You’re ready for the professional big leagues. Does your cover letter prove that? Check out this executive cover letter example from a real client we worked with, along with some tips to write one that’s just as awesome.
By: Daniel Lorenzo | Content Marketing Manager at Let’s Eat, Grandma
You made it. After countless years of hard work and dedication, you’re ready to apply for a C-level executive job.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to just earn 15+ years of exceptional experience and expertise. You have to write a cover letter that proves you have all that!
Executive cover letters can be exceptionally difficult to write. They need to somehow cover an entire career’s worth of accomplishments, lessons learned, and your professional philosophy while still fitting onto less than a page!
That’s why we’re here with this helpful executive cover letter example. Here at Let’s Eat, Grandma, we’ve written over a thousand successful cover letters for job seekers across every industry and experience level. Our professional business writing consultants know a thing or two about cover letters, and we’re happy to share our winning formula with you.
Robert (name changed) came to us with over 25 years of relevant experience, but still wasn’t getting interviews with his application materials.
We collaborated with him on a rewrite and gave him a new cover letter that made his qualifications shine through.
Check out this executive cover letter example, then read on for helpful tips to make yours just as awesome:
Executive Cover Letter Sample
Let’s walk through a few elements of this great cover letter so you can learn how to include them in your own…
#1: Bolded Headings
You may have been thrown off when you saw those three bolded headings. Aren’t documents like this supposed to be formal?
They are, but while you should never forgo industry-standard formatting conventions, separate, bolded headings can be an effective and readable alternative way to structure your cover letter.
Each of these three headers focuses on one of Robert’s specific strengths. This approach not only makes the cover letter easy to read, but laser-targeted to the skills required by the job description. It shows, item-by-item, why Robert is the best candidate for this job.
#2: Focused on Professional Philosophy
You’ll also notice that these headers (especially the first two) mostly reference his professional philosophy and “soft skills.” Rather than “hard skills” like financial analysis or specific software, we chose to elaborate on Robert’s “disruptive thinking,” “lasting relationships,” and “culture of trust.”
Why did we do this? Because his hard skills are already explained on his resume!
Your cover letter gives you more room than your resume to elaborate on your skills in full sentences. That makes it the perfect place to emphasize your highly transferable soft skills like problem-solving and communication, which employers value highly when considering candidates.
So, rather than elaborating on his programming chops, we wrote about his professional philosophy, backed up with specific examples.
#3: Daring Storytelling
Since it’s not bound by concise bullet points, your cover letter also allows your personality and distinct communication style to shine through. (In fact, hiring managers also use the cover letter to see how you communicate.)
That’s why we didn’t just skim over Robert’s many accomplishments. We took a deep dive and told real, compelling stories about the challenges in his career and how he overcame them.
Take a look at this phrase:
“At every junction of a 20-year company, you have to change and adapt to the evolving market and technologies, like we did, or face extinction.”
Sounds like an elevator pitch than a book report, right? Write yours with the same boldness.
You’ve reached the top of the career ladder. Now get out there and write a cover letter that’s ready for the top!
Wondering if your cover letter (and resume) can compete with the best of them? Schedule a free call with us to find out how our professional writers can rework all of your professional application documents to land you that dream job.
(And, be sure to check out the Career Warrior Podcast for more answers to any and all of your job-search questions!)