Human Resources cover letter example

Working in human resources means that the expectations of your cover letter will be high. How do you write a human resources cover letter when all your competitors already know the tricks of the trade?

Whether you are an HR Director or a people assistant, the human resources cover letter should be about how you make your difference to those around you. Let Resume.io help you leverage the skills and knowledge you have to elevate your candidacy.

In this cover letter guide (with the relevant cover letter examples), we’ll cover these topics to help you write the best cover letter possible:

• How to choose the best cover letter format and which parts of your story to include.
• How to make the most of each cover letter paragraph (header, greeting, intro, body and conclusion)
• What tone and style to use when writing your cover letter
• Mistakes to avoid when writing your human resources cover letter.

So, how does your talent fit with the opportunity? A cover letter is not only about what sets you apart - what really matters is how you will blend in to the existing team. How will your skills take them to the next level? The guide below will analyze the details (you can also check out our library of 125+ cover letter examples).

Best format for a human resources cover letter

You have probably read at least a few cover letters in your career, but when it comes to writing one for yourself you finally realize the gravity of those words. No matter what the content, every great cover letter contains the following elements:

• 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)

While you might know that far from every hiring manager will read every cover letter, the fact remains that if they are interested in your particular candidature, every word will be digested with interest. The cover letter complements your resume and allows you to get into more detail. It also shows that you can adopt the correct tone and address the needs of each company you apply to. Personalize your application as much as possible.

The comprehensive cover letter guide offers ore general advice on writing cover letters - with depth of content that few candidates will ponder. This text gets deeper into each paragraph and the specifics of writing for a human resources position. 

The human resources cover letter example below gives an overview of how to create your own application:

Cover letter header

Have you or a colleague ever given up on a candidate because you couldn’t read or find their contact information? Then you know how important the header is. If it is difficult to contact a candidate, you move on. 

Use this section to get the attention of the recruiter with a clean, but eye-catching design that includes your name, email and phone number.

You do not have to include your full home address in the header. There are data protection issues - you can share this at the offer stage. Also, there is no requirement to write the inside address of the employer. Unless you wish to be incredibly formal, this tradition is somewhat old-fashioned.

The aim of this section: Make it clear how to get in touch with you and make an impression with your choice of graphics and colors. Keep the look of your cover letter professional.

Cover letter greeting and introduction

Getting the greeting right is the most basic expectation for an HR professional. Being a people person starts right here. The best cover letters use the name of the hiring manager or your prospective boss - consider phoning the company to find out if their name is no on the job description.

We recommend the greeting: “Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms. Surname.” Remember to triple check that you have the spelling and title correct. There’s no quicker way to lose points (or the interview) than to misspell someone’s name or get their gender wrong.

If you know for sure the company has a casual style, you can use “Hi first name” or, if your attempt to get a name was fruitless, you can go with “Dear Company team." Otherwise, stick to a more formal greeting. 

The aim of the cover letter greeting: Set the tone for your letter with a personal greeting that fits the style of the company you are applying to.

The best human resources cover letters open with a clear message and launch directly into why the writer is a great candidate for the job. What are the HR priorities in your new role? How will you fit in with the company culture? What experiences from your past can inform the employer about your potential? Why do you want the job? Think hard about how you approach these important questions before you sit down to write.

Choose the highlight of your career that best matches the new role you want. Double check that it fits with the job description. You want to show that you can handle the toughest personnel issues or find a great candidate in a tight job market. Don’t be afraid of to pat yourself on the back a bit. If you can't tell a glowing story about yourself, then does one even exist?

The aim of the cover letter intro: Deliver your key message with confidence and compel the hiring manager to read on.

Cover letter middle part (body)

You’ve enticed your future colleagues with the best you’ve got and now they are ready to read more. There is a lot to any HR role, so choose your next stories wisely. What are the problems that you will solve when you join? How will you impact the team around you? What will others learn from you? The achievements you choose to highlight and the words you use to describe yourself reveal a lot about who you are, so you need to write carefully and compellingly.

Target each employer with examples that illustrate how you communicate the company’s benefits and practices, how you recruit new employees and how you cope with complaints and difficult employee situations. Most human resources professionals can deal with the regular routines of their jobs, but it is how you handle the extremes that shows your true mettle. There will be plenty of them.

Break out three or four of your biggest wins and turn them into bullet items that serve as a graphic element within the type. Our eyes are naturally drawn to such devices - include powerful action verbs to make the achivements hit home.

Take a paragraph to show off your problem-solving skills and your views on employee retention and hiring. What is it like to work with you? How do you communicate? What do you think makes a great employee? Answering that last one says a lot about you as a candidate, too.

The aim of the body of your cover letter: Tell the key stories that you wish to expand upon during an interview.

How to close a human resources cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)

A confident close should leave the reader curious to find out more. No one can tell their whole career story in a cover letter, nor can they be certain that the role is for them, so end by saying that you are interested in fidning out more. 

1. Pique the recruiter’s interest and leave room for follow-up questions. Give a little insight into who you are with a personal tidbit such as a hobby that dovetails with your work, a hire you made and mentored into a starring role or the reason you love your career.
2. Request an interview. The entire goal of your application is to get that interview, so make it clear that you are ready to meet with a call to action.

Our human resources cover letter gives you one method for politely asking for an interview without sounding pushy. Close respectfully, but with the confidence that says, “I think that I will do a great job for you.”

The aim of the close: Have confidence in your abilities and say that you are looking forward to a potential interview. You want to get to know them as much as they want to get to know you.

Writing psychology: how to convey your work ethic in your cover letter

Rather than describing your abilities with meaningless adjectives, tell stories that illustrate them. Calling yourself a "hard worker" will impress no one. Sharing a story of a mammoth achievement will make the reader imagine just what it took to do. There are various ways to convey the depth of your work persona:

• Tell a compelling success story. Use examples of times when you communicated a difficult message or improved the company’s benefits without costing anyone money.
• Offer a cohesive philosophy on the role of human resources. Why do you go to work every day and how does your personal work impact on others?
• Talk about a collaborative project. This shows your collaborative nature, but also allows you to enumerate another achievement.

How to avoid basic mistakes in a human resources letter 

1. Spell check, grammar check, proofread! You may forgive a small typo or you may not. Do you want to take that chance? Grammarly will help in this respect. Maybe get a friend to proofread to check that it sounds like you?
2. Use natural language. Sometimes, we get caught up in industry jargon. It’s fine to use the language of your trade, but make sure your message remains clear.
3. Keep your stories short. You only need to offer an introductory snippet in a cover letter

Key takeaways for a human resources cover letter

1. Develop a view on how fantastic cover letters should be recevied by a hiring manager.
2. Share only the most impressive aspects of your experience - not your day-to-day resonsibilties.
3. Be loud and proud about how you have gone about your career achievements.
4. Pick examples that illuminate how you will add value to the company.

If you’re looking for additional inspiration for cover letter writing, check out our related HR cover letter samples:

• HR cover letter example
• Recruiter cover letter example
• HR assistant cover letter example
• HR Manager cover letter example