Structure& Content – sample formulations for your cover letter
A letter of application is divided into four main sections: Introduction, main body, social skills and conclusion part. Add to this Formalia such as date, recipient and subject line.
Introduction: State motivation for your application, address suitability for the position
Main part: Presentation of your most important professional competences, reference to experiences and successes
Social skills: List soft skills and provide credible evidence of them
Concluding part: Express willingness to attend an interview, possibly. Details of salary and starting date
One of the most common mistakes is to retell the resume in the cover letter. Instead, you should refer more to the specific job here and explain your motivation in detail in addition to personal skills.
In this guide we explain step by step the structure of a cover letter and show you positive as well as negative Sample formulations.
Formalities – contact details and co.
In the Header GIVE YOUR own contact details to. This includes Name and address, your E-mail address as well as your Phone number.
Three lines below your contact details follow the Name of your contact person as well as the Address of the company.
Right-justified below the recipient’s address you enter the Date on and left the Subject line.
No-Gos for the subject line:
Longer than one line (job reference number is fine in second line)
The word "subject" before the subject line
Must-have subject line:
Formulate concretely and expressively
Refer to job advertisement (adopt wording of title / position)
indicate the reference number of the job advertisement (can be in the second line)
Ben Dehn
"The structure of the application letter according to the DIN 5008 standard for business letters is not obligatory. However, especially in conservative industries, it may be advisable to follow these guidelines. With an outline according to DIN 5008, you can ensure that most recruiters are familiar with the structure of your cover letter and can immediately find their way around it."
Start the text of your cover letter with the salutation. Here applies personal salutation of the addressee is much better, because it shows that you have dealt with the company and the job advertisement. If you can’t find a contact person either on the company’s website or in the job posting, it’s enough to use the general salutation.
Example of an attractively designed letterhead of the application letter in our store template "Problem solver.
Your cover letter should not be longer than one DIN A4 page.
The introduction – convince with the first sentence
The big challenge in crafting your introduction is to, convince with the first sentence and encourage people to read on. Because personnel managers read countless application documents every day and are often bored by the classic standard phrases.
You should therefore avoid the following formulations at all costs:
"I hereby apply for the advertised position."
"Through your job advertisement, I learned that a position is available."
"I am applying to you because I saw that you have advertised a vacant position."
In order to formulate your introductory sentences successfully, you can adhere to two basic rules: the introduction must Arouse curiosity and appear self-confident. The best introductions trigger emotions. Have the courage to break away from old patterns and address the recipient in a more personal way.
Successful opening sentences:
"Your company has stood for reliability and quality for 20 years. I would like to support your team with my experience and willingness to improve."
"I have been working successfully as a sample position at Muster GmbH for more than 10 years and strengthen the team with my coordination skills and sales talent. Now I would like to take on a new challenge in your company."
"You are looking for a new employee with commitment, enthusiasm and an affinity for numbers? Then I would like to introduce myself to you as a potential applicant for the position as a sample position."
You can find more information and examples for the perfect introduction in our article "Introductory sentence of the application".
The main part – score points with professional skills
If your introduction has convinced the recruiter, they will read on and get to the next step Main part. There you take with your Experience, skills and qualifications A reference to the company and the advertised position.
Prove your achievements to date with Examples, experience and numbers. Make a convincing argument and do not simply list all the competencies.
So that you can Focus on the most relevant responses you should stick to the clues from the job advertisement and pick up this information specifically. Always stay focused, but also informative – and above all yourself!
The personnel managers want to know which Added value you offer the company. To answer this, you should ask yourself the following questions: Why do I fit into the company? How can I contribute to the company? What qualifies me and makes me a valuable employee?
Examples to present professional skills in an appealing way:
"My focus is on the healthcare industry. Thanks to my friendly and open manner, I was able to achieve great results in sales. As a result, revenue improved by 25 percent over 3 years. In the course "Effective Communication for Sales Managers" I was able to expand my knowledge on the topic of direct communication."
"I successfully completed my vocational training for the sample occupation in 2015 at the sample company Ltd. Afterwards I was taken on as a permanent employee and was assigned to the sample department. My daily tasks include analyzing and optimizing the company website using the sample tool. In addition, I am responsible for content creation."
"In April 2021, I will complete the dual study program to become a health manager with a focus on back training, rehabilitation and prevention training. Due to the combination of theory and practice, I have profound knowledge in the health care field, which I have already been able to prove several times in the sample clinic."
You need more Tips on classic application documents? Then visit our pages on cover sheet and resume. Also, don’t miss our advice for the job interview. Secure your dream job and start your career!
social skills – show your personality
The soft skills are your most important qualities and show the recruiters if you are suitable for the job and if you are a good candidate fits into the team. Just like with the professional skills, you should make sure to demonstrate them. Use examples Tell us about your professional career and how you acquired your soft skills and where you used them.
