OITE Career Services: Guide to Cover Letters

OITE CAREER SERVICES

Guide to

Cover Leers

DISCLAIMER

This guide is to be used as a general overview and cannot take each reader’s own

unique experiences into account. It is intended to be used as a starng point for

more in-depth discussions with mentors, career counselors, and others in your

network. Please bear in mind that, in actuality, there are very few rules and many

dierent opinions regarding cover leers.

Updated August 2015

Guide to Cover Letters | OITE CAREER SERVICES | Ofﬁce of Intramural Training & Education | National Institutes of Health

Overview

Purpose

Your cover leer is oen the rst document an employer sees. It serves not

only as an introducon to your résumé or CV but to you and your wring style.

Take advantage of this opportunity to expand upon your qualicaons.

A cover leer also allows you to:

» Elaborate on important experiences/skills and relate them to job

requirements.

» Explain your experiences through anecdotes that work in conjuncon

with the informaon provided on your résumé/CV.

» Highlight the fact that you took the me to tailor your job applicaon.

» Provide a sample of your wrien communicaon skills.

» Demonstrate your t with the organizaon.

Length

» No longer than one page!

There is some exibility with this rule when applying in academia.

» 3-4 paragraphs

Format

Should be kept in business leer format

(See next page for a sample of business leer format)

Use

A cover leer should always be sent with your résumé or CV, unless the posion

explicitly states otherwise.

Tips

PERSONALIZE

Do your best research to nd out who

you should address your cover leer to if

it is not listed in the posion descripon.

Ulize your networks or call HR to nd

out to whom your leer should be

addressed. Try not to default to “To

Whom it May Concern” or “Dear Sir/

Madam.”

PROOFREAD

A poorly wrien or error-laden leer

will quickly get you eliminated from the

employer's list of potenal candidates.

Take me to review your leer and have

it read by a second set of eyes.

Avoid beginning every sentence or

paragraph with the word “I.”

Demonstrate enthusiasm for the role

and show you have done research about

the posion and organizaon.

EMAIL ETIQUETTE

Most of the me, cover leers are

emailed instead of sent in a hard copy

version. When emailing a cover leer

and a résumé, you have two opons:

1. Write a brief but professional message

basically stang to see your aached

résumé and cover leer for their review.

2. Aach your résumé and copy your

cover leer (in a basic font with

formang removed) into the body of the

email. In this opon, there is no need to

keep the leer in business leer format

and you can delete the address and date.

*Note: When emailing your cover leer,

while it is a nice added touch, you aren’t

generally expected to include a hand

wrien signature scanned in.

Guide to Cover Letters | OITE CAREER SERVICES | Ofﬁce of Intramural Training & Education | National Institutes of Health

Format

Your street address

City, state, zip code

Date

Dr./Ms./Mr. Recipient’s First and Last Name [Note: Not both Dr. and PhD] Title

Organization Name

Street Address

City, state, zip code

Note: This part is

removed if sent in

email body

Dear Dr./Ms./Mr. Last Name:

PARAGRAPH #1

Express interest and explain why you are wring and how you found out about the posion. If you

have a good contact or a connecon with the organizaon, state it here. Also, try to answer the

queson “Why them?” If possible, clarify how their mission aligns with your own.

PARAGRAPH #2

Focus the second and the third paragraphs on two to three parcularly relevant qualicaons from

the posion descripon which highlight that you are a good match for this role. Explicitly list skills,

but be sure to back these up with specic examples of how you obtained these skills and when you

used them.

PARAGRAPH #3

Connue to create your narrave for the employer by elaborang on your qualicaons. Refer to

examples on your resume, but don’t repeat bullet points. Remember to use the second and third

paragraphs to answer the queson “Why you?” The aim: make it easy for them to see that you are

exactly what they are looking for. Perhaps even highlighng how this posion ts into your over-all

career plan.

PARAGRAPH #4

Quickly summarize your skills and reiterate your enthusiasm for this opportunity. Express you plan

to follow up via email or phone within a certain period of me or invite the employer to contact

you for more informaon if needed. Last but not least, thank the employer in advance for her/his

me and consideraon of your candidacy.

Sincerely,

Your handwritten signature (if sending a hard copy letter)

Your full name (typed)

content ps

Guide to Cover Letters | OITE CAREER SERVICES | Ofﬁce of Intramural Training & Education | National Institutes of Health

COVER LETTER SAMPLE 1:

Graduate Student Applying to Industry Posion

123 First Street

Alexandria, VA 20000

June 24, 2014

Dr. C.K. Louis

Deputy Director

Research Agency

Anytown, USA 00001

Dear Dr. Louis:

I am writing to express my interest in the XXX position within the Research Agency Division at

XXX (Position ID: 123456) as advertised on your company’s human resources website. My former

colleague, Dr. Blank, Researcher at XXX, brought this job posting to my attention. This is an

exciting opportunity to utilize my unique skill set in order to support XXX’s mission of providing

innovative approaches to biomedical research.

