All sorts of different people need help with their nutrition. You might need professional dietary advice if you have a serious illness, and healthy eating is central to solving the current obesity epidemic. Dietitians are not just for those who want to lose weight for the sake of their appearance. When dieticians write their cover letter for a new role, it is important that their specific experiences for the role in question come to the fore.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) have a serious amount of professional education behind them. While this is easy to list on a resume, the cover letter is more about how they work with their patients and clients rather than what they do. You will no doubt be proud of your industry accreditations, but when you are up against others with the same background, you need to set yourself apart in a different way.
How do you go about telling your dietitian career stories in a cover letter? How should it differ from a resume? Before you sit down and start to write, there are plenty of different factors to consider. Why not have a look at some of our 180+ cover letter examples to get a sense of how to write a cover letter? In this specific writing guide and dietitian cover letter sample, we cover:
- Writing a dietitian cover letter to convey the depth of your experience
- Which paragraphs to include in a dietitian cover letter
- Making the most of the format and structure
- Composing dietitian cover letter with no experience
- Mistakes to avoid when writing your dietitian cover letter
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Best format for a dietitian cover letter
When you come up with a nutrition plan for a patient or client, there needs to be a certain structure to allow them to follow. It is much the same with a cover letter. Hiring managers expect to see your career story laid out in a certain way. What you write will set you apart from your competition, but do not change the standard format of an application letter:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting / salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
The first task when writing a dietitian cover letter is to analyze the job description. Every role will vary in terms of clients and type of work, so it is important that you select the most suitable parts of your work experience to include in the cover letter. What is the culture like at your future employer? What sorts of personal qualities do they seem to value? What is the profile of their clients? There are so many questions that you need to understand before you sit down and write the cover letter.
When you have a few stories in the front of your mind, it comes to the mechanics of the cover letter. There are more decisions to make than you might think. Our comprehensive cover letter guide goes into the details. What font should you choose? What design is most effective? How much white space do you need on your dietician cover letter? A full page of dense text won’t work in your favor.
When you have the framework of the cover letter ready to go, you can begin to write.
Dear Dr. Garcia,
I am writing to apply for the Dietician position at the Wellness and Nutrition Center, as advertised on the American Dietetic Association's job board. With a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Washington and over four years of professional experience as a Registered Dietitian, I am eager to bring my expertise in individualized nutritional planning and health education to your esteemed center.
During my tenure at Harmony Health Clinic, I had the privilege to work with a diverse group of patients, guiding them in making informed decisions regarding their diet and overall wellness. My experience involved developing and implementing nutrition plans, facilitating group workshops, and collaborating closely with other healthcare professionals to ensure a holistic approach to patient care.
I am well-versed in addressing a wide array of dietary needs, including managing dietary restrictions and preferences, and counseling individuals with chronic diseases to foster healthier lifestyles. My commitment to staying abreast of the latest developments in the field led me to complete additional certifications such as the Certificate of Training in Obesity Interventions for Adults offered through the Commission on Dietetic Registration. This advanced training has enhanced my ability to craft effective, evidence-based nutrition strategies to aid individuals in achieving their health and wellness goals.
One of the aspects that drew me to your center is the multidisciplinary approach to health and wellness, encompassing not only nutritional guidance but also fitness and psychological well-being. I am particularly keen to contribute to your initiatives aimed at promoting community health, leveraging my experience in community nutrition programs to foster a healthier Seattle.
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hopefully discussing in further detail how my experience and passion for nutrition can serve your organization's mission. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely, Sarah Williams
Cover letter header
Aesthetic considerations are not foreign to a dietician. While much of their work may be health related, they will also understand the concept of wanting to look good. The header of the cover letter does create a certain visual impact, so take care to pick and attractive (but not too distracting) header design.
The dietitian cover letter header should contain your full name, email, and mobile number. Hiring managers may want to invite you to interview there and then. There is no need for a full home address as there may be data protection issues, and the inside address of the employer is an outdated convention that will merely take up vital space.
Cover letter greeting
The greeting for the cover letter should not pose any problems. “Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. Surname” will be fine. If you are not sure of the name of the hiring manager or HR representative, it may be worth a quick call to find out. You never know, it may have been omitted from the job description in error. Your ingenuity in finding out may help you to stand out.
