The Isenberg Cover Letter - A How-to Guide for Undergraduate

A well-written cover letter is an essential part of your career

toolkit. A cover letter makes a clear, singular argument: why

an employer should hire you. This argument is captured in

the story you share about how you can add value for that

employer. Use the details and strategies in this guide to help

you communicate your story with impact and inﬂuence!

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Ofﬁce of

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ISEnbERG DIGITAl ASSETS

e Isenberg Cover Letter

A How-to Guide for

Undergraduate Students

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

What’s Your Value Proposition?

A value proposition refers to the beneﬁts a company promises to deliver to

customers. Your value proposition is a statement of the knowledge, skills,

experience, passion, values, and commitment you’ll bring to your target

opportunity. In short, it’s a clear statement of what you have to offer.

Your Value Proposition

and the Cover Letter

What’s the connection between a value

proposition and a cover letter? Your

resume provides a comprehensive overview

of your skills and experiences. Readers

can only assume why these experiences

are highlights for you and what these

experiences reveal about your character

and personality. Use your cover letter to

help readers more fully understand how

you have added value in the past and

how you intend to do so in the future.

When we think of cover letters, we often

emphasize form (e.g., margins, font size and styles,

line spacing), not function. A cover letter needs to

look the part, but in our eagerness to follow the

correct form, we forget about function. We forget

that the argument – the “pitch”– is the primary

function. Our cover letters can become simply

summaries of our resumes. The two – form

and function – must join together to create a

compelling argument for our candidacy.

Communicating Your Value

To help you communicate your value in your cover letter story, use this tool to help you identify the

connection between your experiences and your values. Allow yourself to brag a bit. Why are you so

proud of a particular experience? What do you think this pride reﬂects about you?

Maxfield Jones

(413) 123-4567 | Linkedin.com/in/Maxfield-Jones | [email protected]

EDUCATION

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, MA

Isenberg School of Management

Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting Candidate, May 20XX

 Cumulative GPA 3.73; Dean’s List; Commonwealth Honors College

Anticipated 150 Hour Completion: Will complete 150 hours for CPA compliancy December 20XX

Bunker Hill Community College

Boston, MA

Associate of Science in Business Administration May 20XX

 GPA: 3.75

EXPERIENCE

State Street Corporation

Hadley, MA

Global Operations Processing Analyst Fall 20XX - Present

 Process international, federal, and domestic securities transactions (equities, fixed incomes) with 99.6% accuracy

 Identify and research problem transactions (e.g., data quality, settlement details, etc.)

 Resolve any such conflict via communication with fund managers, team members, and external group s

University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA

Resident Assistant

Fall 20XX - Present

 Develop safe community for residents; earned highest "five-star" safety environment rating for dorm

 Enhance residential community by coordinating at least ten social and educational events each semester

 Enforce code of student conduct and university policy consistently and objectively

Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC)

Springfield, MA

Small Business Consultant Intern June - August 20XX

 Advised small furniture business owner on website strategy; increased site traffic by 27% in two months

 Led two interns in orientation meetings with small business owners; increased participants' awareness of services

 Developed cash flow strategies and determined loan eligibility while working with clients one-on-on e

Citizens Bank

Marlboro, MA

Document Handling Analyst June - August 20XX

 Sorted and checked outgoing mail with 99% accuracy rate

 Acquired correct customer information to process mail accurately

 Batched and shipped loans to appropriate servicer, following established protocol

ACTIVITIES

Beta Alpha Psi

Fall 20XX - Present

 Interact with students, faculty, and professionals to foster growth, service, and ethical conduct ideals

 Tutor accounting students five hours per week in various courses

Accounting Association

Spring 20XX - Present

 Attend numerous speaker forums, programming, and social events to increase knowledge of issues, trend s,

and opportunities within the Accounting realm

Isenberg Undergraduate Leadership Council (ULEAD) Spring 20XX

 Developed coffee business, Morning Grind, for Isenberg School community with a team of fellow me mbers

 Solicited over $2,500 through targeted fundraising efforts

SKILLS

Computer: Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access; Minitab; HTML; CSS; Fluent in JavaScript

Language: Fluent in Portuguese & Spanish; Conversational in German

Your Isenberg resume

captures experiences that

required you to use a range

of skills to accomplish tasks.

