College Student
Cover Letter Example

Whether you’re writing a resume as a college freshman or have a couple of years as an undergraduate, having limited work experience is an obstacle as you search for jobs.

But even if you don’t have much experience to highlight, you likely possess valuable hard and soft skills that employers are looking for.

Showcase these skills — and your passion to succeed — in a well-written cover letter.

Our in-house expert, Chloe, provides some tips on how to write a college student cover letter (also known as a resume cover page) that’ll secure you an internship or your first job offer out of college:

And here are some more in-depth tips about writing a college cover letter with no experience:

1. Highlight the skills you gained in college

Even if you have little or no work experience, you still probably have skills for your resume that employers are looking for.

Whether it’s from a part-time job, volunteer work, relevant coursework, or college clubs, you’ve picked up a variety of transferable skills as a student (whether you realize it or not).

Here are some of the skills you might’ve gained throughout your academic career that you can include on your college student cover letter:

Skills to highlight on a college student cover letter

Provide examples of when you used these skills in your cover letter, but only include accomplishments that illustrate why you’re a good candidate for your target role.

For example, if you’re writing an entry-level hair stylist cover letter, talk about how you loved giving your friends and family makeovers when you were growing up, like this candidate did:

When you lack experience, emphasizing your passion about the industry and relevant skills you’ve picked up elsewhere improves your chances of landing a job.

2. Use a proper cover letter format

Formatting your cover letter properly ensures you make the best first impression for what may be your first job.

A disorganized or unprofessional cover letter won’t impress hiring managers, especially if they have dozens of other applications to choose from instead.

A well-written cover letter indicates you know how to be professional despite lacking work experience. It also shows employers you’re serious about the job since you’ve taken the time to make your application look as professional as possible.

Here are tips on how to format your cover letter properly:

• Include an introduction, two to three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• Keep the font size between 10.5 and 12 points (be sure to choose a professional cover letter font).
• Make sure the margins are ½”–1” on all sides side.

3. Open with a strong introduction

Knowing how to write a compelling cover letter introduction is especially important for entry-level cover letters. Because you have less industry-specific experience to highlight, summarize your skills and explain why they’ll help you adapt to your first job out of college.

Here are some tips for how to write a cover letter introduction:

• Convey enthusiasm for the company and the role. Explain why you’re interested in the job so employers know you have the drive to succeed.
• Identify the skills that are most essential to the role and include relevant accomplishments that highlight them.
• Research the company so you can market your talents effectively. Knowing what its long-term goals are will help you write an impactful introduction because you can emphasize how your talents will help deliver these long-term goals in your cover letter.

The following is a good example of how to combine these elements to create a strong cover letter introduction:

In this example, the candidate demonstrates their excitement at the opportunity of working for the company and highlights the qualities that make them a good fit.