If you do not know the name of the recipient, “Dear Company team” is a warm enough greeting to begin what will hopefully be a close working relationship.
Cover letter introduction
The introduction for the dietitian cover letter needs to get straight into some of the more complicated work that you have done. Go beyond listing your responsibilities and share some of the amazing outcomes that you have facilitated. Make sure that you are talking about the areas that you will be covering in your new role. It is so important to tailor the cover letter. The hiring manager needs to imagine you working with them.
The cover letter is just the start of the conversations that you will continue during an interview. Make sure that you are sharing conversations that are worth having.
Dear Dr. Garcia,
I am writing to apply for the Dietician position at the Wellness and Nutrition Center, as advertised on the American Dietetic Association's job board. With a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Washington and over four years of professional experience as a Registered Dietitian, I am eager to bring my expertise in individualized nutritional planning and health education to your esteemed center.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle part of a dietitian cover letter should focus on your results and how you got there. There are countless different ways in which a dietitian goes about their work with their clients, so feel free to share your approach. Hiring managers will not only be looking at volume of work. It is your attitude and relationships with your patients and clients that matter the most.
During my tenure at Harmony Health Clinic, I had the privilege to work with a diverse group of patients, guiding them in making informed decisions regarding their diet and overall wellness. My experience involved developing and implementing nutrition plans, facilitating group workshops, and collaborating closely with other healthcare professionals to ensure a holistic approach to patient care.
I am well-versed in addressing a wide array of dietary needs, including managing dietary restrictions and preferences, and counseling individuals with chronic diseases to foster healthier lifestyles. My commitment to staying abreast of the latest developments in the field led me to complete additional certifications such as the Certificate of Training in Obesity Interventions for Adults offered through the Commission on Dietetic Registration. This advanced training has enhanced my ability to craft effective, evidence-based nutrition strategies to aid individuals in achieving their health and wellness goals.
One of the aspects that drew me to your center is the multidisciplinary approach to health and wellness, encompassing not only nutritional guidance but also fitness and psychological well-being. I am particularly keen to contribute to your initiatives aimed at promoting community health, leveraging my experience in community nutrition programs to foster a healthier Seattle.
How to close a dietitian cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
End with one last story for the hiring manager to remember. They will likely be reading plenty of other cover letters, so make them want to linger on yours for that bit longer. Maybe even re-read some sections?
The final lines of a cover letter should then include your desire to find out more about the role at a potential interview. This call-to-action should be expressed in hope rather than expectation, but it will certainly make them think about sending that interview invite.
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hopefully discussing in further detail how my experience and passion for nutrition can serve your organization's mission. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely, Sarah Williams
Dietitian cover letter with no experience
It is unlikely that you will be able to become a dietician with no experience. There may be differing levels of seniority in the industry, but to practice as a registered dietitian you will need to have the relevant education and professional work experience. That is not to say that you cannot do some volunteering with a dietitian to see whether the profession is for you. Education alone is a large investment of time and money, so it is worth doing some research before you embark on a career in nutrition. There is much more to the job than just telling people to eat more fruit and vegetables.
Basic mistakes in a dietitian application letter (and how to avoid them)
When you are working with patients, your attention to detail is critical. Do not let any errors creep into your cover letter. They may hint at a broader malaise.
- Grammar errors. Use an online program such as Grammarly to check for errors. You could also ask a friend to check that the letter sounds like you.
- An informal tone. You might be relatively chatty with your long-term clients, but this is not a tone that you should convey in the cover letter.
- Telling irrelevant stories. Delve into the detail of the job description – is the hiring manager going to view your experience as fully relevant for what lies ahead.
Key takeaways
- Share the human side of your dietitian work. How effective are you with your interpersonal skills?
- Tell the stories that you wish to repeat at an interview. Be content that you won’t be able to go into any detail. Whet the appetite of the hiring manager.
- Share a certain amount of results-orientation. You are there to help your clients and patients improve their health and diet. How do you measure your work?
- Choose an attractive cover letter template. Check out our cover letter templates.
