The Tool Desk
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How should you open a cover letter?
Use the first paragraph to answer three questions: What role are you applying for, why this employer or position, and what relevant contribution can you make? University of Pennsylvania Career Services, University of Victoria Career Services, and Northern Illinois University Career Services all recommend identifying the position and connecting your qualifications to the employer’s needs. Penn’s cover-letter guidance, UVic’s cover-letter guidance, and NIU’s cover-letter guidance also stress tailoring the letter rather than relying on generic claims.
- Name the application: State the job title and organization. If useful, mention where you saw the vacancy.
- Show informed interest: Refer to a real responsibility, program, product, or mission connected to the role. Use a detail you can verify from the posting or the organization’s published information.
- Connect evidence to a need: Preview a relevant skill, experience, or accomplishment and explain briefly how it relates to the job.
Keep the paragraph concise. It is an introduction to your evidence, not a compressed résumé. Develop your strongest example in the body of the letter, where you can explain what you did and why it matters to this employer.
Examples of cover-letter opening paragraphs
These templates are adaptable writing aids, not claims about actual applicants. Replace each bracket with accurate, role-specific details and evidence.
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Experienced applicant
“I’m applying for the [Job Title] role at [Organization]. Your focus on [specific program, product, or need stated in the posting] matches my experience in [relevant area]; in my [current or previous role], I [brief, verifiable accomplishment that demonstrates the needed skill].”
Recent graduate or student
“I’m excited to apply for the [Job Title] position at [Organization] because [specific reason grounded in the role or organization]. Through [course project, internship, campus role, or volunteer experience], I developed [relevant skill] by [brief example], which I’m ready to apply to [responsibility in the posting].”
Career changer
“I’m applying for the [Job Title] position at [Organization] because [specific reason]. Although my background is in [previous field], my experience [brief example] developed [transferable skill] that directly supports your need for [role responsibility].”
Referral or relevant conversation
“After speaking with [person and context, if appropriate] about [specific insight into the organization or role], I’m applying for the [Job Title] position at [Organization]. My experience in [relevant area], including [short example], aligns with your need for [responsibility].”
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Name a person only if the interaction happened and the context is relevant. Penn’s guidance recommends making the reason for mentioning a contact clear.
Unsolicited letter of interest
“I’m contacting [Organization] to express interest in [type of position or work]. Your work on [specific, verified organizational activity] connects with my experience in [relevant area], where I [short example of a contribution].”
UVic describes this as a prospecting letter or letter of interest: state the kind of position or work you seek and why you are contacting the organization.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to choose the right opening
Shape the first paragraph around the application you are actually making, rather than using the same hook for every employer.
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- No advertised vacancy: State the type of position or work you are seeking and why the organization is a relevant place to pursue it.
- Directly related experience: Preview a specific accomplishment that demonstrates a skill the posting asks for.
- Transferable experience: Use a concrete example from study, an internship, volunteering, extracurricular work, or another field, then make the connection to a job responsibility explicit.
- Known contact: Use the person’s name in a professional greeting when appropriate, and mention a referral or conversation only when it genuinely informs your application.
What greeting should you use?
If the hiring contact is identified, address that person by name with an appropriate professional greeting. If you cannot find a name, “Dear Hiring Committee” is a neutral option supported by Penn and UVic. Penn specifically discourages “To Whom It May Concern.” Follow any different greeting or submission instructions the employer provides.
Do not begin with “My name is…”; the employer can see your name in your application. Lead with the role and your reason for applying instead. Keep the tone clear, professional, and genuine, adjusting it to suit the employer without becoming overly familiar.
Quick Recap
Openings to avoid—and how to improve them
- Generic enthusiasm: “I’m very excited about this opportunity” does not explain why this role or employer appeals to you. Add a concrete, verified detail from the posting or the organization’s work.
- Unsupported self-praise: Calling yourself “the perfect candidate” does not demonstrate fit. Name a relevant skill and preview evidence that supports it.
- Résumé repetition: Do not turn a résumé bullet into a sentence without adding context. Explain how the experience prepares you for a specific responsibility in this role.
- Invented details: Never add a made-up result, statistic, employer fact, or referral to make an opening sound more persuasive. Use only information you can substantiate.
- Too much career history: A long opening can bury the reason for applying. Save detailed examples and background for the body paragraphs.
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