The cover letter is your ticket to the job market. A well-drafted cover letter increases your chances of getting an interview and brings you one step closer to your next job. We’ll show you how to get to a convincing cover letter!

Your application reflects your skills, competencies, and motivation. A good application with a convincing cover letter increases your chances of being invited to an interview.

💡 According to statistics, 50% of people spend 1-3 hours to complete an application. (Source: Statista) 

No worries, here you’ll find everything you need to reach your goal faster!

Writing Your Cover Letter in Six Steps

A cover letter typically consist of six parts:

Head and Subject Line

If you're writing your cover letter as a letter, your address should be at the top left. You can also provide your email address and phone number, so the company can contact you. Below, you place the company's address.

On the right side, you provide the date on which you're submitting your application to the company.

For an email application, you don’t need to include the address and date.

Before the introduction, you state the subject line. This helps the person reading your application to understand the reason for your letter. We recommend providing the full name of the position you're applying for. You can also mention where you found the position, for example, on Workeer’s job board.

Salutation

Before starting the first sentence, you make the salutation. You should always start with "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren". If you know who will read your cover letter, provide the person's name. The salutation ends with a comma and continues with lowercase after the comma.

"Sehr geehrter Herr XXX," oder “Sehr geehrte Frau XXX,”

If you're unsure who your contact person is, you can inquire in the company's HR department or check the website. It's always better to address the person directly than to use a general salutation.

Introduction

The introduction comes next. The first sentences of your cover letter can determine the first impression!

The introduction should consist of two to three sentences. Here you can creatively and in your own way explain why you’d like to work for the company. It's important to make it clear from the beginning why you are a great fit for the company.

H3: Main Body

In the main body, you describe your skills and competencies. Here you can refer to the information outlined in your resume. Provide examples and figures that demonstrate what you’ve learned or accomplished in the past. Ensure that all information is relevant for the position and true. Ideally, you can support everything with certificates or work samples. 

Next, explain how your motivation relates to the company's vision. The potential employer's homepage is a great resource to come up with a good argument!

You can also use this part of the cover letter to describe your personal background. In this context, your migration background can represent a great strength! Your migration history could be a good example of your flexibility or adaptability. All of these are strengths that could be important to your potential employer.

Closing

In the final section, express your enthusiasm to be invited to a potential interview. Here are some examples:

• “Ich freue mich auf die Möglichkeit, mich in einem Bewerbungsgespräch persönlich vorzustellen.”

• “Ich freue mich auf Ihre persönliche Rückmeldung.”

• “Über die Einladung zu einem persönlichen Gespräch würde ich mich sehr freuen.”

You can close your cover letter with a formal greeting. Typically, "Mit freundlichen Grüßen" is used in a professional context.

Attachments

Most employers also want you to send them additional documents. These are called attachments. These documents include:

• Resume

• Educational and academic transcripts (possibly also the recognition of your transcripts)

• Work certificates

• Certificates (such as language certificates)

• Recommendation letters

Don’t Forget to Proofread!

Before submitting your cover letter, check it for spelling mistakes and whether it answers the following questions:

• Who are you?

• Why have you applied for this position?

• What skills do you bring that align well with the position?

• What excites you about the company and why do you believe you’re a particularly good fit for the company?

Also, double-check the formatting of your cover letter. Very important: Keep it brief! A cover letter should not exceed one page of A4 size.

To make your cover letter look professional, choose a reputable font. For example, you can use Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. Ideally, use the same font style and size  for your other application documents, such as your resume.

Applying with Workeer - As Easy As It Gets!

The good news is: In most cases, you don't need to have all your application documents prepared to apply on Workeer. Once you've found an interesting position on Workeer, all you need to do is write a short message to the company. The company will then guide you through the next steps. If you have any questions, your personal career coaches are there to assist you throughout your entire application process!

In our blog posts, we do not use gender-inclusive language to make them easier to read for non-native German speaking readers. Of course, all genders are included, as diversity and inclusion are important to us.