All job hopefuls struggle to write a compelling cover letter. But the risks are greater if you have little or no professional expertise.
When you can’t back up your claims with a long list of impressive professional achievements, it can be more difficult to demonstrate your value.
The good news is that you probably have more to offer a potential employer than you think. Simply said, you need to know how to leverage your advantages.
You will discover how to create a cover letter for a job in this post if you lack relevant experience. Following the procedures, we’ll examine a complete sample.
Let’s get going…
How to Write a Cover Letter With No Experience
1. The Main Purpose of Your Cover Letter with No Experience
A cover letter should support your resume and persuade more employers to do interviews with you.
When composing a cover letter for a job application, you may refer to your resume, but you must elaborate on any comments stated there.
The goal of the cover letter is to give life to the ideas presented in the CV and to tell a compelling—or even emotional—story about your career goals. This is your chance to share your experiences and demonstrate that you have the motivation and ambition to work hard and make a difference.
Finally, it needs to ASK for the interview. Coming up, we’ll discuss that. Let’s begin by going over a step-by-step guide on how to compose a cover letter without any expertise.
2. Cover Letter Contact Information
You should always start a cover letter with your contact information in the top left corner of the page. Include your name, city of residence, and contact information (phone number, email, etc.). (Please omit your home address to protect your privacy.) Your LinkedIn URL should also be included. Write the company’s name and the location of the company after that.
3. Your Salutation
It’s best to use the reader’s name when addressing them. The hiring manager’s identity may be discovered through online research. You have two choices if you can’t discover a name: call the company and ask for further information about the position, or write “Dear [Company Name]” or “Dear Hiring Manager.”
Though not ideal, this is. Really, you should only write a cover letter if you are aware of the hiring manager’s name and are well-informed about the job. Therefore, if the employer hasn’t specifically requested a cover letter and you don’t know anything specific about the hiring manager or the job, you probably don’t need to submit one.
4. Cover Letter Introduction
Introduce yourself and express your passion for the job in this area of your cover letter.
Give your name first, then some background information about your qualifications. Always state the position you’re applying for and the source of your information.
Mention the name of the individual who informed you of the position if it was an employee of the company (only after asking their permission, though). Your introduction should just contain one to two sentences; keep it succinct and to the point.
Example of an Introduction for a Cover Letter without Industry Experience:
Hello, my name is Grace Addington, and I’m a goals- and details-oriented civil engineering graduate from Petaluma College. I was excited to learn about the Junior Engineer internship at Bay Area Rapid Transportation through my former classmate Katie Heinz.
5. Body Paragraphs
The most important section of drafting a cover letter without experience is now.
Your body paragraphs should only be one or two sentences long and serve to demonstrate why you are the most qualified applicant.
Given that you don’t have a lot of professional work experience under your belt, you should emphasize your soft skills, which are character traits that speak highly of your work ethic and interpersonal skills.
Or, if you have job-related talents (also known as hard skills) from a different sort of work, explain how those skills will assist you in successfully moving to your new position.
Hiring managers are seeking that.
Consequently, while it’s important to write about soft skills and create a cover letter expressing your willingness to understand their work… It is far better to highlight any practical experience you may have.
So always emphasize it in the first place, if you can.
For instance, if you completed an internship, worked in an unconnected industry, worked on a few scholarly projects while you were a student, delivered a presentation, etc., they are still worthwhile accomplishments to mention both in your cover letter and resume.
Part-time employment, extracurricular activities, and memberships in student organizations that may not be quite relevant to the job you’re applying for already appear on your CV.
But take a closer look; you may have learned abilities from these experiences that you may use for the job you’re applying for. You should be able to tell very quickly which of the following two samples of cover letter body paragraphs focuses on two essential terms stated in a job post as requirements: “good interpersonal skills” and “positive work ethic.”
Let’s look at two sample paragraphs now from cover letters with no experience in a field:
Example 1:
I am Twig & Twine’s ideal office manager. As my resume states, I served as an RA at my dorm. I know how to manage an array of things.
Example 2:
You’re looking for a candidate with strong interpersonal skills and a positive work ethic. While serving as an RA at Porter College’s main dormitory, I planned monthly social events for over 200 students, settled two to five student disputes per-week, and mentored a select group of students in Composition. The experience taught me, rather quickly, how to efficiently multi-task, and how to effectively settle conflicts of all types in a calm, level-headed manner. I feel confident stating that I can bring these talents to Twig & Twine’s office manager position.
The second example delves deeper into the responsibilities that probably appeared in the RA position on the CV, showing how confronting those responsibilities resulted in accomplishments and helped the applicant develop the essential abilities required for the office manager role.
Finally, when writing body paragraphs, keep in mind that the employer, not you, should be the focus of your message.
Consider what you can provide to the position and how your skills will help the business succeed. That’s critical in any cover letter, but it’s much more important in one written by someone without past work experience.
6. Concluding Your Cover Letter
Reiterate your qualifications as the ideal candidate and reiterate your interest in the post as you close your cover letter.
And request an interview from them! Surprisingly, the majority of job seekers don’t do this, despite the fact that doing so has been found to increase your chances of receiving an invitation to an interview!
In order to find out whether there would be a good fit to work together, schedule a time to meet with the reader for an interview after thanking them for their time in reading your cover letter.
Sign off formally to conclude. Try “Sincerely” or “Respectfully yours.”
7. Proofread Everything
Read your updated cover letter aloud before mailing it to help you find any mistakes right away. Also, have a reliable person read it.
You only need to review it once, but make sure you’re examining it thoroughly. Nothing stops you from receiving interviews faster than a clear misspelling or error in your cover letter or CV.
8. Save it as a PDF
When the content is finished, save it as a PDF and give it the name “[Your Name] Cover Letter” to avoid any misunderstandings. Voila! You’ve finished.
If you use the advice above, your cover letter will be excellent and you’ll be able to land interviews and job offers in this new profession!
Sample Cover Letter With No Experience in Field:
Here is a complete example of a cover letter that discusses why you would be a good fit for a position (and why you choose to apply for this kind of position)
Dear Name,
I’m writing to you regarding to the Sales Associate job posting, which I believe reports to you.
I can offer 2+ years of experience working directly with customers over the phone and in person, primarily in customer support.
Although I haven’t worked directly in sales, my customer support experience has helped me build skills in communication, persuasion, and problem solving, which I believe will translate well into selling software subscriptions for your firm.
I’m motivated to transition into sales to continue challenging myself and growing in my career, and I’ve always enjoyed a challenge, which I think working in sales will provide me.
I’ve attached my resume for your review. If any of the above sounds interesting, I’d welcome the chance to talk on the phone this week.
Thanks for considering my note today.
Best regards,
Your Name
This cover letter is honest and straightforward about the fact that you lack sales experience, but it also demonstrates your willingness to learn and enthusiasm for taking on a new position. That is crucial!
However, you shouldn’t just declare that you’re open to learning. You want to SATISFY others that you can LEARN. This letter also explains the experience you have that is most comparable because of it. The experience and communication abilities in the aforementioned example pertain to customer service.
Even though they may not have sold anything to customers, this person nonetheless had direct contact with them, which will be viewed as positive.
If at all feasible, you should also include prior experience working in the same field. Therefore, it’s a tremendous bonus if you’ve never worked in sales but have experience in customer service in the same sector as the company. since you won’t need to learn as much on the job!
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