My analytical skills have been honed during my doctoral training where I have been able to design

and conduct original research in the eld of x. Independently, I developed protocols which detailed

the use of a variety of data collection instruments including a, b and c. Through this experience, I

also had the opportunity to collaborate with other multi-disciplinary investigators from different

institutes. By successfully liaising with other scientists, I was able to discover a novel approach to x.

This ultimately resulted in a featured publication in X.

In addition to my research and communication skills, I have sought opportunities to develop my

leadership skills. This was evident during my time as a graduate student where I served as the Chair

of the Graduate Student Research Committee. I focused on many projects during my tenure as

Chair; the most notable being the implementation of a new graduate student policy and an inaugural

mentoring event. This position strengthened my project management skills and my ability to facil-

itate coordination not only of programs but also of people. During the mentoring event, I was able

to work with six undergraduate students, teaching them a variety of lab techniques. The satisfaction

I gained from teaching and mentoring was immense. It is why I have continued to seek mentoring

opportunities during my postdoc; currently, I am mentoring three postbacs.

I would welcome the opportunity to expand upon my qualications in an interview. I feel my

combined research, leadership, and written communication skills would make me an excellent match

for this role. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. Please feel free to contact me at

[email protected] or (123) 456-7890 if you need additional information.

Sincerely,

Pat Rylee

Guide to Cover Letters | OITE CAREER SERVICES | Ofﬁce of Intramural Training & Education | National Institutes of Health

COVER LETTER SAMPLE 2:

Postdoc Applying to Non-Bench Posion

123 First Street

Alexandria, VA 20000

June 24, 2014

Dr. Sherryl Rockefeller

Program Director

Education Nonprot

Anytown, USA 00001

Dear Dr. Rockefeller:

I was very excited to see the job announcement for the Program Manager at XXX Education. I

learned of this opportunity from conversations at National Postdoc Association meetings. I am

interested in combining my passion for science and my experience in event planning. I feel that this

job offers a tremendous opportunity to make a proactive contribution to the education and career

development issues concerning young scientists.

Your position advertised on the XXX web site is an excellent t with my qualications and experi-

ence. My background includes a successful science career and a commitment to the organization of

events to educate and inform my colleagues. By coordinating a variety of programs in the past I have

obtained the skills to design, develop, and execute programs for career advancement. As a graduate

student I organized a career forum that included speakers from industry, AAAS science policy

fellows, scientic journalists and more. I have successfully developed, coordinated, and marketed

more than ten events for the Biochemistry Department at XXX University.

At XXX Center, where I am currently employed as a postdoc, I have developed my communication

skills in a variety of ways. Firstly, by establishing a Central Postdoctoral Association to provide

a voice and resource to postdocs at my institution. Spearheading this association helped hone

my communication skills as I built relationships with the Center’s administration. On top of my

communication skills, I also have strong presentation skills that would be necessary in this Program

Manager role. I have experience presenting program material on various topics to large audiences.

Scientically, I won a competitive award for a poster presented at the 2014 FASEB meeting. This

award was based on my communication skills and my enthusiasm for the science I was presenting.

I know that my experience could enhance the team at XXX and hope that you will seriously consider

me for this position as a Program Manager. My salary requirements would be between $XX,000-

$XX,000*. This would be dependent on the benets package offered; the numbers of hours required

beyond the traditional work-week; and the opportunity to negotiate for future pay increases based on

performance and experience in the position. I will contact you shortly to conrm that my resume was

received and discuss the possibility of a meeting face-to-face.

Best regards,

Andy Wallace

* Typically, you would not include your desired salary range; however, this posion specically

requested salary requirements.

Guide to Cover Letters | OITE CAREER SERVICES | Ofﬁce of Intramural Training & Education | National Institutes of Health

COVER LETTER SAMPLE 3:

Postdoc Applying to Faculty Posion with a Focus on Teaching

March 1, 2015

Faculty Search Committee

XXX College of Arts and Sciences

Division of Math, Science and Technology

X University

1234 College Lane

Anywhere, MD 12345

Dear Search Committee Members:

I am pleased to respond to the posting for the Faculty of Biology position in the XXX College of Arts and Sciences at X

University. I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute and will serve as an Adjunct Professor

for the undergraduate microbiology course at X College in the spring semester. I received my Ph.D. in Microbiology

and Immunology from the University of XX and have experience with teaching and mentoring elementary-through

graduate-level students from diverse backgrounds. The courses I am interested in teaching include but are not limited to:

microbiology, general biology, genetics, immunology, anatomy and physiology for both majors and non-majors.

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to be able to combine my passion for science with my love of teaching.

During graduate school, I taught an undergraduate microbiology laboratory course for three semesters. The format of the

class allowed me to integrate different learning techniques including active, collaborative, and problem-based approaches.

By teaching the same course several times, I realized that each group of students was unique, and therefore, I needed to

adapt my teaching style to t their style of learning.

During my postdoctoral training, I have sought opportunities to gain teaching experience via attending teaching work-

shops, mentoring a high school student in my laboratory, participating in elementary outreach programs, and teaching a

course at a local college. These experiences have been rewarding and have strengthened my desire to pursue a career in

academia. As a researcher, I do a lot of reading to keep up to date with the literature in my eld. I design experiments for

both myself and my student and am constantly learning new computer programs to run equipment needed for experiments.

