Since graduation, you've been dreaming about working for that company. Unfortunately, you can't find a single job advert.
Heard about the hidden job market? Rumor has it that 70 – 80 % of all job positions remain unadvertised.
How do you go about applying for a role that may or may not exist?
Write a letter of interest to make a statement and connect with recruiters in the company.
The letter of interest may not lead to an immediate job offer, but it will raise your career prospects, helping you remain on top of the application pile.
Have we won you over? Read on to get inspired by:
- What is a letter of interest, and when should you send one?
- Letter of interest vs cover letter: what is the difference?
- KISS (Keep It Short and Simple) and other ground rules to writing your letter of interest;
- The 10 must-have elements that make up the structure of your letter of interest.
- Real-life examples and templates to write your letter of interest in the blink of an eye.
What is a letter of interest?
A letter of interest goes under many names, like prospecting letter, expression (or statement) of intent (or inquiry).
Whatever the case, the letter of interest helps you get one foot through the door of your dream company – to see if you'd be a good fit for any potential job openings.
The letter of interest is a formal introduction, demonstrating initiative and enthusiasm, qualities hiring managers value.
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When should you write a letter of interest?
Send a letter of intent, if you have recently:
- read an article about the company;
- found a social media post about a new business or expansion;
- seen that the organization accepts resumes for further consideration;
- heard about a job opening that hasn't been announced.
When you choose to write a letter of interest, you are setting yourself apart from the rest by taking the initiative in finding a job within a specific organization that brings you excitement.
I enjoy getting letters of interest, they show true enthusiasm, career focus and determination, and don't happen often.
Jessica Hinkle, state government worker, and hiring manager
Letter of interest versus cover letters
Here are the similarities between the letter of interest and the cover letter. Before writing either, you need to research the organization to add an element of personalization.
Within both letters, you'd need to introduce yourself and answer why your experience would be an asset to the company.
Now, let's look at how a letter of interest differs from a cover letter.
The letter of interest expresses your broader interest and flexibility to adapt to a potential role.
On the other hand, a cover letter highlights why you’re the best candidate out there for the job.
The letter of interest is unsolicited – it is more general and may not be directed to a specific hiring manager or a particular job.
Some job openings require a cover letter – it should note the exact job title and company you're applying for, as well as a greeting to the hiring manager.
The main focus of a letter of interest is to point out why you admire the company (its culture, mission, and values) and how you'd contribute to its future success.
A cover letter may contain similar elements but would be more centered on communicating your skills, experience, and achievements that are relevant to the job.
What makes a good letter of interest?
A good letter of interest should excite the hiring manager or department head to meet you. Thus, leading to an informal, informational interview, or helping you to stay on top of everyone's mind when a new role becomes available.
So, before you start writing, here are the six things that benchmark all successful letters of intent.
Research the company
Dive into information about the company and industry via press releases and news articles; the corporate website and mission statement; LinkedIn and other social media platforms.
Remember that the more specific, company-relevant details you can disclose in your letter of interest, the more likely you'd impress with your knowledge.
Personalize your greeting
Start your letter of interest with a personalized salutation to a human resource specialist, currently recruiting in the company, or a department manager, you'd wish to work with.
Avoid generic greetings like “To whom it may concern” or “Dear sir/madam”.
Instead, take the time to find the relevant contact and note the department head’s or manager’s full name and job title.
Attention-grabbing hook from the get-go
Here's the cold, harsh truth about the letter of interest – no one is expecting your application or has any obligation to respond to your message.
Prove that your profile is worth the company's time by showing you've done your homework on the organization and the specific value you can deliver.
Refer to your research to look out for noteworthy, recent projects or business updates (e.g. opening a new store or entering a new market).
In your letter of interest, point out how you see yourself driving this enterprise ahead by showing your past track record of success.
Professional tone and language
When writing your letter of interest, double-check your grammar and spelling to show you pay attention to even the smallest details.
Use a polite tone to balance your enthusiasm and confidence, without sounding too cocky or pushy. Yet, avoid sounding too much like a robot, as the company may think you've written your letter of interest with AI.
Often humor helps you to stand out, but, in this case, we suggest you avoid cracking jokes, as they might not resonate with your readers.
Persuasive and specific offer
Aim to stay on target by explaining exactly why you'd fit the company culture.
Use LinkedIn to research current employees working in the role you wish to have and discover their key skills.
Select up to three of your strengths to tell the story of how your experience aligns with the ideal candidate profile.
Remember to always include your achievements by a tangible metric (e.g. percent increased) to be even more specific.
Keep your letter of interest to the point
How likely are you to read a letter of intent that just pops out of the blue in your mailbox one day and that goes on and on and on…
Not very likely.
Your persuasion letter should be up to a page long (around 200 – 300 words). That is around three paragraphs that should be single-spaced.
Follow the standard business letter format to highlight how you can contribute to the company.
Your resume should be attached to your letter of interest, painting the full picture of your experience.
Enhancv's resume builder allows you to create a perfectly streamlined document that will further elevate the impact of your letter of interest. If you think your resume needs a refresh, follow our guidelines in the article, How to Write a Great Resume.
How to write a good letter of interest
When sitting down to write your letter of intent, there are two rules of thumb you need to follow.
- Rule number one – you should focus on what you have to offer rather than what you're seeking in a new employer.
- Rule number two – the goal is to pique interest, not provide a detailed account of your career history.
Having that in mind, let's get down to writing your letter of interest!
