To gain a foothold in the ever-competitive professional world, a good application that stands out from the crowd is essential. Above all, the first page of the application, the cover letter, allows you as an applicant to present yourself personally. Here you can score points with creativity and ingenuity, for example with a few unusual hobbies or anecdotes from your career!

Despite all the individualism, however, you should still adhere to a certain structure when writing your cover letter. What exactly this should look like and what other tips we have in store for you for a perfect cover letter, you will learn in the following.

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The correct structure of your cover letter 

This is how you should structure a cover letter for your application:

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• Letter header: recipient address, sender address, date, subject line
• Introduction: salutation, introductory sentence
• Main part: description of the situation, reference to job advertisement (if available), own experience, qualifications, professional achievements and soft skills, and interests related to the tasks and requirements of the job
• Conclusion: salary requirement, starting date, request for interview, closing formula, signature, list attachments if necessary.

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We will now take a closer look at what exactly the individual sections contain.

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How to rock the introduction of the cover letter

First of all, you should greet your counterpart respectfully, just as you would in a conversation where you are sitting across from each other. Your cover letter should therefore begin with a polite greeting. It depends on whether you know the exact recipient or not. Titles such as "Dipl.-Ing." or "Dr." should also be included in the salutation, as this expresses respect for the recipient. 

Examples:

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• "Dear Sir or Madam, ..."
• "Dear Ms. XY, ..."
• "Dear Mr. XY, ..."
• "Dear Dipl. Ing. XY, ..."
• "Dear Prof. Dr. XY, ..."

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You should begin an application after the greeting with an introductory sentence that briefly and succinctly answers the following questions: 

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• How did I become aware of the position?
• What interests me about the advertised position and why am I the right person for it?
• Why do I want to work in this company?

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The answers to these questions do not have to be limited to the first sentence of the application, because two to three introductory sentences can make the cover letter seem more motivated. A longer introduction is therefore particularly suitable for the cover letter of a speculative application, where your own motivation and your conviction of the company are particularly important so that you can convince the recipient/company of your worth. Basically, it should be clear in the first paragraph why you think you would be a good fit for the company. In doing so, you should address your professional qualifications, your professional experience and the characteristics of your personality, as long as they fit the advertised position. It goes down particularly well with the recruiter if you pick up on individual aspects of the job advertisement and "answer" them, so to speak. At the same time, you should not give too much away in the introduction, but simply arouse the reader's curiosity so that he or she wants to continue reading your application. You won't get far with standard phrases; instead, positive, personal anecdotes or surprising things that fit the job offer in the broadest sense are much more interesting. It is important that your own positive qualities such as determination, ambition, etc. become apparent. Despite everything, you should never lose the reference to the company in your letter!

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The most important content of a cover letter is the main body

The main part is the most important part of your cover letter, because this is where you elaborate on the arguments you outlined in the introduction and try to convince the recruiter that you are the right person for the job! This is the most important part, because here is the actual content of your application and thus your very personal business card. 

Basically, the main part of a cover letter is always structured in the same way, regardless of whether it is an application as an educator, in retail as a salesperson, for a part-time job as a temp or for a dual study program. 

First, you should describe your own current situation, i.e. where and since when you have been working in which position and at which company, or even at which school or university you are. 

Next, elaborate on your own qualifications that are relevant to the job. In the case of longer professional experience in the same industry or a similar position, you should definitely elaborate on this, for example by mentioning specific professional successes and your own showcase projects. You should also mention additional qualifications such as further training and seminars relevant to the position. If you are a career changer without any concrete previous knowledge in the respective industry, you should try to find and explain connections between your previous professional activities and the advertised position in your cover letter. 

For temporary or mini-jobs, you are not usually expected to write such a detailed cover letter, but it still makes a good impression if you mention, for example, that you have already had a similar summer job. You proceed in a similar way if you are still a beginner and you do not yet have any real work experience. You can therefore refer to your studies, student jobs, student jobs or internships. In addition, you can mention hobbies, interests and possibly personal projects that are relevant to the job advertisement, because this gives the recruiter an insight into your personality, which can make you seem interesting and likeable.

Finally, you should once again draw a connection to the advertised position and emphasize your own goals and motivation for it. For example, by explaining what you would like to achieve in the position and how you can develop personally and professionally as a result. 

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Last but not least: The correct conclusion of the cover letter of the application

The end of a cover letter should contain your salary expectations in gross for one year and your earliest possible starting date, if the job advertisement asks for this. This is particularly interesting for recruiters in the case of urgent vacancies. 

The final sentence of your cover letter usually consists of familiar phrases that you use to make a polite but confident request for an interview. 