Sample soft skills wording:
"My colleagues appreciate my direct and innovative way of thinking. I have successfully completed the sample project with my strong sense of responsibility and goal-oriented work style."
"In stressful situations, I keep a cool head and focus on my tasks and respectful interaction with others. I enjoy working as part of a team and bringing new ways of thinking to the table. Personally, I always want to develop myself further and see your training opportunities as a strong motivation to expand my knowledge in the subject area samples."
"My strengths are most evident in my structured and dedicated approach to my work. My focus is always on achieving goals efficiently. Looking for new challenges, I would like to contribute my knowledge to your company and contribute to your success."
So that you have Overview of various soft skills we have listed competencies for special situations. Of course, your soft skills should match the advertised position. Read the job advertisement carefully and pay attention to the desired competences, to make the best choice for your cover letter.
social skills for teamwork:
Important competencies for daily work:
Soft skills for customer communication:
Methodological Skills:
Final part – The finale
The closing paragraph puts the finishing touches on your application. Here, in two to three sentences, you express your Willingness for the interview and express your anticipation of meeting them in person. In addition, information about your salary expectations or existing notice periods are listed in the closing sentence.
Some employers would like to see concrete information about the salary and the starting date, in rare cases also to your ideas about the type of employment or the desired place of work.
If you can gather the question for such information from the job advertisement, be sure to answer it in the closing section. With your salary information you should Gross annual salary state and no monthly or hourly wage.
With an optional Blocking notice you can also ask at this point that your application is treated confidentially.
In the final part of the application the attention of the personnel managers again to. Therefore, formulate the closing sentences confidently and use clear information to give recruiters a complete overview to present about your ideas. Refrain from using the subjunctive and politely request that you take action.
Formulations for confident closing sentences:
"From the 15.05.2020 I am at your disposal highly motivated. I ask you to keep my application confidential. I would be very pleased to receive an invitation to a personal interview."
"My salary expectation is 50.500 Euro per year. After the expiration of my three-month notice period, I will be at your disposal with full commitment. I look forward to meeting you in a personal interview."
"Thank you for reviewing my application. I will be happy to answer any unanswered questions by phone or e-mail. I look forward with great pleasure to an invitation to a personal interview."
Compare your salary free of charge with other salaries in similar positions in your industry and receive a detailed salary report. The consideration of versatile factors such as company location and work experience enables you to realistic salary specification.
The closing part ends with a greeting and a handwritten signature. You can also include a list of attachments. Nowadays, a summarized form of your documents is enough and you don’t have to mention each attachment separately: Resume, references and certificates. In addition to the cover letter, a cover sheet or the e-mail is suitable for your List of attachments.
In our posts on writing& font size in the application as well as on the creative application, you will learn everything you need to know for a modern application design need to know.
Application editor – create cover letter online for free
With our application editor you can create your application directly in your web browser write. The framed application template you can completely rewrite according to your ideas – try it out directly! After you have made all the changes you want, you can simply copy your text and paste it into a word-processing program (e.g., a word processor).B. Microsoft Word) insert. We wish you a lot of fun!
Maria Muster
Sample route 321
54321 Sample Village
[email protected]
0171 23456789
Buy-Buy-Buy Ltd
Max Mustermann
sample street 123
12345 Sample city
Application as sales assistant
Dear Mr. Mustermann,
I am looking for a new professional challenge for my next development step. In the Kaufen-Kaufen-Kaufen GmbH I see the chance to develop myself personally and to bring in and develop my professional competences. Your company impresses me above all with its high quality standards and focus on innovation. In addition, I am very interested in the numerous opportunities for further training.
Since completing my training in 2017, I have been working at 123-Verkauft GmbH, where I advise customers on a daily basis in a manner that is as service-oriented as it is sales-oriented Art. My work focus is always on an organized and result-oriented way of working, which I demonstrate especially in sales meetings. Since I completed the distance learning course for marketing in 2020, I also support the marketing department in the analysis and planning of various advertising strategies. Furthermore you can assume a high flexibility and a safe handling with the industry-usual EDP.
As an inquisitive and goal-oriented person, I have the willingness to constantly learn and achieve the best possible results. My colleagues at work particularly appreciate my strong teamwork skills and communication skills. In addition, I am characterized by a high sense of responsibility and constant reliability.
After observing my three-month notice period, I am highly motivated to offer you a gross annual salary of 30.000 Euro at your disposal. I ask you to treat my application confidentially and look forward to convincing you of my abilities in a personal interview.