The cover letter (or letter of interest) is a document commonly required to be included with your resume and employment application. The cover letter introduces your experiences and relevant skills to the employer. It is recommended your cover letter be one page in length and be targeted to the employer and job or internship of interest. To assist with writing a targeted cover letter, review the job or internship posting for position information and requirements. When employers request a cover letter, they are most interested in your writing ability; therefore, spell-check, proofread, and have the document reviewed by a trusted peer/professional to reduce grammar and spelling errors.
This cover letter template was developed to include recommendations for content and formatting to assist you with targeting the document to a specific employer and opportunity. The cover letter template and corresponding sample cover letters are intended to be examples to help facilitate the writing process. Do not copy the content verbatim in these samples as it may negatively affect your application.
Cover Letter Template
Keep to one page and use same font style as resumeInsert Your Resume Heading
Date of Application
Recruiter Name/Organization Contact
Organization Contact Title/Department
Organization Address
(Utilize employer contact information from job posting or research employer website)
Dear Recruiter First/Last Name or Dear Sir or Madam:
Introduction (3-5 sentences)
• State the employer and position of interest, e.g. I submit my application for…
• Reference UT Austin, major, minor, expected graduation date, and/or relevant
coursework
• Discuss your motivation; why are you applying; how does the opportunity relate
to your future career plans; what do you hope to learn from this experience
Middle Paragraphs (2-4 paragraphs total with 3-5 sentences)
(Focus each paragraph on one experience and/or skill)
• Review the job/internship posting and employer website for clues/information on
areas of emphasis and highlight your experiences, coursework, projects, skills that
are the most relevant
• Experiences may be work, internships, leadership positions, student organizations,
community programs, military training, and/or University coursework
• Provide specific and detailed examples of your experiences
• Include successes, accomplishments, and achievements
Conclusion (3-4 sentences)
• Restate your interest, e.g. I am excited about...
• Include a follow-up statement, for example, I will contact you by email/phone the
week of Month/Day to follow-up on my application and questions you may have
• Include your contact information, e.g., please feel free to contact me at (phone) or
(email) to discuss my application and interest in your organization
• Thank the employer for their consideration of your application
Sincerely,
Your Name
Good evening Guest. It's 18 May 2013, 7:41 pm! 