Measureable results help

show that these experiences

were successful.

Your cover letter tells

a story that uses these

details to share why

you're proud of these

experiences and what

they reveal about you.

Identifying Your Value

Experience

Measurables

Skills

Braggables

Values

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

September 12, 2021

Hiring Manager

Staples, Inc.

500 Staples Drive

Framingham, MA 01702

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to apply for the Marketing Internship posted on Handshake. I am a junior marketing major in

the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, where I am also a student in the Honors College.

My recent marketing internship has prepared me to create and publish social media content and work with

content and HR teams, tasks expected of Staples interns. This internship, as well as my leadership roles at

UMass, have prepared me well to succeed in this Staples Marketing Internship.

Last summer, I worked as a marketing intern for OnePIN, Inc., a global provider of mobile services.

Throughout my internship, I utilized iMovie and FinalCutPro to produce 26 product advertisement videos

featured on the company website; I created these videos in English and Turkish to cater to OnePIN’s

global market. Additionally, I completed industry research for senior managers and outlined a social

media plan designed to boost online engagement. Because of my successful performance, I became a

central voice in decision making regarding advertisements and product development. This internship

taught me how to engage confidently with company executives in all departments, and I am prepared to

engage equally well with senior leaders at Staples on similar type of assignments.

As I did in my internship, I have demonstrated strong leadership as a UMass student. In addition to

working two jobs on campus, I presently serve as Risk Manager for the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. In

this role, I ensure that all Tri Sigma social media reflects our values and showcases our achievements. I

have become especially skillful at vetting social media posts for content and examining our social media

presence objectively, so our sorority makes a positive, public impression. Values count, and you can

depend on me to help promote Staples’ core values with a positive online presence.

My internship experience and demonstrated leadership would make me an asset to the Staples team. I am

especially eager to intern for a company that values sustainability and the lives of its employees. I look

forward to discussing this position further at your convenience. Please contact me at [email protected]

or at 413-123-4567 with any questions in the meantime. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Michelle Jones

[L1] Putting It All Together (Continued)

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Aligning Your Story with Job Posts

Identifying the Reader’s Needs

A job post will often include a wide range

of desired qualiﬁcations. Think of skills and

competencies as one category of qualiﬁcations,

and related experiences as another category.

A third category is values and attributes. Select

those qualiﬁcations that speak to you and

group them separately. Begin to explore what

experiences from your story you’ll use to make

your pitch in your cover letter.

To determine an employer’s needs, you must carefully read and analyze job posts.

This process requires you to identify your reader’s needs and align the story you

will develop with those needs. Your story will include experiences that demonstrate

your skills, achievements, and values.

Skills &

Competencies

Experiences

Values &

Attributes

market

research

social media

planning

project

management

B2B marketing

skills

work in diverse

environments

leadership roles

team leads

team-oriented

visionary

innovative

open-minded

initiative

Experience

Measurables

Skills

Braggables

Values

Summer marketing

internship with

ABC, Inc. (mobile

service provider)

Video production Produced 26 product

advertisement videos

presently featured on

company website

I was a central voice

in decision making with

respect to advertisement

production and placement

Taking on new

responsibilities that

challenge me to

learn beyond my

current expertise

Social media

planning

Industry research

Aligning Your Story and the Reader’s Needs

To determine how to tailor your cover letter for a speciﬁc job post, identify experiences from your own

story that match qualiﬁcations of interest to your reader. You won’t be able to include all your experiences

in your cover letter. The goal is to identify experiences that most closely align with your reader’s needs.

ASK THE ISENBERG EXPERTS!

QUESTION: Must I write a completely different letter for each job post?

ANSWER: No. Many cover letters you send could have similar—if not identical—sentences or sections at

times. However, do not send out generic cover letters. Readers can easily pick these letters out, and you greatly

lower your chances for follow-up. Instead, tailor your letter to your speciﬁc reader and that reader’s needs.

