How to Email a Cover Letter – Pro Emailing Tips for Job Hunters

Just wrote a breathtaking Cover letter, finished your application email to a cool company you like and hit the Send button in a merry exhilaration, only to find out seconds later that you forgot to attach your Cover letter. Sounds familiar?

Or you did enclose the document, but almost had a mini heart attack, seeing you addressed your Cover letter to another company!?!...

History knows some real horror stories here! Ask any HR Professional and he or she will be able to tell you all day long dozens of epic fail cases, which every applicant should try to avoid.

As we want you to be absolutely prepared, we bring you an article on how to email a Cover letter and avoid all the hidden mines on the way to success.

In this day and age, a lot of companies opt out of the Cover letter requirement, which usually leaves candidates taking a sigh of relief. Instead, they employ a number of other techniques - pre-screening, video introduction of the candidate, or  job-specific tests and assignments. All of them help HR cut through the formalities and go straight to gaining in-depth knowledge of the candidate's skills and role suitability.

However, despite these novel approaches, the Cover letter is here to stay in 2022 , and it surely won't be fully replaced by other selection tools. Read more on this topic in our article “Are Cover Letters Necessary in 2022?”.

As the Cover letter is the gold standard of the job applications, it is important to know not only how to write an eye-candy Cover letter, but also to be familiar with the nitty-gritty of how exactly to email one.

In this article, we will guide you on:

1. How to send a Cover letter embedded in the email body?
2. How to email a Cover letter as an attachment?
3. What to avoid when emailing a cover letter.

And all of this will be “sprinkled” with sassy Cover letter examples.

Cover letter email structure

In this case, your email is actually also your Cover letter.

Think of it as a “gift”, carefully wrapped in between the subject line, introduction, and sign-off of your email.

Your main goal should be to attract the Hiring Manager's attention, while at the same time making it easy for them to “unpack” the goodies fast.

Any HR will be really grateful to you, if you help them orient easily in the jungle of other applications they manage daily, by writing as clear as possible Cover letter email.

Here is piece by piece how you can do that!

Subject line

• Make sure you specify the following:
• Your name,
• Position,
• Type of document (for example Cover letter and CV),
• Reference number of the job if any.

Example: Antoan Savov Cover letter - Cybersecurity Engineer, ref.# 55506

Salutation
Open the email with a salutation, addressed to the companys responsible person for the job role.</p><p><strong>Example</strong>: </p><ul><li>Dear Mr. Ivanov</li><li>Dear Mrs./ Ms., Petrovic</li></ul><p>If you don't know the right contact and can't find it, it is best to use a polite salutation that addresses the whole team, rather than a generic “lukewarm”, outdated type of openings like “Dear Sir or Madam”, which you are better off staying away from in any business communication.</p><p><strong>Example</strong>: </p><ul><li>Dear HR team</li><li>Dear Hiring manager</li></ul><p>In the<a href="/blog/tag/cover-letter-help/"> Cover letters help</a> section on the Enhancv blog, you can find loads of incredible PRO tips on how to write the best <a href="/blog/how-to-address-a-cover-letter/">Cover letter salutation</a> in all kinds of challenging real-life scenarios, you can find yourself in. For example, you can learn how to address your Cover letter, when you have the right contact name, but you are not sure of their gender or their marital status, in case the contact is a woman. </p><h3 id="cover-letter-email-introduction">Cover letter email introduction<br></h3><p>Make a captivating and clear statement from the first line of your Cover letter email, elaborating on your motivation and what you would love to achieve.</p><p>Typically, that can be:</p><ul><li>where you have seen the job role,</li><li>have you been referred to it</li><li>why you are excited about it</li></ul><p>Make it a bit bolder and by all means - an original approach is to create an undeniable connection between the must-have skill(s) for the role and your profile, that lets you dazzle the HR in a twinkle of an eye.</p><p><strong>Example 1</strong>: <em>My name is Antoan and I write to express my interest in the position of Cybersecurity expert at Cortex Technology, which I have seen on the company's website.</em></p><p><strong>Example 2</strong>: <em>Are you in need of a Cybersecurity expert, unbeatable in safeguarding clients financials and their cloudless happiness 24/7?

