How to make an inspiring cover letter

You’ve scoured the job sites, found a great role to apply for and dusted off your resume or created one from scratch. Now what? Before you hit ‘send’, it’s important to make sure your cover letter is polished, professional-looking and personalized to that specific company and role.

As with any piece of writing, a compelling headline helps to immediately capture the reader’s attention. You can use bold typography to highlight your name, accompanied by a succinct tagline.

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QUICK TIP: It might sound obvious, but it’s important to clearly include your contact details on your cover letter—especially if you’re submitting via email. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for the recruiter to invite you in for an interview.

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One of the best ways to show a recruiter you mean business is by including a logo in your letterhead. Which will help show them that you take your personal brand seriously (and that they should too!) It also adds to help some visual interest to an otherwise pared-back document.

Using color in your cover letter design is a delicate balancing act. While they can help make it more dynamic and engaging, going overboard can appear unprofessional. One great way to strike the right balance is by layering similar colors.

QUICK TIP: Remember, many hiring managers read hundreds of cover letters every single day. So, to catch their attention, it pays to be different. One way you can do this is by flipping the traditional cover letter format on its head.