The structure of your letter of interest
- Header – include your name, and contact details (email, phone number, and address). Also, the contact's name, job title, and company name. Don't miss out on the date.
- Greeting – take the time to find out who you're writing to and always personalize your salutation.
- Introduction – to grab the reader's attention with relevant information.
- Body paragraph – to show how you'd bring value to the organization.
- Closing paragraph – aim to end with a call to action.
- Signature
The introduction paragraph of your letter of intent
Kick off your letter of interest with a brief introduction of your current job title or relevant experience to the company.
After this first sentence, note the specific job or department you'd like to be a part of and briefly summarize why.
Next, highlight why you're drawn to the company (e.g. their big-picture vision, products or services, strategic growth, etc.). If you can identify any specific challenges they face, jot them down in this sentence.
End your introduction with a statement that highlights that you know there are no current openings, but you believe your expertise would be a valuable asset.
The body of your statement of interest
Use the body of your letter of interest to make a lasting impression so that the recruiters remember you when a role becomes available.
While it may be challenging to highlight why you'd be the perfect fit for a non-specific role, there are a few approaches you can take.
Identify two or three specific issues within the company or department.
Describe how your current job equips you to address these challenges, by focusing on your accomplishments, paired with tangible metrics (e.g. numbers of products sold in a month, etc.).
Show how your achievements and skills align with the company's needs.
- Emphasize hard skills (or the technologies you can use) and soft skills (your people and communication talents) that bring value to the company.
- Select notable accomplishments that set you apart from other industry professionals. Use bullets to draw attention to them, and add numbers to show the results of your success.
- Highlight your specific experience or qualifications in a niche, that the company values. If you are a recent graduate, with no experience, use your volunteer experience or extracurricular activities to make your case.
The closing paragraph of your persuasion letter
Finish your letter of interest with a call to action, inviting the hiring manager to reach out to discuss potential opportunities.
Thank them for their time and consideration and suggest exploring ideas in a live meeting (e.g. an informational interview or a casual coffee chat).
Emphasize your flexibility to accommodate their schedule, and make it clear that you look forward to exploring the opportunities further.
Don't forget to add how they can get in touch (via email or telephone).
Ready for some real-life examples of writing your letter of interest? Let’s explore one that is completely wrong:
Notice how Mr Statham has focused solely on his experience and achievements? He hasn't pinpointed in any way the company he is applying to – its culture, unique problems, or goals.
The constant "I" comes across as a bit arrogant, creating an endless account of his success.
Here is how Mr. Statham can improve his letter of interest:
From the get-go Mr. Statham expresses his interest in a specific role, highlighting his unique skill set and why he chose the company.
The body of his letter of interest highlights two key achievements with tangible metrics.
The ending includes a call to action.
Four good letter of interest examples
In the next part of this guide, we’ll present you with four real-life industry professionals’ letters of intent.
Take note of their initial mistakes and how to make their writing sound more specific to match the company.
Project manager letter of interest
What happens when you send out a generic-sounding letter of interest?
The candidate doesn’t build his case as to how he could contribute to the company. Mr. Allias’s letter of interest sounds generic and robotic, at best.
Here is how he edited it:
Mr. Allias’s letter of interest works now as it’s:
- Personalized and targeted to the reader.
- Shows exactly why he’s interested in the company.
- Highlights relevant experience, skills, and noteworthy accomplishments.
- There’s a clear call to action at the end.
Data scientist letter of interest
The letter of intent is where you should avoid being overconfident:
Notice how Ms. Tookes’ letter of intent:
- Comes across as overconfident and arrogant.
- Focuses too much on her individual achievements.
- Offers no insights as to how she succeeded.
Want to see how she fixed her persuasion letter?
Reading Ms. Tookes letter of interest you can see exactly why she’s interested in a role at the company and can immediately pinpoint the impact she has had in her past roles.
In the conclusion paragraph, the recruiter can immediately find her contact details and reach out, when a suitable job becomes available.
Lecturer letter of interest
You want your letter of intent to hint at your attention to detail, so double-check your spelling, before sending it across.
Apart from the spelling errors, due to potentially being pressed on time, Mr. Jonson’s letter is vague and doesn’t clearly state the role he is interested in.
Check out how Mr. Jonson improved his letter:
Recruiters can now understand Mr. Jonson’s specific academic background and expertise, and see the value his experience can offer.
QA Engineer (Intern) letter of interest
You may not have relevant experience, yet as a junior professional, you have other skills and qualities that would help you stand out.
For starters, don’t be too friendly in your letter of intent:
Marcie Darcy’s letter is too informal and doesn’t highlight her skills or achievements. It sounds like a chat, you’ve lifted off of Meta.
Here’s a more formal version of Ms. Darcy’s letter of interest:
Ms. Darcie shows enthusiasm to join the company - by pinpointing the company’s relevant niche service - and at the same time stays professional.
She refers to her education for key technologies and projects, showcasing the value she could potentially bring about.
Key takeaways
- Send a letter of interest, when there are no open roles in the company you want to work for. Meanwhile, use the cover letter to answer a specific job advert.
- The letter of interest is based on plenty of research on the company so that you can personalize it (especially the greeting) and catch the readers' attention (with how you'd bring about value).
- Use your letter of intent's introduction to state why you're interested in the company.
- In the body paragraph, pinpoint either two to three company problems, you can fix, or two to three skills or accomplishments, that would be useful to the company.
- End with a call to action, where you provide your availability for an informational interview or a coffee chat.
Make one that's truly you.