Then I can help you achieve that thanks to my solid expertise in the field.

Cover letter email body

• Here, you need to “paint” with your words a vivid carousel of images of you as a TOP expert and a remarkable performer.
• Do not spare words, including superlatives (as long as they are truthful, of course);
• Make sure to list all the relevant certificates you have and the number of years of experience you bring to the table;
• Tailor your skills, experiences, and professional qualifications as close to the job profile as possible - believe us, this will pay off!;
• NB! Action Examples are worth a million! “Served” hot, they can get the instant attraction of the HR to your application! So present a Minimum of 1 action example here!

Example: I am an established Cybersecurity expert with 8 years of experience in implementing proactive solutions to keep big corporate companies bullet-proof against scammers, hackers, and malware. In my last job as a Lead Information Security Analyst, I managed to navigate my team of Security watchdogs to build up and strengthen the company's network. Hence, we have completely transformed it from a network, prone to frequent incidents before I was hired to an unbeatable empire. For just a year the number of security breaches has dropped by 46%, which was a milestone moment, celebrated by everyone in the company with a massive Teambuilding event!

Apart from that, I love keeping myself on my toes, so I have a professional rule to attend a minimum of 2 Coding challenges a year. This is a way to not only win prestigious international prizes but to stay on top of my game, create a large pro network and learn a lot from my colleagues.

Cover letter email sign-off:

• Conclusion: Mention all other relevant documents you attach, if any: CV, Portfolio, references etc.;
• Complimentary close: Bring on your full charm and help the HR feel your warm smile and positive attitude even on paper by a polite sign-off;
• Final Sign-off: As recruiters will want to contact you immediately, when you send them an enchanting Cover letter with the pro tips on Enhancv blog, make it easier for them to do so by including in your email signature:
  
• First name Last name
• Street Address
• City, State, Zip
• Email
• Cell
• LinkedIn URL

Example: Please, find attached my resume and a list of references. I will follow up with you next week to provide any additional information you may be interested in. Thank you very much for your time and interest in my application.

Sincerely yours,
Antoan Savov
698 St Malo St S, California
first.last@gmail.com
+555-310-201
LinkedIn:….

Here is the whole “enchilada” of a Cover letter email, “dressed” to impress! Sweet, right?

Example cover letter email

Antoan Savov Cover letter - Cybersecurity Engineer, ref.# 55506

Dear Mr. Ivanov

My name is Antoan and I write to express my interest in the position of Cybersecurity expert at Cortex Technology, which I have seen on the company's website.

I am an established Cybersecurity expert with 8 years experience in implementing proactive solutions to keep big corporate companies bullet-proof against scammers, hackers and malware. In my last job as a Lead Information Security Analyst, I have managed to navigate my team of Security watchdogs to build up and strengthen the company's network. Hence we have completely transformed it from a network, prone to frequent incidents before I was hired to an unbeatable empire. For just a year the number of security breaches has dropped by 46%, which was a milestone moment, celebrated by everyone in the company with a massive Teambuilding event!

Apart from that, I love keeping myself on my toes, so I have a professional rule to attend a minimum of 2 Coding challenges a year. This is a way to not only win prestigious international prizes, but to stay on top of my game, create a large pro network and learn a lot from my colleagues.

Please, find attached my resume and a list of references. I will follow up with you next week to provide any additional information you may be interested in.

Thank you very much for the time and interest in my application.

Sincerely yours,
Antoan Savov
698 St Malo St S, California
first.last@gmail.com
+555-310-201
LinkedIn:….

How to email a cover letter as an attachment?

Whether you send your Cover letter as an attachment or embedded in the email depends on the company's requirements. Normally, HRs specify in the job ad which they prefer. Make sure to read carefully and follow along. You don't want to risk creating the wrong impression from the start or worse - have your Cover letter omitted.

NB! In case the HR did not specify instructions on how to provide your application documents, you would better attach the Cover letter, along with all the other relevant files.

