1. Examples
  2. Military
Written by Paul DruryPaul Drury

Military Cover Letter Example

If it’s time to move up in the ranks, look no further than Resume.io’s military cover letter example and writing guide. Full of tips and advice to make your application stand out and get that interview right away.
4.6
Average rating
37 people’ve already rated it
Military Cover Letter Example
Edit This Cover Letter

Many military occupations value discipline and operational excellence, but behind the organizational excellence lies a whole heap of positive personality traits. Military hiring managers will be as interested in the personality of a candidate as they are their professional skills, so it is important to tell them who you are in your military cover letter. This guide, along with our military cover letter examples, will help to outline the following cover letter considerations:

  • How to structure the flow of your military story
  • Which aspects of your career to include in the intro, middle part and conclusion.
  • How to make your personality stand out in different ways in each section.
  • Mistakes to avoid – fair or not, they will be judged harshly.
Expert tip

Every good military professional knows the value of preparation. Before you sit down to write your own cover letter it is well worth reading some others. Resume.io’s 180+ cover letter examples can offer a different perspective on what you might want to say about yourself.

Best format for a military cover letter

A clear and concise cover letter format is essential for the regimented nature of a military career. Don’t waste words. Instead, be laser-focused on the value that you bring to the job. How you structure your stories will help the transition to a face-to-face interview.

The military cover letter format should strictly follow this standard CV structure:

  • Cover letter header
  • Greeting / salutation
  • Cover letter intro
  • Middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
  • Conclusion of your cover letter

The comprehensive cover letter guide could be an additional resource if you wish to take on board some general job search and cover letter advice. When every word has the potential to influence a hiring manager either way, it is worth stepping back and doing some research before you get writing.

This military cover letter example can form a decent starting point for your letter:

Adaptable cover letter example 

Dear Colonel Linden,

As I come to the end of my deployment in Estonia, Captain Peter Jenker has put me forward for your Logistics Officer role at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

Having studied data science in college, I am well-equipped to provide the analytical ammunition behind complex logistical processes. A military base requires a flexible supply chain that can only be managed by someone with an affinity for data analysis. I was heavily involved in integrating machine learning algorithms into the procurement process in Estonia. Captain Jenker feels that I can lead a project to emulate that success at Incirlik.

I worked closely with suppliers and partners to redesign the logistics process so that there was less human involvement and demonstrably better business intelligence. We reduced the number of outgoing orders by 23% and improved the utilization of transport by 15%. I introduced a new base-wide equipment forecasting model that allowed us to consolidate our orders and drove cost savings of 6% as suppliers had better visibility of our future needs.

My role involved coaching and training all heads of division on the impact of logistical planning on their operations. I enclose fifteen letters of recommendation that testify to the efficacy of my models. Any modern logistics process should be simple to follow and let data science do the heavy lifting. We reduced human input by 35% and as a result there were fewer miscalculations in the equipment orders.

I will be visiting Incirlik in March as I am finishing off a Europe-wide project and I would welcome the opportunity to meet and discuss how I might be of use to your operation.

Sincerely,

Simona Fawson

Copied!

Cover letter header

The cover letter header for a military professional should not cause any overdue issues. Include your full name, rank (if applicable), personal contact email and mobile number.

While you might wish to fill in everything in full, many people choose not to include their full home address. For various military professions there are data security issues here. Also, if you do not know the address (barracks, etc) of the hiring manager, including a full inside address is not essential. Just put their name, rank and town/state of their barracks. Check out the header of our military cover letter guide for more ideas on creating your own.

Cover letter greeting

With the formality of military processes, you will certainly know the name of your hiring manager, so make sure that you address it with the correct salutation, including their rank if appropriate. Spell it correctly and phone the barracks if there is any doubt. If you somehow make a mistake here it can affect the perception of your entire application. Below you’ll find the greeting from our military cover letter example.

Adaptable cover letter greeting example 

Dear Colonel Linden,

Copied!

Cover letter introduction

The introduction for a military cover letter should get to the crux of your relevance. What is the one example of your career that will most point towards likely future success. It should be relevant to the role in question and quantified with context where possible. The hiring manager will have many applications to read, so it has to grab their attention. See the introduction from our cover letter sample below.

Adaptable cover letter introduction example 

As I come to the end of my deployment in Estonia, Captain Peter Jenker has put me forward for your Logistics Officer role at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

Copied!

Cover letter middle part (body)

Motivation is a key part of being in the military, so alongside the factual aspects of a resume, a military cover letter lets an employer know just why a military professional comes to work every day. Share some of your proudest achievements and assure your future boss that they can rely on you to deliver when the time comes.

