Warehouse work may not be a white-collar job where you show up every day in a suit and tie and wingtip shoes — but don’t make the mistake of thinking you don’t need a professional job application package to get hired in this field. That includes a persuasive warehouse worker cover letter.
Just as logistical skills are vital to the warehouse tasks you perform so efficiently, there’s a knack to picking the right details for a cover letter and putting them together in the correct order. To give you a sense of what we mean, check out Resume.io’s library of 180+ occupation-specific cover letter examples and writing guides.
This guide, along with a warehouse worker cover letter example, is designed to help you write a flawless cover letter that would convince any employer that you’re the right person for the job. Here’s what we’ll discuss:
- The correct format for structuring your warehouse worker cover letter
- Muscle-building advice to ensure each individual cover letter section carries its weight: the header, greeting, introduction, body and conclusion
- How to avoid tripping over common cover letter mistakes
Best format for a warehouse work cover letter
As a warehouse worker, you might be used to shuffling around hundreds of boxes a day, and making sure they all end up in the right place. To organize a warehouse worker cover letter, you only need to put five components together on one page, so you should be able to do that without breaking a sweat.
Here are the five essential elements of a cover letter:
- Cover letter header
- Cover letter greeting
- Cover letter intro
- Cover letter middle paragraphs (body)
- Cover letter ending paragraphs (conclusion and sign-off)
Our writing tips for each of these sections, one by one, will refer to the warehouse worker cover letter sample below.
Dear Mr Mackersley,
Having worked as an order picker in a fresh produce warehouse for the past two years, I’m hopeful about the possibility of a job move to XLO Logistics. Are there any open positions at your warehouse operation for weekend and evening shifts over the summer?
I can’t imagine another warehouse role being a better fit with my studies and sports schedule. While my peers have found part-time work in offices and call centers, I much prefer the physical and fast-paced aspects of order picking. Having to pick each order within a specific time brings out the inner competitor in me. I also like the fact that the compensation is based on the amount of effort expended. I am a football player, so physical exertion is my thing.
I know that order picking and warehouse work requires closely coordinated teamwork. Individuals who selfishly only pick the easiest products detract from the overall team effort, and I am always conscious of being fair to my colleagues. In fact, I always like to take on the heavier produce items because it actually gives me a good workout.
At my previous employer, I held the daily records for volume of orders picked in a number of product sectors. I was informed that my monthly compensation per hour worked was one of the highest in the company’s history. Although my 99.8% order picking accuracy was well above the company requirements, I never sacrificed quality for speed. I was proud of my 100% attendance record and racked up 200+ evening and night shifts.
I would welcome the opportunity to visit your premises for an interview or a trial session. There is nothing like seeing how warehouse workers go about their work.
Sincerely,
Jack Farrell
Cover letter header
When writing a letter, you usually put your name last, but here you actually need to put it first too. Your cover letter must start with a header — an attractively designed section at the top of the page that contains your name, occupation, address, phone number and email.
The most obvious reason for the cover letter header is to let employers know how to contact you if they’re interested. But it also serves as an important design element, making your page more attractive at a glance because of the style choices you’ve made in designing your header.
Making your resume and cover letter match with the same header strengthens the visual impact of your job application. Clearly, both documents belong together and belong to you.
Goal of the cover letter header: Create a professional first impression and draw the reader’s attention to your identifying information.
Cover letter greeting
The greeting (also known as a salutation) is the single line in your letter where you write “Dear Mr. Buttondown” or “Dear Ms. Pennyworth.” It’s as simple as that (except you have to use actual names), so don’t overthink it.
If you don’t know the name of the specific person to address, you should do what you can to find out. If necessary, make a phone call to the company to find out who does the hiring for warehouse work. Addressing your letter to the appropriate person shows your respect for the company and your attention to detail in taking this job application seriously.
Failing your best efforts to identify any individual, the next-best solution is a position title or group salutation such as "Dear XYZ Warehouse Hiring Manager" or "Dear Warehouse Hiring Team. Not even as a last resort should your greeting be " Dear Sir or Madam" or " To Whom it May Concern."
Goal of the cover letter greeting: Address the recipient by name to form an instant, direct connection with the employer that’s friendly, yet professional and respectful.
Cover letter introduction
Open with a strong paragraph that both identifies the job you’re seeking and sets up your qualifications as the ideal candidate to fill it.
Lead with your strengths, which in the case of warehouse workers may be experience, physical strength, organizational skills, knowing how to drive a forklift, or various other abilities. Try to make your introduction so irresistible that the hiring manager feels compelled to read on.