I plan to take these practices into the eld of teaching by staying current with the latest teaching methods, designing

experiments for laboratory courses and learning the latest technologies that aid in class interaction and active learning.

My overall research interests have been focused on ABC and the regulation of XYZ factors. My graduate school research

contributed to the understating of XXX. As a postdoctoral fellow, I am conducting research on the role of the stringent

response in the pathogenesis of ABC, an infection that can lead to cancer. In the future, I would like to combine my

graduate and postdoctoral research and study the role of the stringent response in YYY pathogenesis. Specically, I would

like to focus on XXX, all of which have been shown to play a role in the pathogenesis of several species of bacteria, but

have not been characterized. I have access to XXX and my research could be done at X University and would be very

well-suited for undergraduate researchers.

I hope to be a professor at X University so that I can share my personal and professional experiences with students and

help them achieve their academic and career goals, as so many mentors and teachers have done for me. In addition, I feel

that being an active member in the college community is important. Participating in faculty meetings, serving on commit-

tees, inviting guest speakers, etc. are all ways I would like to make a contribution to the growth of the College of Arts and

Sciences, Department of Math, Science and Technology at X University.

I would welcome the opportunity to expand upon my qualications in person.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Sincerely, Name, Ph.D.

Guide to Cover Letters | OITE CAREER SERVICES | Ofﬁce of Intramural Training & Education | National Institutes of Health

COVER LETTER SAMPLE 4:

Postdoc Applying to Faculty Posion with a Focus on Research

June 4, 2015

Members of the Search Committee

Department of Cell Biology

Division of Biological Sciences

University or College

1234 College Lane

Anytown, CA 12345

Dear Members of the Search Committee:

I am writing to apply for the tenure-track Assistant Professor positions in Cell Biology in the Division of Biological

Sciences in response to your recent advertisement in Nature. I am very excited about this opportunity as I share the

department’s research interest in understanding the genetic and cellular basis of X disease. I believe my collective

experiences would strongly complement and synergize with ongoing research endeavors within your department.

My pre-doctoral, doctoral, and post-doctoral training have focused on using multidisciplinary genetic, biochemical, and

cell biological approaches to dissect X of development and X. I received my doctoral training at X University, where I

extensively studied X and Y. While in this lab, I received two graduate awards for my thesis work. One award was from a

highly competitive national competition. Currently, I am conducting my post-doctoral research at the National Institute of

ABC in Dr. XYZ’s Lab where my research focuses on studying the role of X in regulating Y. Utilizing in vitro assays,

I discovered XX which has resulted in the elucidation of YY. The results of this work is currently in press at Cell.

As an independent investigator, I plan to use Y model to study how X regulates Y in the YY process. Specically, I will

use my previous work from X project in order to continue work on developing Z. My long- term goal is to dissect cellular

mechanisms within X and Y. I am particularly interested in the pathway of DEF.

In addition to my research strengths, I have a long-standing and dedicated interest in teaching and mentoring undergraduate

and graduate students. I taught high school, college and graduate level students in a course at the NIH where I served as

the Lead Instructor. I have also sought opportunities to continue to mentor junior scientists in the lab. Furthermore, to

demonstrate my ability to secure extramural funding, I wrote a post- doctoral research grant which was funded by the

Professional Society of X.

I have enclosed my curriculum vitae, statements of research and teaching interests, a statement on my approach to diversity

and the names of ve references. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Sincerely,

Aspiring Faculty Member, PhD

Guide to Cover Letters | OITE CAREER SERVICES | Ofﬁce of Intramural Training & Education | National Institutes of Health

EMAIL SAMPLE:

Postbac Email Inquiry about Lab Openings*

*Use this format to inquire about Postdoc posions too!

address@XUniversity.edu

Inquiry regarding Developmental Biology Lab position from Veronica Maciejewski

Dear Dr. Xu,

I recently graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry from X University. I applied to the NIH Postbac Program

[insert program of choice] and I am writing you because I am very interested in the work your group is

doing regarding developmental biology. I have read several of your recent papers on this topic, including:

Xu et al. Title, Yr and Xu et al, Title, Yr. I hope to one day pursue graduate studies with the aim of

investigating the regeneration of x and y in soft tissue, which is an area your lab seems to focus on.

I have been working in Dr. Lang’s Genomics Lab at X University for the past two years. My research has

involved utilizing x technology in order to assess y results. I have been able to successfully collaborate on

this project which has resulted in a co-authored scientic paper I am prepared to submit shortly.

In addition to my work in Dr. Lang’s Lab, I also sought out summer research opportunities at X Institute.

In the summer of 2013, I was able to work with Dr. Piu. With guidance, I was able to initiate the investiga-

tion of developmental approaches to discover xy and z.

My varied research experiences highlight the many technical skills I could bring to your lab. I am a highly

motivated undergraduate researcher with experience in both dry and wet lab assays. I have attached my CV

which further details my research experience and qualications. I would be happy to talk to you about the

opportunity to join your lab. I can be reached at [email protected] or xxx-123-4567.

I appreciate your consideration.

Sincerely,

Veronica Maciejewski