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

Align Your Story with Job Posts

Cover Letter as a Writing Sample

Writing with Flow and Coherence

Tone and Word Choice

Proofreading

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ISEnbERG DIGITAl ASSETS: THE ISEnbERG COVER lETTER

Your Cover Letter as a Writing Sample

”Excellent writing skills.” Many job candidates include this phrase on their

resumes. How can a recruiter determine if a job candidate possesses these skills?

The cover letter provides proof, and employers will use it to determine if candidates

have the writing skills they are looking for.

Cover letter writers must make a wide range

of choices: from arrangement strategies and

speaking points to word choice and visual

layout. Before you draft your cover letter, take

a moment to stop and consider the choices

you’ll make as a writer. Make them strategic.

Leave nothing to chance.

Audience, Purpose, and Use

Pay attention to these key drivers as you

prepare your cover letters:

Audience: A cover letter should

be written with a speciﬁc reader

in mind. A job post includes a

speciﬁc set of reader needs, and

your job is to make a pitch that

responds to those needs.

Purpose: If your cover letter

succeeds, you’ll be contacted

for an interview. A strategic,

well-written argument increases

your chances that you’ll get the

response you want.

Use: Your reader will use your

letter to assess your writing

skills and gain a sense of your

personality. Your reader will also

learn more about your story, as

captured in the experiences and

values you share.

Impact and Inﬂuence

A cover letter is not a formality; busy

professionals wouldn’t waste their time asking

for them were that the case. A cover letter

does something a resume can’t: it tells a

story with impact and inﬂuence. Your resume

describes your skills and experiences, but your

cover letter shares with readers why those

experiences matter and what they reveal about

you. Set yourself apart from the competition

by conveying your professional personality.

You want to become knowable—before you

even meet. If your story is compelling, readers

will be eager to arrange for the next important

step: the interview.

Align Your Story with Job Posts

Cover Letter as a Writing Sample

Writing with Flow and Coherence

Tone and Word Choice

Proofreading

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Writing with Flow and Coherence

You’ve made your argument. Now you want your cover letter to read smoothly and

clearly. Use these guidelines to improve your letter’s readability.

Remember, you’re making a pitch for yourself

as a job candidate. Readers want well-qualiﬁed

candidates, which includes an ability to write

well. Your cover letter is direct evidence of your

writing style.

Paragraph Unity

Use claims as topic sentences in your body

paragraphs. A claim is a completed, persuasive

statement that establishes a clear focus for a

paragraph. Readers should quickly understand

the direction of your paragraph, and a claim

previews the supporting evidence you’ll use

to prove your claim. You achieve paragraph

unity when all sentences in a paragraph

support the singular claim you captured in

your topic sentence.

PRO TIP

Well-written paragraphs make your cover letters more accessible. Readers appreciate

this high skim value. Think shorter, focused paragraphs to accommodate your readers.

See the Sample Cover Letters for examples of strong paragraph unity.

ASK THE ISENBERG EXPERTS!

QUESTION: I always thought that

paragraphs must be 4-6 sentences long.

Is that true for cover letters?

ANSWER: You may remember those

types of guidelines from other writing

courses, and they can be useful. Readers

are unlikely to read lengthy paragraphs.

However, be sure that your paragraphs

have strong unity. Use strong, consistent

claims for topic sentences and support

only those claims to make your cover

letter’s body paragraphs shine.

Weak Claim Strong Claim

Last summer, I completed an

internship with Motorola.

My internship with Motorola gave

me invaluable experience in

B2B marketing research.

I have many strengths that qualify

me for this position.

Because of my numerous leadership

roles on campus, I have developed

strong presentation skills that would

help me succeed in this customer

service position.

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

Align Your Story with Job Posts

Cover Letter as a Writing Sample

Writing with Flow and Coherence

Tone and Word Choice

Proofreading

PAGE 1 PAGE 2

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Writing with Flow and Coherence

ISEnbERG DIGITAl ASSETS: THE ISEnbERG MbA RESUME

PRO TIP

Use strong action verbs to express your ideas in cover letters. Verbs add life to your writing.

