There is no blueprint for a perfect team leader. Their personality along with the different people in their team will dictate how they steer their people through the trials and tribulations of the workplace. As each employer will have a differing outlook on leadership, so each team leader application should be tailored accordingly. These subtleties are hard to convey in a resume, so a thoughtful team leader cover letter will do a lot of the influencing work.
In this writing guide, along with our adaptable team leader cover letter example, we look at:
- How to target your cover letter for each team leader role
- What information to include in each cover letter section
- How to choose which parts of your team leader story to tell
- Which common mistakes could potentially derail your application
As team leaders work across many different industries, Resume.io’s collection of occupation-specific cover letter samples can offer industry-related advice and inspiration.
Best format for a team leader cover letter
The teams you’ve worked with should be at the forefront of your team leader cover letter story. You have a limited amount of words, so how you structure the cover letter is important to maximise the impact. Choose only the stories that fit with what is expected of you in your future role and start conversations that you will be able to continue during an interview.
The normal cover letter structure for a team leader looks like this:
- Cover letter header
- Greeting / salutation
- Cover letter intro
- Middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- Conclusion of your cover letter.
Our comprehensive cover letter guide offers a broader range of advice around the subject of cover letter writing. Many thoughts will be rushing through your mind as you write the cover letter. Hopefully we will offer some ideas around how to create exactly the career sales pitch that you need.
This team leader cover letter example might trigger some useful ideas:
Dear Denzel,
It is my firm belief that great team leaders achieve the best results when they make a group feel heard. It's the attitude I've relied upon at McDonald's and the same one that I'd bring to the marketing team leader role at Co2 Communications.
With six years of experience working in the brand development team at McDonald's, I feel that my extensive knowledge and talents overlap with Co2's portfolio of nationally-recognised food brands.
As a team leader, my staff members know I am both approachable and zero-excuse. I expect the best of my people while being there to support them every step of the way. I am friendly, but can also deal with conflict and ensure that targets are continuously achieved. For these reasons, I was promoted twice over the course of my first three years with the company.
I admire Co2's commitment to positive marketing opportunities, and I feel that I could help your business grow exponentially.
I would welcome the chance to meet in person to discuss my qualities in more detail and how they might best be put to work as a Co2 team leader.
Yours sincerely,
Jamie Young
Cover letter header
The cover letter header header should be all present and correct – your full name, contact email and mobile number. The hiring manager will only notice it if there is a mistake.
In terms of your home address, the up-to-date advice is that it is not required. There are discrimination and potential data protection concerns (would you want your details on hundreds of ATS databases?). The inside address of the recipient is equally not essential to include – the cover letter will be read by multiple recipients and in any case it will almost always be sent via electronic means. See the header on our adaptable cover letter sample for more ideas on creating your own.
Cover letter greeting
Every part of a cover letter matters in terms of the perception of your application – even the greeting. Stick to the conventional “Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms.Surname” greeting and try to address the letter to the hiring manager, if possible. If that fails, then look up the name of the HR manager or talent acquisition manager who is managing your application. These details should also be included on the job description.
If you do not know the recipient, opt for the warmer “Dear company team” rather than the impersonal “To whom it may concern.” The tone of your cover letter matters. Below you’ll find the greeting from our adaptable cover letter example.
Cover letter introduction
There are many aspects of their job that a team leader might want to include in their team leader cover letter intro. The most important consideration is to share how they have facilitated results through their people.
Bear in mind the composition of the team that you will be taking on and show that you have what it takes to get them performing to their potential. Offer context for the achievements of the team and tell a story about how your personal contribution made a difference. How you manage others matters as much as the end product. Check out the cover letter sample introduction below.
Dear Denzel,
It is my firm belief that great team leaders achieve the best results when they make a group feel heard. It's the attitude I've relied upon at McDonald's and the same one that I'd bring to the marketing team leader role at Co2 Communications.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle paragraphs of cover letters could be filled with a whole host of achievements, but it is best to focus on the personal impact that you have made on those around you. A cover letter offers that bit more chance to be descriptive.
Set yourself apart from the other team leaders in your industry by talking about rare projects and genuinely stunning achievements (as long as they are relevant for your future employer). Your cover letter will be compared with those of others, so you need to use that page to the maximum extent.
Stick to a maximum of two career stories and try to pick out the aspects that you have not been able to include in other parts of your application. Cover letters and resumes need to work together to create the best impression – not in isolation. Get inspiration from the body of our cover letter example:
With six years of experience working in the brand development team at McDonald's, I feel that my extensive knowledge and talents overlap with Co2's portfolio of nationally-recognised food brands.
As a team leader, my staff members know I am both approachable and zero-excuse. I expect the best of my people while being there to support them every step of the way. I am friendly, but can also deal with conflict and ensure that targets are continuously achieved. For these reasons, I was promoted twice over the course of my first three years with the company.
I admire Co2's commitment to positive marketing opportunities, and I feel that I could help your business grow exponentially.
How to end a team leader cover letter (conclusion & sign-off)
Every team leader cover letter should conclude with one last example of the difference that they make to those around them. How have you helped people develop to achieve better results both now and in the future? What was your legacy?
A sense of self-belief should flow through your cover letter, so end with a confident comment that you are looking forward to finding out more during a potential interview. This call-to-action is good sales practice and will put the onus on the hiring manager to decide. If they sense that you may be snapped up quickly, they will likely hit the send button on that interview invite. Below you’ll find the conclusion from our team leader cover letter sample.
I would welcome the chance to meet in person to discuss my qualities in more detail and how they might best be put to work as a Co2 team leader.
Yours sincerely,
Jamie Young
Team leader cover letter with no experience
Are you lacking the leadership experience that you need? Don't let that hold you back when applying for team leader positions. Instead, touch upon the following subjects:
- Clubs and societies. You may not have held a leadership position at work but have you done so elsewhere? Perhaps you were the president of a club or society at university. Consider times when you have had to take the lead in group situations.
- Voluntary work. Have you spent your free time volunteering? Now is the time to shout about it. Highlight any experience you may have in this particular sector.
- Your talents. Are you an all-around people-person? Can you support those around you? Do you have a passion for finances? Whatever your unique talents are, you can weave them into the narrative of your cover letter now.
- Company knowledge. What do you know about the company to which you're applying? What research have you done? Now is the time to show it off.
Avoiding basic mistakes in a team leader cover letter
A team leader should have an eagle eye for detail, so any mistakes in the cover letter may not go down too well.
- Avoid spelling and grammar issues. Your leadership skills are closely linked to how you communicate with others, so check for mistakes.
- Don’t make it all about you. As a team leader, the pronoun “we” should dominate the cover letter. You achieve through your people – every time.
- Start stories – don’t finish them. You haven’t got space to tell the full story, so start off the stories that you are then able to continue at interview.
The content of the cover letter is equally important as how it looks, so a well-designed cover letter might just make the difference. Have a look at our varied cover letter templates.
Key takeaways
- Make your cover letter about your team as well as yourself.
- Share the projects where your team has excelled thanks to your intervention.
- Check out our team leader cover letter sample for ideas on creating a great page layout.
- Quantify your examples and offer context wherever possible.
- Adopt a confident tone – you are used to people believing in what you say.