Teamwork and personal qualities are central to success in the military, so don’t be afraid to get a little more personal with the stories that you share. Make sure that your language and tone are suitably formal though, write as you would speak with a superior in a formal meeting. Convince them to hit the send button on that interview invite. Check out the body of our cover letter sample here:

Adaptable cover letter body example 

Having studied data science in college, I am well-equipped to provide the analytical ammunition behind complex logistical processes. A military base requires a flexible supply chain that can only be managed by someone with an affinity for data analysis. I was heavily involved in integrating machine learning algorithms into the procurement process in Estonia. Captain Jenker feels that I can lead a project to emulate that success at Incirlik.

I worked closely with suppliers and partners to redesign the logistics process so that there was less human involvement and demonstrably better business intelligence. We reduced the number of outgoing orders by 23% and improved the utilization of transport by 15%. I introduced a new base-wide equipment forecasting model that allowed us to consolidate our orders and drove cost savings of 6% as suppliers had better visibility of our future needs.

My role involved coaching and training all heads of division on the impact of logistical planning on their operations. I enclose fifteen letters of recommendation that testify to the efficacy of my models. Any modern logistics process should be simple to follow and let data science do the heavy lifting. We reduced human input by 35% and as a result there were fewer miscalculations in the equipment orders.

Copied!

How to end a military cover letter (conclusion & sign-off)

Every military cover letter should exude a quiet confidence, so finish with one last strong example and hint that there is much more to come. 

The hiring manager should have enough information at their disposal at this point, so have the confidence to say that you are looking forward to discussing more during a potential interview. This is entirely normal, and it shows that you have a genuine interest in the role. Below you’ll find the conclusion of our military cover letter sample.

Adaptable cover letter example of the conclusion & sign-off

I will be visiting Incirlik in March as I am finishing off a Europe-wide project and I would welcome the opportunity to meet and discuss how I might be of use to your operation.

Sincerely,

Simona Fawson

Copied!

Avoiding basic mistakes in a military cover letter

In the regimented world of the military, mistakes can prove costly. You may be applying to any number of roles, but you should tailor and check each cover letter with a fine tooth comb. You cannot afford to make any of the following errors:

  • Writing might not be your strong point, so use an online grammar checker such as Grammarly to ensure that you get your message across without mistakes.
  • Don’t be tempted to be too conversational with your tone. This is a formal application for employment, not a chat in the mess hall.
  • Be expansive in terms of explaining what lies behind your achievements. Don’t just stick to the simplest factual explanations.
Expert tip

It matters how your cover letter looks. A military cover letter should contain a no-frills design, avoiding bright colors and without any decorative design features. Our cover letter templates offer a wide range of professional choices

Key takeaways

  1. Keep your military career stories professional and impactful.
  2. Stick closely to the demands of the job description – relevance is essential.
  3. Use a tone that you would use in the briefing room rather than the mess hall.
  4. Quantify your achievements and focus on your impact on those around you.
Build your cover letter in minutes
Build your cover letter in minutes
Stand out and get hired faster with our collection of free cover letter templates expertly-designed to land you the perfect position.
Create Cover Letter
Build your cover letter in minutes
Build your cover letter in minutes
Stand out and get hired faster with our collection of free cover letter templates expertly-designed to land you the perfect position.
Create Cover Letter

Free professionally designed templates

With over 10 million resumes and cover letters created, Resume.io is the leading online career builder that land you interviews
4.5 out of 5
based on 49,583 reviews on Trustpilot
Use This TemplateStockholm cover_letter template
Stockholm
1,300,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateNew York cover_letter template
New York
400,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateVienna cover_letter template
Vienna
110,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateSydney cover_letter template
Sydney
140,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateLondon cover_letter template
London
240,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateDublin cover_letter template
Dublin
210,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateMoscow cover_letter template
Moscow
56,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateAmsterdam cover_letter template
Amsterdam
140,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateMadrid cover_letter template
Madrid
130,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateSantiago cover_letter template
Santiago
120,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateSingapore cover_letter template
Singapore
47,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateOslo cover_letter template
Oslo
51,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateCape Town cover_letter template
Cape Town
7,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateParis cover_letter template
Paris
32,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateBerlin cover_letter template
Berlin
85,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateGeneva cover_letter template
Geneva
2,900+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateVancouver cover_letter template
Vancouver
41,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateTokyo cover_letter template
Tokyo
56,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateMilan cover_letter template
Milan
47,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateLisbon cover_letter template
Lisbon
26,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateBarcelona cover_letter template
Barcelona
27,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateCopenhagen cover_letter template
Copenhagen
20,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateChicago cover_letter template
Chicago
18,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateRio cover_letter template
Rio
26,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateRome cover_letter template
Rome
4,900+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateBoston cover_letter template
Boston
15,000+ users chose this template
Use This TemplateToronto cover_letter template
Toronto
92,000+ users chose this template
This website uses cookies to improve user experience and perform analytics and marketing. By using our website, you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
Accept Cookies