See the Sample Cover Letters for examples of paragraphs with ﬂow and pace.

You are the hero of your cover letter

story. It makes sense that you’ll begin

many sentences with “I.” Be careful,

however. You can easily slip into an

“I-initial” writing style in cover letters.

As a result, your writing can become

quite choppy. The solution? Use transitions

to help minimize that choppiness.

Transitions

Use transitions to connect your ideas within

your cover letter paragraphs. Transitions

highlight relationships from sentence to

sentence as you share your story with

your reader. Readers who can follow these

relationships clearly ﬁnd writing more

accessible and easier to follow. Without

these transitions, your writing can become

choppy. Use transitions to generate “ﬂow.”

Avoid vague pronouns (e.g., this, that,

these, those) as you transition from one

sentence to the next in your paragraphs.

Make your relationships as clear as possible

for your readers.

Vague Pronouns Stronger Transitions

I completed industry research for

senior managers and outlined a social

media plan designed to boost online

engagement. Because of this, I became a

central voice in decision making regarding

advertisements and product development.

I completed industry research for

senior managers and outlined a social

media plan designed to boost online

engagement. Because of my successful

performance, I became a central voice in

decision making regarding advertisements

and product development.

Thanks to this internship, I gained a

much ﬁrmer grasp of emerging consumer

trends with respect to food service.

This will allow me to help Unilever target

new markets and drive growth.

Thanks to this internship, I gained a

much ﬁrmer grasp of emerging consumer

trends with respect to food service. This

know-how will allow me to help Unilever

target new markets and drive growth.

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

Align Your Story with Job Posts

Cover Letter as a Writing Sample

Writing with Flow and Coherence

Tone and Word Choice

Proofreading

PAGE 1 PAGE 2

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Tone & Word Choice

“You Attitude” &

Reader Beneﬁts

A strong cover letter tells a compelling story,

and a reader-based tone transforms that story

into a compelling argument. When you write

with “you attitude,” you write with the reader

in mind. You make sure to share with readers

not simply what you can offer or what you have

accomplished, but how your reader beneﬁts.

A sentence written with “you attitude” helps

your reader answer a pivotal question in cover

letters: “What’s in it for me?” Sentences with

“you attitude” work especially well to ﬁnish

body paragraphs, as the writers of these

Sample Cover Letters demonstrate.

Diction

Proper word choice improves the tone in cover

letters. Use plain, direct language to express your

ideas instead of jargon and buzzwords. Especially

avoid cliches; these tired phrases reﬂect tired

thinking and weaken your impression. Are you

a “team player?” Capture the idea plainly: you

“collaborate well.” Do you “think outside the

box?” Go with “think creatively.” Say what you

mean. Avoid the cliches.

Personalize sentences in your cover letter

to create a more persuasive tone. Instead

of writing “I admire your company’s

commitment to social responsibility,”

consider “I admire Microsoft’s commitment

to social responsibility.” Be careful, however.

When you prepare your cover letter for a

new reader, you must revise personalized

sentences. If you forget, you make a poor

impression and risk embarrassment.

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

Align Your Story with Job Posts

Cover Letter as a Writing Sample

Writing with Flow and Coherence

Tone and Word Choice

Proofreading

You’re conﬁdent that your argument will inﬂuence readers, but does your word

choice help you make the strongest pitch possible to readers? Use these guidelines

to keep your argument reader-centered.

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Proofreading

You have written a persuasive, compelling story to share with your readers. Before

you make your pitch, make sure to proofread your cover letters carefully. A cover

letter free of surface errors shows professionalism and increases your chances of

getting the follow-up you want.

PRO TIP

Even if words are spelled correctly in your cover letter, you still may be using the incorrect

version of a word. See “Proofreading 101: Commonly Misused Words” to review frequent

spelling errors that you want to avoid.

Spell-check and autocorrect tools are highly useful proofreading

tools—to an extent. These tools can identify most surface errors in

your cover letter, but missing or incorrect words may remain. Use

these tools to help you proofread your cover letter. However, you

should always read your cover letter yourself before you send.