Email etiquette for cover letter as an attachment:

Looks matter

PDF, PDF, and again PDF! - Before dispatching your Cover letter to dazzle the Hiring team, make sure to convert it to PDF. Admittedly, PDFs look more professional than Word files, plus they don't present any formatting or font issues and are compatible with whichever operating system.

Size matters, too

Keeping it short and sweet is the way to success. Hence, strive to pack your glory and let it shine in a 1-page Cover letter. Better to be salient and brief with meaning, rather than drag your story long and fill it up with fluff, which would only bore or irritate the HR. Recruiters are busy beings - save them time now, and they will thank you later!

A polite greeting is always a great idea

Include a short note to the recruiter in the body of the email. Keep it brief, but demonstrate enthusiasm and be intentional in your communication, like a flamenco dancer is intentional in his or her every move.

In this regard, sending a blank email with no personal message and just some Cover letter and Resume attachments “hanging” in there is never a good idea. It can confuse HR and potentially lead to your candidature being disregarded, misplaced, or end up in spam. (As to the subject line - you can use our tips above.)

Example:

Dear Hiring Manager,

I would like to present to your attention my Resume and Cover letter with regards to my candidature for the Cultural heritage expert position at the Museum of Design in London.

Please, find enclosed to this email my application documents, along with a portfolio of my Art projects.

Should there be any additional information that will allow you to get to know me better as a professional, I will be happy to send it along!

Eager to meet you soon and discuss current and future initiatives at the Museum of Design in London.

Sincerely,
Donna Jones
Santa Monica, CA, USA
firstname.lastname@yahoo.com
+555-310-540

What to avoid when emailing your cover letter

Now let's take a quick look at what you better stay away from to make sure your email is professional from the first to the last character!

• Emojis - no matter how great a sense of humor you may have or if you are dying to come across as witty and laid back, Do Not, under any circumstances, use emoticons like :) or :(. They may be experienced by your reader as immature and childish and would ultimately ruin the overall positive impression of your email;
• Grammar mistakes - what good does an impeccable Cover letter attachment serve, if you misspelled the positions name or the company's name. Double-check attentively the whole Cover letter attachment and email text;</li><li><strong>Caps Lock</strong> - DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LIKE BEING SCREAMED AT? If you wish to draw the HRs attention to a certain achievement, resort to alternative types of formatting - like bold, Italics, underline, but never, ever Caps Lock;
• Wrong company name - especially when you attach the Cover letter to the email, it is mandatory to check and confirm that the company name, job role, HR name, are written correctly. One of the biggest turn-offs can be to send a company you really would like to work for an outdated Cover letter that contains another company's name. Even if you are a tremendous Pro in your field, that type of mistake proves unforgettable in 99,9% of the cases and cuts the ropes of all your chances in the selection process;
• Fancy formatting - while you can let your creative spirit experiment with more original formats in a Cover letter attachment, sent as locked PDF when you need to embed your Cover letter as part of the email body, it is advisable to avoid complex HTML formatting. Depending on the email client that the company is using, your email may not be visualized correctly;
• Ghost email - never send your Cover letter and other application documents, attached to an empty email. Apart from being confusing for HR, that is impersonal, hasty, and can speak about no attention to detail or lack of professional attitude. Your personality should shine and present you in the best way, even in 2 sentences short business email with your Cover letter as an attachment.

How to email a cover letter - takeaways

In this article, you deepened your knowledge of how to email a Cover letter, and you are now equipped with a number of important notes:

• Be concise from the start by writing in the Subject line your First and Last name, the Job role, Reference number and “Cover letter” to orient the Recruiter;
• Use courteous and professional Salutation in the email body;
• Embed the text of your Cover letter in the email body with simple formatting;
• Make it easy for the Recruiter to reach out to you immediately after reading your outstanding Cover letter email.
• Always follow the company's requirements for what is the preferred way to send your Cover letter and other documents;
• If you attach your Cover letter, do not go Incognito in the email body.

Do you have a job in mind for which you want to apply?

Start creating your masterpiece Cover letter with our strong Career growth support at Enhancv Cover letter help blog section.