this is to give your recruiter a quick read. If you go on for sentences and sentences, even if you have the best intentions, they’ll simply toss it aside and move on,  Harsh, yes, but certainly the truth.

• Give yourself time to adjust: It takes time, patience and practice to nail a resume statement.  Give yourself time to get used to making them. Practice as much as you can and don’t be afraid to take a look at the many, many samples online to help guide you if you don’t know where to start.  The more you practice, the stronger it will be.  This will all do good things for your resume as a whole as well.

• Easy on the keywords: While including keywords is always good in an introduction, don’t go overboard.  Use a few select keywords directly from the job advertisement and then let the other ones (“self-motivated”, “professional”, etc) ones slide.  The only ones you should use are the ones that pertain specifically to the job application itself.

• Make it you: While it’s important to hold a professional tone and to keep it focused on the job, don’t make it too generic either.  Ir should reflect you as a professional and you as a person.  Something that reads like it’s copied out of an SEO guidebook isn’t going to go over well with the recruiter, as they’ll feel as though they are just being told what they want to hear.

Your resume is important from top to bottom, including its personal statement.  These tips will help you make the most out of the small section so that the hiring committee can see that you are dedicated to the job, excited about applying and that you are qualified. Since most of them spend less than 10 seconds reading resumes during the first round of cuts and considerations, it could be just what gets you to the next stage, then an interview, and, ideally, the final job position itself! 

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is a Functional Resume?
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Chronological Resume Format: Writing Guide & Tips

What is the Chronological Resume Format?

Without question, a chronological resume is the most commonly used option when job hunting.  Sure, it’s one of many resume formats, but this tends to be the one that you learn about in school or post-secondary institutions that help you prepare for the commercial world that is waiting for you.  But what do you actually know about it?  Are you using it in the best way for your job prospects?  Here’s what you should know about the chronological resume format and how it can best work for you.

What features does a chronological resume have?

This resume, as the name may tell you, focuses its power on the story of your life throughout the years.  This resume emphasizes your work history, going from the most recent job and working its way back to the first job you ever had.  This gives your potential employers an easy, detailed look into your work history and helps them understand what positions you’ve held as well as for how long.

There is also a section for your education, also listed in reverse chronological order. There is space in this area to outline the focus of your degree(s) as well as emphasize how high an academic level you achieved as a whole (B.A, M.A, Ph.D., etc). 

At the bottom, there are a section for special skills and/or achievements.  You can list (also in reverse chronological order) any academic or work-related achievements that you think might interest in your employer.  The skills area is intended to be short and sweet, targeted to the job position that you’re applying for.

How is a chronological resume effective?

As mentioned, the chronological resume format is thought to be the most popular used in schools, entry-level jobs, and even higher-level positions.  If it’s that popular, there’s got to be a reason or two, right?  Here are some of the biggest ways in which this format can be effective in helping you land your job.

• All work and educational experiences are laid out for potential employers to see: Whether good or bad, an employer will be able to learn a lot about how helpful you could be to their company by taking a look at your work history and experience.  If you are someone who jobs hops, it might be a red flag.  However, if you’ve held similar positions in a few companies over the years, it could be a huge asset.  Showing that you’ve worked several jobs is always good, too.  It shows that you have initiative and that you can hold a job for more than 2 months.

• It gives you a place to put your education in detail: While it isn’t at the top of the resume, there is still a large section for your education.  If you are someone with a few degrees, especially those that are related to the positions of which you are applying, this will give you the space to list degrees, educational focuses and even GPA, if applicable.

• It’s their favorite: Those who are reading resumes to hiring someone don’t want to waste time trying to figure out what you’ve got on a resume when it looks different from the others.  As such, some recruiters will actually hire someone in part due to the use of this resume style.  They can scan work experience quickly and see what they need to and then add you to the maybe pile.  That’s not to say that you have to use this format to get a job, but it is a detail to think about.

Create your professional resume for free using our resume builder!

How to make your resume the best it can be:

Since recruiters and hiring teams are used to seeing a chronological resume, you won’t stand out from the crowd.  While it can mean that you will be considered along with everyone else, it can also be a bad thing because, well, you are being considered along with everyone else.  It’s important that you do what you can to make your resume stand out.  Here are some chronological resume tips that will make your pop and stay memorable even amongst the sea of others.

• Cherry-pick your past jobs: While the focus on reverse chronological order is on your employment history don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to include every single job on your resume, especially if you’ve worked quite a few.  For example, if you’re applying for a mid-level position in a law firm, they don’t care that you were a paper carrier 15 years ago. 

• Tighten, tighten, tighten: When you are listing your previous jobs and the brief explanations that go with them, make sure that you keep them short and sweet.  Include only the critical details and cut out anything that isn’t necessary for respect and comprehension of the job you’ve done.

• Choose a template: To help with detail, spacing and heading use, find a template to help you out.  Since this is the most popular resume format, you’ll find tonnes and tonnes of templates online.  Choose one that feels right for you and allow it to guide you on what goes where, what gets bolded, etc. 

• Don’t leave a section for references: This is a detail that most people don’t even know about.  This kind of resume speaks for itself, so do not create a section for references or even have a statement in there about having reference information on request.  When you get the interview for the company, bring your reference information with you so that you can offer it to them then if they request it.   You can still be prepared o give it to them without actually giving it to them.

You are a hard worker and you’ve put in the time at other companies.  This effort and focus will show up with the use of the chronological resume if you use the right tips and guidance to help you make the most out of it. These should help you certainly get to the maybe pile and hopefully the job!

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Articles:
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What is a Functional Resume?
Best Resume Formats