Typos, Errors, & Inconsistencies

Your cover letter must be error-free. An error-free

cover letter sends readers a powerful, positive

preview of the writing you’ll produce in the

workplace. Readers want to focus on your story,

not on distracting typos, errors, and inconsistencies.

If these distractions pile up, readers may assume

you’re careless, rushed, or simply unable to

produce error-free writing. As a result, readers

might conclude that your messages to future

clients and customers will represent their

organizations poorly. Remember, your cover letter

is a writing sample. Make sure your writing reﬂects

your best professional self. Proofread carefully to

make an optimal impression.

Punctuation

Item Comment

Hyphens Joins two or more words to form

compound adjectives (e.g., full-time

position, short-term goals).

En dashes Signals a partnership or pairing

(e.g., the Patriots–Eagles game) or

expresses a range of information

(e.g., 2–3 weeks).

Em dashes Sets apart phrases for emphasis

(e.g., Directly buying such

properties—rather than investing

in shares—makes us unique.).

Proper nouns Capitalize names of titles

(e.g., President Smith), organizations

(e.g., Aetna, Marketing Club), and

geographic regions (e.g., Northeast

territory). Do not capitalize majors

(e.g., sports management major).

Apostrophes Indicates possession in singular

(e.g., company’s agreement) or

plural (e.g., companies’ agreement)

case. Avoid in plural constructions

of numbers (e.g., 2010s) and

abbreviations (e.g., MBAs).

Use of

numbers

Avoid expressing numbers as

digits in sentence-initial position

(e.g., Twelve employees spoke at

length.). Spell out all numbers

less than 10.

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

Align Your Story with Job Posts

Cover Letter as a Writing Sample

Writing with Flow and Coherence

Tone and Word Choice

Proofreading

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Setting the Stage: Opening Paragraph

You also want to capture this information

brieﬂy. Limit your opening paragraph

to a few sentences, as modeled in these

Sample Cover Letters.

Situation and Purpose

Quickly let your reader know how you discovered

the job post or position. Be as speciﬁc as possible.

If you found the post on a Chase Career Center

resource (e.g., Handshake), let the reader know.

If you spoke with a company representative at

a career fair to learn more about the position,

include that detail. Your reader wants a clear

sense of the situation up front in your cover letter.

In larger companies, job posts frequently include

requisition IDs in job posts; list that information

for your reader’s beneﬁt.

Your reader also wants to know about you: your

major, your anticipated year of graduation, and

your availability for work. Finally, share with your

reader why you are interested in the position.

Forecasting

To ﬁnish your opening paragraph, include a

forecasting sentence that previews the pitch

you’ll make in your cover letter. What are your

major qualiﬁcations for the position: your prior

work experience? speciﬁc skill sets? These

qualiﬁcations will be different for each writer.

A forecasting sentence should give your reader

a sneak preview of your argument to follow.

The opening paragraph of your cover letter is critical. You immediately want to

let your reader know who you are, how you found out about the position, and why

you’re interested in the position.

ASK THE ISENBERG EXPERTS!

QUESTION: The opening paragraph of a cover letter is like an essay

introduction, right?

ANSWER: No. True, the opening paragraph of your cover letter introduces

you as a job candidate. However, the opening paragraph should be briefer

than other portions of your cover letter. Unlike an essay introduction,

your cover letter introduction follows a different set of rules or “moves”:

think situation, purpose, and forecasting.

PRO TIP

See Sample Cover Letters for examples of how

to properly introduce yourself as an Isenberg

student in the opening paragraph of your

cover letter. Never assume that readers know

that you’re a UMass student when you write

“Isenberg” or “ISOM.”

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

Setting the Stage

Making the Sell

Inspiring a Reponse

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Making the Sell: e Body Paragraphs

Think of your argument as a story. To create a

story with impact and inﬂuence, use strategies in

this section to organize and present your ideas:

“Sell-Sell” Strategy

“Hook-Homework” Strategy

“S.T.A.R” Strategy

“Sell-Sell” Strategy

A “sell-sell” cover letter requires you to

select two major qualiﬁcations and write a

paragraph for each. Examples of qualiﬁcations

may include an experience (e.g., internship),

a skill (e.g., social media planning), or a set of

related experiences (e.g., campus leadership

roles). Make sure that each body paragraph has

a singular focus.

