5 Cover Letters

Some employers will ask you to write a cover letter as part of the application process with your resume; this will be indicated within the job posting.

Your cover letter is a writing sample and a part of the screening process.

There are a variety of ways to write a cover letter to meet employer expectations while still letting your unique voice come through.

A cover letter provides you with an opportunity to strengthen your application by:

• demonstrating your written communication skills
• illustrating that you have done some research about the employer and are passionate about digital technologies
• creating connection to any relevant skills and experience; this could be a passion project, extracurricular, etc. ^[1]

Cover Letter Purpose

There are 3 main purposes for a cover letter: ^[2]

• identify the position to which you are applying 
• demonstrate why you are the best person for the job
• convince the employer why they should invite you to an interview

Content and Format

Using the arrows within the table below is an overview of cover letter guidelines.

Use the Job Posting to Develop your Cover Letter

The job posting can provide valuable information to develop your cover letter and resume, such as keywords.

Here is what a cover letter might look like for the Shopify job posting. Review the structure of the letter and pay attention to the ways in which the example specifically utilizes language from the posting itself:

1. Position: quickly identifies the name of the position
2. Employer: names the company or employer that posted the position
3. Education: why you are excited to be part of the York University Digital Technologies degree program
4. Experience: specifies that they have several years experience performing relevant work
5. Skills: Mention any relevant technical knowledge, even self-directed knowledge. If you don’t have any, make a connection to the technology mentioned in the job posting.
6. Work Conditions and Personal Suitability: takes language directly from the job posting and personally contextualizes it with a description of their previous experience

Click in the (i) symbol within the cover letter below to see how the cover letter meets the structure mentioned above.

Resources

• Cover Letter Tips Checklist
• Indeed has compiled a wide range of cover letter samples that are organized by target jobs and industries.