Examples include: 

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• "I would be very pleased to receive an invitation for an interview."
• "I welcome an invitation to meet with you in person."
• "For a personal meeting, I would be happy to come to you." 
• "I am always available for a personal conversation."
• "I would be happy to introduce myself personally."
• "I look forward to hearing from you."
• "I would be happy to interview with your company at any time."
• "I look forward to your feedback."
• "I would be very pleased to receive a positive response from you."

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I'd rather not: 

"I would be very pleased to receive an invitation for a personal interview."

Sentences with subjunctive ("would") seem too uncertain!

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After the request is the greeting with your signature, the exact wording of which depends on the industry, the degree of familiarity between you and the recipient, and your personal preferences.

The most common greetings are: 

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• "Sincerely yours"
• "Kind regards"

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It is better to avoid using too personal a phrase such as "Best regards", as this can seem disrespectful to the higher-ranking person who will be reading it. If you already know the recipients a little better, you can also use a somewhat looser, modern phrase for the conclusion of your cover letter, for example "Best regards". The formula is followed by a blank line, in which you will later write your handwritten signature, and the applicant's first and last name in printed form.
By the way: According to German spelling, there is no comma after the greeting formula! (A comma only occurs here in English).

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That's something to look forward to: Cover letter format and layout

To make a good first impression, the layout and format of your application should be clean and clear, because applications are often rejected because of their unprofessional appearance! The format of your cover letter should therefore fit on an A4 page and not be a multi-page novel. In addition, the addresses should be in the right place on the page and not directly stuck to the body text. In most templates and sample cover letters, the sender's or applicant's name, address, and e-mail or telephone number appear in the first line at the top right. One or two lines below that on the left side are company name, name of recruiter or recipient, and company address. After another line on the right is the current date in the format DD.MM.YYYY or DD. Month YYYY.

Examples of dating a cover letter:

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• 07.10.2022
• October 7, 2022

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You should use this date on the rest of the documents so that everything is consistent and up-to-date. After two blank lines, the subject follows in one line, left-justified. If necessary, you can add another line here, the so-called reference line. It contains the date and the source of the job advertisement you are applying for, possibly with a reference number if available. 

Examples: 

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• "Application for banker at XY Bank".
• "IT Project Manager Application"
• "Application as Chemical Engineer,
  Ref. No. 12345 Your job offer of 07 October 2022 in the Süddeutsche Zeitung."

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The actual text of the cover letter begins after another two blank lines with the greeting or salutation. The text itself should be left-aligned. To ensure that the application is also easy to read, you should write it on the computer in font size 11 or 12 in Arial or Times New Roman, as these fonts look neutral and professional and are also easy to read. A line spacing between 1 and 1.5, as well as the font color black round off the neutral typeface. 

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The layout of the cover letter itself is also important to make a good first impression. You should therefore make a new paragraph for each section of meaning, as this makes your text look clearer and helps your reader to find their way around better. It is common for a cover letter to have four to five paragraphs, so it should not be too long. It is better to avoid a style that is too descriptive or too detailed, as this can quickly become boring or even self-indulgent! In general, you should read through the application again before sending it and, if necessary, shorten the unimportant parts. Remember, do not write more than one page! For example, the introduction and conclusion should each consist of no more than three sentences, while the main body may contain up to five paragraphs. 

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Do not forget: Attachments to your cover letter

So, now you've almost done it, because with the cover letter the most time-consuming part of your application is done, but now it must be accompanied by documents that properly support your statements in it! Here, you provide the concrete evidence that is really convincing! This includes, above all, your curriculum vitae and your school-leaving certificate as well as other higher certificates, such as from a completed training or a course of study. If you are applying for an apprenticeship for which you have not yet gained any professional experience, you can also attach a certificate for a voluntary internship or a student internship that was completed in the same industry. 

The CV shows your professional career and work experience from the end of school until the time of application. In addition, you can attach good work references, if they are relevant to the job advertisement, and reports on successful projects or work samples. Last but not least, if you are not sending the cover letter as an attachment by e-mail, you should not hand over the documents loosely, but in an orderly fashion in a professional application folder. For this purpose, it is a good idea to create a visually appealing cover page with your name and address, as well as the position for which you are applying. It is no longer obligatory to add a professionally taken photo of yourself, but if you want to, you can do it anyway and it may seem more open and personal to the recruiter. The photo can also be placed in the upper right corner of the resume. 

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FAQ

‍Application cover letter- what needs to go in?

In a cover letter, in addition to an applicant's own and the recipient's address and his or her explanation of why he or she is applying for a job, the applicant's own qualifications, personal qualities, and previous work experience that match the requirements of the job should be most relevant.

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How long should a cover letter be?

A cover letter should not exceed one DIN A4 page with font size 12.

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Which application documents belong in an application?

This depends on the job and possibly on the job description itself. If there are no requests for specific attachments in the job ad, an application usually includes a cover letter, resume, and relevant references.

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