The qualiﬁcations you select for each of your

“sell-sell” body paragraphs should reﬂect

your critical analysis of the job post. You

may use the same qualiﬁcations across many

cover letters you write, but not always. Use

the Identifying Your Value chart to capture

highlights from your resume that you might

include as qualiﬁcations in a “sell-sell” cover

letter. This chart can also help you understand

why you select the qualiﬁcations that you do.

“Hook-Homework” Strategy

A “hook-homework” cover letter is a little less

conventional. However, you can still make a

powerful pitch with this strategy. As with a

“sell-sell” cover letter, this strategy consists of

two paragraphs:

• In your “hook” paragraph, you combine all

of your major qualiﬁcations into a single

paragraph. The challenge? You won’t be able

to include that much detail. Avoid turning this

paragraph into a lengthy list of reasons why

you’re a solid ﬁt for the job.

• In your “homework” paragraph, you prove

that you understand the company, the

requirements for the job, and your ﬁt for the

position. A successful “homework” paragraph

requires you to research the company

carefully. Avoid general praise for the

company. Show that you clearly understand

the company’s values and culture, and why

you’re attracted to the company.

The body of your cover letter contains your “pitch,” a chance to show how

your skills, experiences, and interests make you a strong candidate for a position.

You will need to identify your major qualiﬁcations and convince your reader to

take that next step: arrange for an interview.

Do Your Research

Review a company’s website, press releases,

mission and vision statements, employee

proﬁles, ﬁnancial performance—really,

any information you can obtain. Take

careful notes so you can add details to

your “homework” paragraph.

PRO TIP

A cover letter that shows alignment between a writer’s and reader’s values

makes for a strong story. See this Sample Cover Letter for an example of a

“hook-homework” cover letter.

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

Setting the Stage

Making the Sell

Inspiring a Reponse

PAGE 1 PAGE 2

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Making the Sell: e Body Paragraphs

“S.T.A.R.” Strategy

Do you have a particular “episode” from your

life—a shining moment from an internship, say,

or a special academic achievement–that stands

out for you? Does this episode reveal something

about who you are that would persuade

your reader? Consider a S.T.A.R. paragraph

as a creative substitute for a paragraph in a

“sell-sell” cover letter. You could also substitute

a S.T.A.R. paragraph for the “hook” in a

“hook-homework” cover letter. See this

Sample Cover Letter as an example.

S.T.A.R. paragraphs follow a speciﬁc structure:

• Establish the Situation, which includes your

role and the background for your example;

• Describe the Task or problem you needed to

address in this situation;

• Explain the Action you took to manage the

task or problem successfully;

• Discuss the Result of your action and how

that action produced value for others.

Each S.T.A.R. element should be captured in no

more than one sentence. You can even combine

a few S.T.A.R. elements in a single sentence.

Remember, your S.T.A.R. is a one paragraph

substitute for either a “sell” or “hook”

paragraph in a cover letter. Your cover letter

strategy could ﬁt any of these categories:

The “S.T.A.R.” strategy can even be used to

prove how you tackled a problem or challenge

successfully outside of work or school.

This approach is less conventional; think

carefully about why you might choose this

type of episode to build your argument. If

the episode reveals your resiliency, you might

consider this approach.

“Sell-Sell”

“Hook-Homework”

ASK THE

ISENBERG EXPERTS!

QUESTION: May I write more than

two body paragraphs in the body of my

cover letter?

ANSWER: We recommend two body

paragraphs, so your letter ﬁlls roughly

3/4 of the page. Think of these paragraphs

as a “highlights reel:” you can’t—and

shouldn’t—write about everything on your

resume. Under no circumstances should

your cover letter exceed one page.

