As you delve into the job market, a standout graduate teaching assistant cover letter can set you apart. While crafting it, you might struggle to not simply echo your resume. Instead, zoom in on a key success story—your proudest achievement—to engage readers. Keep it formal but fresh, skipping overused clichés. And remember, brevity is your ally; aim to make a powerful impression within just one page. Let's begin unraveling the art of a compelling cover letter.
- Write a graduate teaching assistant cover letter that helps you stand out (and get the job);
- Understand how to start and end your graduate teaching assistant cover letter with the appropriate greeting;
- What to include in the body of your graduate teaching assistant cover letter to put your best foot forward;
- Your most important achievements - how to present them as part of your graduate teaching assistant cover letter.
And if you want to make your life even easier, simply drag and drop your graduate teaching assistant resume into Enhancv's AI cover letter generator, and it will write your cover letter for you in just a few moments.
If the graduate teaching assistant isn't exactly the one you're looking for we have a plethora of cover letter examples for jobs like this one:
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Graduate teaching assistant cover letter example
MARCUS HALL
Edmond, OK
+1-(234)-555-1234
help@enhancv.com
- Emphasizing relevant experience: The cover letter showcases the applicant's prior success in implementing an interactive reading program, which directly relates to the role of a Teacher Assistant, illustrating the capability for curriculum development and meeting the diverse needs of students.
- Alignment with school values: The writer smartly aligns their personal teaching ethos with the philosophy of the prospective school, reflecting a good understanding and fit with the institution’s educational approach and strategies.
- Demonstrating tangible results: Mentioning the specific improvement in literacy rates after the introduction of a new program serves as a quantifiable achievement, demonstrating that the applicant can contribute effectively to the academic progress of students.
- Expressing enthusiasm and readiness: A strong closing statement reaffirms the applicant’s interest in the position and readiness to bring their skills to the new role, setting the stage for a proactive discussion during a potential interview.
The must-have sections and format of your graduate teaching assistant cover letter
When writing your graduate teaching assistant cover letter, keep in mind that it'll only be read by the recruiters and not the Applicant Tracker System (or software used to assess your profile). That's why you should structure your content with a/an:
- Header (apart from your contact information, include your name, the role you're applying for, and the date);
- Personalized salutation;
- Opening paragraph to win the recruiters over;
- Middle paragraph with key details;
- Closing that starts from clichés;
- Sign off (that's not mandatory).
Industry standards dictate your paragraphs to be single-spaced and to wrap your content in a one-inch margin. Designing your graduate teaching assistant cover letter, refer to one of our templates, which automatically takes care of the spacing and margins.
Choose the same font for your graduate teaching assistant cover letter as you did for your resume: the likes of Lato and Bitter would help you to stand out in a sea of cover letters in Arial or Times New Roman.
Export your whole graduate teaching assistant cover letter from our builder in PDF to keep the same formatting and image quality.
The top sections on a graduate teaching assistant cover letter
- Header: Contains your contact information and the date, crucial for providing the recruiter with your details and making a professional first impression.
- Greeting: Addresses the hiring committee or specific individual by name if known, to personalize your cover letter and demonstrate your attention to detail.
- Introduction: Briefly introduces you as a graduate student and states your intent to apply for the teaching assistant position, positioning you as an engaged and purpose-driven candidate.
- Teaching Philosophy and Experience: Highlights your educational beliefs, previous teaching or tutoring experiences, and relevant accomplishments, which are essential to show your readiness for a teaching assistant role.
- Closing and Call to Action: Politely wraps up your letter, expresses your enthusiasm for the opportunity to contribute to the academic institution, and invites further discussion, signaling proactive engagement.
Key qualities recruiters search for in a candidate’s cover letter
- Teaching and Tutoring Experience: Demonstrates prior experience working with students and an ability to foster learning, which is central to a teaching assistant's role.
- Subject Matter Expertise: Shows in-depth knowledge of the field or subject matter which is crucial for assisting in teaching and explaining concepts to students.
- Communication Skills: Essential for effectively conveying material to students, collaborating with professors, and providing clear feedback.
- Leadership and Initiative: Indicates the ability to lead discussion sections or labs, take charge of a classroom environment, and proactively assist students.
