Recent Graduate Cover Letter Examples

Starting your career as a new graduate is a daunting prospect, but you have a good chance of landing a job if you launch an aggressive search. And while a cover letter by itself isn't ever going to win you a job, a well-crafted cover letter should be part of this proactive strategy. In fact, customising your letter to each job you apply for can open doors to new opportunities. Ready to provide your CV with some helpful back-up? We've compiled tips for how to write a cover letter for a first job along with recent graduate cover letter examples to help you get started.

You can view our graduate cover letter examples in this article or download the new graduate cover letter template in Word.

Define Your Career Goals

Before you start applying for the first job listing you see, do some career exploration to figure out what your goals are and what skill set you bring to the table. Hiring managers should not have to figure out how your skills meet their needs. Do that work for them in your cover letter.

As you gain clarity about what you're good at and most want, you'll be ready to communicate from a genuine, confident place. If you find you have more than one possible direction, write different cover letters for each objective.

Get to Know the Employer

While distributing the same cover letter to every employer saves time, you won't stand out from the crowd of applicants doing the same thing. You need to try and find out as much as possible about the company and what their business is looking for. Going the extra mile not only shows your willingness to make an effort but will also help you realise if this company would be a good fit for you on a personal level.

Translate Your Experience

A good cover letter explains why you, over all the other candidates, are worth taking the time to find out more about. This is ideal for graduates who have yet to gain any significant work experience. You might lack real-world work experience, but your graduate cover letter can be chock-full of activities that demonstrate your potential to succeed. These activities could include volunteer work, class projects and extra-curricular activities, as well as special interest projects – such as travelling, reading, music, etc.

As a new graduate, a job cover letter should take advantage of any of your high or stand-out academic achievements. If you took initiative in any school activities that show leadership or qualities around being a team-player, these are worth mentioning. Anyone can write about being a "great team-player," but it's by including real-life examples that you'll help the recruiter understand how you will demonstrate these skills in the workplace.

Pay Attention to Format

Your uni essays might have been 20 pages long, but a cover letter for a graduate should be short and sweet. Your cover letter is not your autobiography – hit on the key points that would interest employers in concise paragraphs:

• Include a brief opening paragraph that mentions the specifics of the position you're targeting, followed by four to five bullets reflecting qualifications that are relevant to their requirements.
• The final paragraph should end with a bang – clearly state how you would contribute to the employer's operation and confidently ask for an interview.

Take a look at the graduate cover letter examples included in this article to get a general sense for what your own letter should look like.

Graduate Cover Letter Examples

We've provided two recent graduate cover letter examples: one for Bachelor of Arts (BA) graduates and one for Bachelor of Science (BSc) graduates. These letters can be simplified for email cover letters.

Journalism Cover Letter Template

Eva Williams
Number, Street,
Town,
Postcode
1st June 2021
(07795) 555 555 | ew@somedomain.co.uk
Portfolio URL

Mr Oliver Smith

Editorial Director

ABC Company

52 West Street

Sometown

Postcode

Dear Mr Smith,

Regarding the reporter position currently advertised on Monster.co.uk, please find attached a copy of my CV for your consideration. I have recently graduated with first-class honours in English Language and Literature from XYZ University and hope to put this to use as a journalist at your award-winning publication.

My university course covered many topics, and I was particularly drawn to communications, the media, and culture. I am looking to develop my reporting, writing, and editing skills. I have put my course theory into practice in a variety of ways, most effectively as a news reporter intern at DEF News, where I wrote feature articles of interest to Sometown-area residents, and as a blogger at somedomain.co.uk, a student-run blog featuring long-form articles on local and national political news. In my time at the blog, I increased audience engagement along with individual website visits and social media visibility.

Having extensively researched your company's values, I was especially interested in your commitment to freedom of expression for the press. I feel it would be the ideal place for me to begin my career, and I believe I can be an excellent addition to your team.

You may review my news clips at somedomain.co.uk.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Eva Williams

Electrical Engineering Cover Letter Template

Lily Jones

Number, Street,

Town,
Postcode

1st June 2021

(07795) 555 555 | ew@somedomain.co.uk

Mr Youssef Meskin

HR Manager

ABC Company

52 West Street

Sometown
Postcode

Dear Mr Meskin,

Regarding the junior electrical engineer position currently advertised on Monster.co.uk, please find attached a copy of my CV for your consideration.

I have recently graduated with first-class honours in Electrical Engineering from XYZ University and hope to put this to use in the field of heavy industrial manufacturing.

The course covered many topics, and I was particularly drawn to how to maintain, troubleshoot, and upgrade plant electrical equipment. I am looking to develop specialist skills in this area and build a successful career. I have put my course theory into practice in a variety of ways, most effectively as an electrical engineering apprentice at XYC Company, where I helped to repair circuity, wiring, and other electrical and electromechanical issues.

Having extensively researched your company's values, I was especially interested in your commitment to employee growth, training, and education. I feel it would be the ideal place for me to begin my career, and I believe I can be an excellent addition to your team.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Lily Jones

Start Your Graduate Job Search at Monster

Now that you have a few graduate cover letter examples and tips to inspire you, it's time to start writing. Once you have a draft you feel proud of, head over to Monster to find more tips for recent graduates, including how to write a winning resume, interview with confidence, and land that first job.