“Sell-S.T.A.R.” “S.T.A.R.-Homework”

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

Setting the Stage

Making the Sell

Inspiring a Reponse

PAGE 1 PAGE 2

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Inspiring a Response: e Close

The close of your cover letter will sound very similar for each letter you write. Keep

it brief: a few sentences will get the job done.

Make sure that your close is a separate

paragraph. Doing so helps isolate key

information for readers who wish to contact

you to arrange an interview. The best way

to inspire a response? Express a ﬁnal thought

of goodwill and make future action clear,

as writers of these Sample Cover Letters

demonstrate.

• Goodwill – Readers of cover letters are busy

professionals. Thank your reader for taking the

time to read your cover letter. You may also

choose to remind your reader brieﬂy—in no

more than one sentence—why you’re an

excellent candidate for the position. Instead,

you may choose to share with your reader

what you ﬁnd attractive about the position

or organization.

• Future Action – In your close, you should

help your reader answer a key question:

“What happens next?” Of course, your

primary purpose in writing a cover letter is to

receive an interview request. To accommodate

your reader, provide your contact information.

As a professional courtesy, also invite your

reader to contact you should the reader

have any additional questions of you before

a possible interview is scheduled.

PRO TIP

Maintain an optimal persuasive tone to the very end of your cover letter. Avoid

expressions like “I’m anxious to discuss this position further.” Eager suggests

excitement, and anxious suggests apprehension.

ASK THE ISENBERG EXPERTS!

QUESTION: The closing paragraph of

a cover letter is like a closing paragraph in

an essay, right?

ANSWER: No. Avoid any unnecessary

recap or summary of your story. Your

reader does not require the summary.

Instead, thank your reader, focus on

next steps, and provide your contact

information. For additional examples,

refer to the Sample Cover Letters.

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

Setting the Stage

Making the Sell

Inspiring a Reponse

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Your cover letter should conform to full block format. Although other cover letter formats exist,

full block format is the easiest to use, for you never indent any text. Be sure to avoid cover letter

templates. For additional examples of proper format, refer to the Sample Cover Letters.

Formatting Your Cover Letter

ASK THE ISENBERG EXPERTS!

QUESTION: I’m unsure of my reader’s title (e.g., Ms., Mrs.).

How should I handle that situation?

ANSWER: Avoid using titles unless speciﬁcally given in the

posting. In the salutation, use both ﬁrst and last names if no

title is given. Also, only use speciﬁc job titles (e.g., Director

of Human Resources) if they are listed in the posting.

Note: A letterhead is optional and should only

include a writer’s name, email, and phone number.

Use standard monthly format for date

(e.g., September 12, 2020)

Include address if listed in job posting

For the salutation, use name – ﬁrst and last –

followed by a comma; if no name is given, use

“Hiring Manager”

Add a space between all blocks of text

For the complimentary close, use a common,

suitable phrase (e.g., “Sincerely”), followed by

a comma

Add one line space after the close and insert the

typed name with no signature (as shown here), or

add 3-4 line spaces between the closing and the

typed name and insert an image ﬁle of the signature

Note: It is generally not recommended that writers

include contact information below the signature or

make reference to attachments.

Document Design

Item Comment

Margins Use 1.0” standard margins on all sides.

Fonts Select readable serifs (e.g., Times New

Roman, Georgia, Garamond) or sans

serifs (e.g., Calibri, Arial, Tahoma).

Point size Use 11-12 point for main text.

Justiﬁcation Choose left justiﬁcation

to create a “ﬂush left,

ragged right” document.

Value Proposition Writing & Language Structure Formatting Resources

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Isenberg DIgItal assets: tHe Isenberg COVer letter

Putting It All Together

September 12, 2020

Hiring Manager

Staples, Inc.

500 Staples Drive

Framingham, MA 01702

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to apply for the Marketing Internship posted on the IsenbergWorks platform. I am a junior

marketing major in the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, where I am also a student in

the Honors College. My recent marketing internship has prepared me to create and publish social media

content and work with content and HR teams, tasks expected of Staples interns. This internship, as well as

my leadership roles at UMass, have prepared me well to succeed in this Staples Marketing Internship.