Embarking on your job search, you've likely realized that a professional nurse cover letter is crucial to stand out—but crafting one can feel daunting. Your cover letter is your chance to highlight a stellar accomplishment, not just echo your resume. Go beyond clichés to share your proudest moment with a personal touch. Remember to keep it brief and formal, capping at one informative page that leaves employers eager to learn more about you. Let's dive into how you can achieve this with ease.
- Introduce your profile to catch recruiters' attention;
- Use professional templates and examples to make sure your professional nurse cover letter follows the best industry standards;
- Settle on your most story-worthy achievement to shine a light on what makes your application unique;
- Write a professional nurse cover letter, even when you lack professional experience.
Ready to start with the basics: upload your resume to Enhancv's AI, below, to see the professional nurse cover letter it would write for you.
If the professional nurse 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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Professional nurse cover letter example
TAYLOR FOSTER
Chicago, IL
+1-(234)-555-1234
help@enhancv.com
- Emphasizing relevant hands-on experience, such as managing an acute care unit and achieving measurable improvements in patient recovery time, speaks directly to the practical skills required for the job.
- Highlighting specific achievements, like reducing infection rates, demonstrates a commitment to quality care and the ability to address real-world healthcare challenges.
- Expressing familiarity and alignment with the prospective employer’s mission and values shows researched understanding and genuine interest in contributing to the institution’s goals.
The format of your professional nurse cover letter: structure, fonts, margins, and more
Your professional nurse cover letter should include a header (with your name, position, and date); a greeting and introductory paragraph; a body and closing paragraphs; and an optional signature.
Remember that you're writing your professional nurse cover letter for recruiters - as the Applicant Tracker System won't scan this content.
Here are a few more tips and tricks to keep in mind when formatting your professional nurse cover letter:
- Use the same font in your professional nurse cover letter and resume. We recommend modern fonts, e.g. Lato and Rubik, to help you stand out, instead of the stereotypical Arial and Times New Roman.
- Each paragraph should have single spacing, which is already set up for you in our cover letter templates.
- Our cover letter builder follows industry standards for your professional nurse cover letter formatting - with a one-inch margin, surrounding your content.
- Always export your professional nurse cover letter in PDF to ensure the image or text quality stays the same and your writing isn't moved about.
The top sections on a professional nurse cover letter
- Header: Includes your name, contact information, and the date, which is essential for providing recruiters easy access to your details and establishing a professional layout.
- Greeting: Address the hiring manager or recruiter directly if possible to personalize the cover letter and show that you've done your research on who is responsible for hiring.
- Opening Paragraph: Introduce yourself as a professional nurse, briefly stating your current position, years of experience, and enthusiasm for the opportunity to bring your skills to their healthcare team.
- Body: This is where you detail your nursing experience, specific skills, any specialties or certifications, and demonstrate how you’ve made a tangible positive impact in patient care in previous roles.
- Closing: A strong conclusion reiterating your interest in the position and your eagerness to contribute to the healthcare facility, followed by a polite sign-off and your name, which invites the recruiter to take action and contact you.
Key qualities recruiters search for in a candidate’s cover letter
- Clinical skills and technical proficiency: Demonstrates the ability to perform necessary medical procedures and effectively use medical equipment.
- Compassionate patient care: Shows a natural aptitude for providing emotional support and understanding of patient needs.
- Adaptability and problem-solving ability: Ability to quickly adjust to changing patient conditions and healthcare environments, and resolve issues efficiently.
- Strong communication and teamwork: Effective in communicating with patients, families, and healthcare team members, and working collaboratively.
- Attention to detail and patient safety: Shows meticulousness in administering medications, updating patient records, and adhering to hygiene protocols to ensure patient safety.
- Professionalism and ethical integrity: Upholds nursing standards and ethics, respecting patient confidentiality and demonstrating reliability.
How to address hiring managers in your professional nurse cover letter greeting
Goodbye, "Dear Sir/Madam" or "To whom it may concern!"
The salutation of your professional nurse cover letter is how you kick off your professional communication with the hiring managers.
And you want it to start off a bit more personalized and tailored, to catch the recruiters' attention.
Take the time to find out who's recruiting for the role (via LinkedIn or the company page).
If you have previously chatted or emailed the hiring managers, address them on a first or last name basis.
The alternative is a "Dear HR team" or "Dear Hiring Manger", but remember that a "Dear Ms. Simmons" or "Dear Simon," could get you farther ahead than an impersonal greeting.
List of salutations you can use
- Dear Hiring Manager,
- Dear [Department] Team,
- Dear [Specific Title, e.g., Director of Nursing],
- Dear Dr. [Last Name],
- Good Day [Name of the Hiring Committee or Department],
- Respected [Job Title or Hiring Manager's Name],
The professional nurse cover letter intro: aligning your interest with the company culture
You only have one chance at making a memorable first impression on recruiters with your professional nurse cover letter.
Structure your introduction to be precise and to include no more than two sentences.
Here are some ideas on how to write a job-winning professional nurse cover letter introduction:
- get creative - show off your personality from the get-go (if this aligns with the company culture);
- focus on your motivation - be specific when you say what gets you excited about this opportunity.
Structuring your professional nurse cover letter body to add more value
You've hinted at your value as a professional (this may be your passion for the job or interest in the company) in your introduction.
Next, it's time to pan out the body or middle of your professional nurse cover letter.
When creating your resume, you've probably gone over the advert a million times to select the most relevant skills.
Well, it's time to repeat this activity. Or just copy and paste your previous list of job-crucial requirements.
Then, select one of your past accomplishments, which is relevant and would impress hiring managers.
Write between three and six paragraphs to focus on the value your professional achievement would bring to your potential, new organization.
Tell a story around your success that ultimately shows off your real value as a professional.
Finishing off your professional nurse cover letter with what matters most
So far, you've done a fantastic job in tailoring your professional nurse cover letter for the role and recruiter.
Your final opportunity to make a good impression is your closing paragraph.
And, no, a "Sincerely yours" just won't do, as it sounds too vague and impersonal.
End your professional nurse cover letter with the future in mind.
So, if you get this opportunity, what do you plan to achieve? Be as specific, as possible, of what value you'd bring to the organization.
You could also thank recruiters for their interest in your profile and prompt for follow-up actions (and organizing your first interview).
What to write on your professional nurse cover letter, when you have zero experience
The best advice for candidates, writing their professional nurse cover letters with no experience, is this - be honest.
If you have no past professional roles in your portfolio, focus recruiters' attention on your strengths - like your unique, transferrable skill set (gained as a result of your whole life), backed up by one key achievement.
Or, maybe you dream big and have huge motivation to join the company. Use your professional nurse cover letter to describe your career ambition - that one that keeps you up at night, dreaming about your future.
Finally, always ensure you've answered why employers should hire precisely you and how your skills would benefit their organization.
Key takeaways
Writing your professional nurse cover letter doesn't need to turn into an endless quest, but instead:
- Create an individual professional nurse 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 professional nurse 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 professional nurse 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 professional nurse cover letter like any good story - with a promise for greatness or follow-up for an interview.