Goal of the cover letter introduction: Appeal to the employer’s specific warehouse worker needs by stressing compatibility with your strengths.
Below is the greeting and introduction from our warehouse worker cover letter sample.
Dear Mr Mackersley,
Having worked as an order picker in a fresh produce warehouse for the past two years, I’m hopeful about the possibility of a job move to XLO Logistics. Are there any open positions at your warehouse operation for weekend and evening shifts over the summer?
Cover letter middle paragraphs (body)
The middle paragraphs of your cover letter, often known as the body, have a make-or-break mission to persuade the recruiter that you’re the right person for the job.
This may be because of your warehouse experience, which you should feature prominently if you have it. It may because of the skills you possess — strength, stamina, speed, attentiveness, responsibility. It may even be because of the passion and personality that comes through in your letter.
Submitting a cover letter has one big advantage over sending a resume alone: It allows you to speak directly to the hiring manager in your own words, showcasing your greatest strengths and broadcasting your eagerness to go to work for the company you’re targeting.
Goal of the cover letter body: Assure the employer that you’re perfect for the job and able to deliver on every expectation.
This warehouse worker cover letter sample illustrates what the body might contain:
I can’t imagine another warehouse role being a better fit with my studies and sports schedule. While my peers have found part-time work in offices and call centers, I much prefer the physical and fast-paced aspects of order picking. Having to pick each order within a specific time brings out the inner competitor in me. I also like the fact that the compensation is based on the amount of effort expended. I am a football player, so physical exertion is my thing.
I know that order picking and warehouse work requires closely coordinated teamwork. Individuals who selfishly only pick the easiest products detract from the overall team effort, and I am always conscious of being fair to my colleagues. In fact, I always like to take on the heavier produce items because it actually gives me a good workout.
At my previous employer, I held the daily records for volume of orders picked in a number of product sectors. I was informed that my monthly compensation per hour worked was one of the highest in the company’s history. Although my 99.8% order picking accuracy was well above the company requirements, I never sacrificed quality for speed. I was proud of my 100% attendance record and racked up 200+ evening and night shifts.
Cover letter closing (conclusion and sign-off)
Conclude your cover letter with an ending paragraph that makes some kind of call to action, something that suggests to the recruiter that s/he should do something about your letter, and not just set it aside.
You might say that you are always reachable at the contact info provided, and that you are eager to hear back. You might say that you’d be happy to stop by the warehouse any time to talk. You might ask whether you could call the manager in a week or two to inquire about setting up an interview, putting that person on notice that you are really serious about this job and not just randomly sending off job applications.
Goal of the cover letter closing: End on a confident note with a call to action, implying some response from the recruiter is expected.
Below is the closing section of our warehouse worker cover letter example.
I would welcome the opportunity to visit your premises for an interview or a trial session. There is nothing like seeing how warehouse workers go about their work.
Sincerely,
Jack Farrell
Common cover letter mistakes
These are some of the most common cover letter mistakes that you should make every effort to avoid.
- Mass-mailing an impersonal, generic letter instead of custom-tailoring a unique letter for each job application
- Lack of enthusiasm or personality
- Loose and lazy language that could be sharpened and tightened by avoiding repetitive words or thoughts and more dynamic word choices
- Clichés and “fluff” that hiring managers have seen hundreds of times and reveal nothing meaningful about you
- Stuffy, convoluted or otherwise unnatural-sounding language
- Duplication of your resume content
- Typos, misspellings, grammatical goofs
- Flawed layout and formatting choices that impede legibility, such as unsuitable fonts or insufficient white space
If you don’t have the time or inclination to fuss with layout, design and formatting details, let Resume.io take care of all that. Using a field-tested cover letter template from our collection, along with our cover letter generator tool, leaves you free to focus on your cover letter content.
Key takeaways
- Make sure to choose the correct format of your cover letter that includes all the necessary elements and paragraphs
- Always address the hiring manager by name if possible
- Write an engaging intro that hooks the reader into the rest of the letter
- State your work history facts, achievements, skills and work approach in the middle paragraphs of the cover letter
- End the cover letter with a strong, confident closing statement that logically leads to an interview or hiring procedure
- Choose a ready-to-use cover letter template to make sure your letter grabs attention (and save yourself time and stress - it’s designed by professionals!)
Best of luck!
Need more inspiration? View these other cover letter samples in our transportation and logistics category:
