By Rae Keinan
The cover letter might be the most important part of the job application, especially for those who are switching careers. If you’re entering a new field, your resume will most likely represent your experience from your previous career — which might be irrelevant for your new job search. That’s where the career change cover letter comes into play! This is where you can express your motivation for your new career and explain how you are a great fit for the position.
General guidelines for writing a career change cover letter
- Keep it short: the cover letter should be clear and precise, and it shouldn’t be longer than one page.
- Make it easy on the eyes: take your time to design your cover letter to look clean and formal. (If you’re applying for a designer position, you can add an artistic touch.)
- Make it personal: research the company and tailor the letter towards the specific job that you are applying for, to show your knowledge about it.
- Don’t repeat what you wrote on your resume: build on it and go into detail about experiences or accomplishments that are relevant or similar to current job application.
- Use definite examples: instead of saying “I managed email campaigns,” say “I wrote, designed, and managed B2C email marketing campaigns that had an 80% conversion rate and generated 50 leads for the company.”
- Proofread! Keep editing the cover letter while keeping an eye out for any grammar or spelling mistakes. You might want to consider letting a friend or someone in the industry take a look at it and tell you what they think too.
How to structure your career change cover letter
After you’ve perfected your cover letter, make sure to look at our guide to writing an effective resume. Follow these tips to create a top-notch application that will place you ahead of all the other candidates. Good luck!