- Pedagogical Techniques: Reflects an understanding of diverse teaching methods and educational tools that aid in student engagement and comprehension.
- Time Management and Organizational Skills: Key in managing responsibilities such as grading, preparing teaching materials, and meeting with students, while balancing personal academic pursuits.
The graduate teaching assistant cover letter salutation: how to address hiring managers
After covering the format of your graduate teaching assistant cover letter, let's look at the salutation.
Back in the day, the cordial "To whom it may concern" or "Dear Sir/Madam", might have worked out fine.
But, nowadays, your cover letter should approach hiring managers on a more personal basis.
So, what to do about your cover letter salutation?
If you've messaged the recruiters and are on a first name basis or a more formal one, use the hiring manager's name in the greeting (e.g. "Dear Sophie," "Dear Ms. Givens", or "Dear Mr. Everett,").
Always aim to make the effort to find out the name of the hiring manager, who'd be assessing your application. Search on LinkedIn, double-check the advert on the corporate website, or message the brand on social media to find out more about the role.
If you can't find the hiring manager's name (and still want to sound professional), use "Dear HR Team,", "Dear Hiring Manager,", or the likes.
List of salutations you can use
- Dear Hiring Committee,
- Dear [Department Name] Selection Committee,
- Dear Professor [Last Name],
- Dear Dr. [Last Name],
- Dear Search Committee,
- Dear [University Name] Graduate Department,
Get creative with your graduate teaching assistant cover letter introduction
Recruiters are going to assess plenty of candidate profiles for the role. Thus, anything you do to stand out will win you brownie points.
Use your graduate teaching assistant cover letter introduction to share something memorable about your experience.
But before you go down the rabbit hole of creativity and humor, align your message with the company culture.
For example, if you are applying for a role in some startup, use those first two sentences to tell a funny story (about your experience) to quickly connect with the recruiter.
What to write in the middle or body of your graduate teaching assistant cover letter
Here's where it gets tricky.
Your graduate teaching assistant cover letter body should present you in the best light possible and, at the same time, differ from your resume.
Don't be stuck in making up new things or copy-pasting from your resume. Instead, select just one achievement from your experience.
Use it to succinctly tell a story of the job-crucial skills and knowledge this taught you.
Your graduate teaching assistant cover letter is the magic card you need to further show how any organization or team would benefit from working with you.
A sincere and original way to end your graduate teaching assistant cover letter
When writing their graduate teaching assistant cover letter, candidates tend to use one of these phrases, "Sincerely yours" or "I look forward to hearing from you".
Both statements show good manners, but your cover letter should end in a more actionable manner.
Write about:
- how you see yourself growing in the role/organization;
- the benefits you would bring about (you'd impress even more with tangible metrics);
- the next steps in the process (provide your availability for interviews).
Which story should you tell in your graduate teaching assistant cover letter when you have zero experience
Candidates, lacking professional experience in the field - this one is for you.
Your graduate teaching assistant cover letter is an exercise of integrity, honesty, and, above all, spinning a positive narrative around your strengths.
And what better way to capture recruiters' attention than with your most job-relevant achievement (this could be from your internship or volunteering experience)?
Make sure to back up your success with transferrable skills that are relevant to the job (e.g. how your year, studying abroad, has taught you to be more motivated and handle multicultural environments).
Another safe card you can bet on is your career dream: in the body of your graduate teaching assistant cover letter, go into the details of how your ambitions would help make the company you're applying for better.
Key takeaways
Writing your graduate teaching assistant cover letter doesn't need to turn into an endless quest, but instead:
- Create an individual graduate teaching assistant cover letter for each role you apply to, based on job criteria (use our builder to transform your resume into a cover letter, which you could edit to match the job);
- Stick with the same font you've used in your resume (e.g. Raleway) and ensure your graduate teaching assistant cover letter is single-spaced and has a one-inch margin all around;
- Introduce your enthusiasm for the role or the company at the beginning of your graduate teaching assistant cover letter to make a good first impression;
- Align what matters most to the company by selecting just one achievement from your experience, that has taught you valuable skills and knowledge for the job;
- End your graduate teaching assistant cover letter like any good story - with a promise for greatness or follow-up for an interview.
