Cover Letter Sample & Template
Sample
Mina Behrens
[Address optional
801-235-1235]
November 27, 2021
Dr. Henry Johnson [If no name found, Hiring Manager + position name]
Director, Polymers Research Group [if not found, skip]
Polymera, Inc.
2233 Sycamore Blvd.
Boulder, CO 80303
Dear Dr. Johnson: [or Dear Polymers Research Director, or Dear Hiring Manager, Scientist II]
Request to Interview for Senior Scientist II Position
I am currently completing a postdoc in xxxxxx xxxxx, and my PhD is in Xxxxxxx with an emphasis on polymer research. What particularly interests me about your position is that Polymera leads in the particular field of biopolymer research and development, an area to which I can contribute my expertise and specialized skills.
My qualifications meet your requirements, as indicated in the following points:
- 3 years managing scientific research: Reorganized our lab in ways that optimized workflows as well as vendor relationships and tracking of supplies and materials.
- 5+ years’ polymer research experience: Developed model for analyzing structure-property relationships in polymers. Characterized hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers. Conducted degradation studies of biopolymers.
- Led and trained two interdisciplinary research teams, collaborating with organizations such as NIST to improve product yield and performance. Managed communication among all participating teams, leading to the successful completion of projects on time and within budget.
- Led 3 projects reducing and analyzing massive sets of research data, identifying key information and implications. Demonstrated advanced data science and design of experiment skills. Modified research plans, and adapted quickly to new research environments.
- Modeling, simulation, and analytical skills: MATLAB, Visual Basic, Origin, and sputtering techniques.
My extensive leadership and research experience in polymer research and specialization in biopolymers make me an excellent fit for this R&D position, and I look forward to discussing the position further with you.
Respectfully submitted,
Mina Behrens
Your cover letter can have more detail, but should still fit on one page. The common industry formatting above makes it easy to read, and they can see the candidate's main qualifications at a glance.
In industry and government, you are expected to lead from your main points, not to them. Stating your main points first shows efficiency and confidence, which they value.
In the above sample, the first four bullets all lead with main points/accomplishments that address the employer's requirements or preferences. Note that the last bullet, on the other hand, starts with just a category label that in itself doesn't show value. It is best to lead with "headlines" that show how accomplished you are in what is important to them.