Cover Letter Worksheet
Cover Letter 101
Your cover letter is not a summary of your resume — it's your first writing sample. For communication students especially, employers are paying attention to how you write before you ever walk in the door. A strong cover letter is one page, targeted to the specific employer, and tells a story your resume can't tell on its own.
Before You Write
One page, always. No exceptions.
Tailor it every time. A generic cover letter is easy to spot and easy to ignore. Reference the company by name and show you understand what they do.
Don't recap your resume. Use your cover letter to add context, tell a story, and show personality — not to list your experiences again in paragraph form.
Proofread before you send. Then proofread again. A typo in a cover letter for a communication role is a red flag.
Cover Letter Structure
Opening Paragraph
Hook the reader. State the role you're applying for, where you found it, and one compelling reason you're the right fit.
Middle Paragraph(s)
This is where the skills-matching exercise below comes in. Connect two to three of your strongest experiences directly to what the employer is looking for. Be specific — name the project, the outcome, the skill. This is the section that does the most work.
Closing Paragraph
Express genuine enthusiasm, reference next steps, and thank them for their time.
The Skills Match
Pull the job posting and identify the three skills or qualifications the employer emphasizes most. Then match each one to a specific experience, project, or accomplishment you can speak to. These connections become your middle paragraph(s).
