- Career Advice
- Cover Letter
- Here’s how to write an effective cover letter for an internal position
Here’s how to write an effective cover letter for an internal position
Artwork by: Antonina Kasyanikova
- How do I write a cover letter for an internal job?
- Discuss your value proposition
- Share results
- Add a referral, if you have one
- Make use of your company knowledge
- What to include in a cover letter for an internal job?
- Key takeaways
Is there an internal job posting or a promotion at work you want to apply for? Here’s how you can write an effective cover letter to increase your chances of getting hired.
There are job openings across organizations where internal candidates are preferred over external applicants. After all, internal hires already know a lot about the company, so they’re better suited for some roles than their external counterparts.
If you’re applying for an internal job, you may be required to submit a resume and a cover letter. So how do you go about writing this cover letter?
In this blog post, we’ll discuss:
Tips on writing a cover letter for an internal position
Sample cover letters for internal positions
How do I write a cover letter for an internal job?
Internal applicants generally have an advantage over outside candidates. As an existing employee, you’re well aware of your company’s culture, rules, and policies. You’re also aware of your own skills and interests and are in a better position to decide if the new internal job is worth pursuing. So when you’re writing a cover letter for the internal job, keep the following tips in mind:
Discuss your value proposition
When you’re writing a cover letter, your objective is to convince the hiring manager that you’re the right fit for the role. In order to do this, there needs to be an alignment between your current job role and the internal job you’re pursuing.
Highlight how your existing job role has equipped you with the right experience for the new job. Mention your transferable skills and how they are likely to set you up for success in your new job role.
Share results
When it comes to resumes and cover letters, there are few things that convince the reader more than accomplishments that are backed by numbers. For this reason, it’s important to include some of your achievements in the cover letter that are relevant to the new job.
When mentioning your past accomplishments, make sure to include some of the soft skills that enabled you to achieve them (e.g., leadership, teamwork, attention to detail, analytical skills, etc). For example, if you collaborated with cross-functional teams to complete a project, highlighting this achievement will show the hiring manager that you’re a team player, and you’ll likely get along well with others in the new job.
Add a referral, if you have one
If there’s someone in your organization who’s happy to provide a referral for you, make sure to add that person’s name to the cover letter. This could be your supervisor who can attest to your professionalism, dedication, and work ethic.
A referral can also be a point of contact to confirm or corroborate some of the achievements you’ve mentioned in the cover letter, giving more transparency to your job application.
It’s best to mention the name of the referral in the introductory paragraph of your cover letter. Add the name and job title, and briefly explain why you received the referral.
Make use of your company knowledge
Perhaps your biggest strength as an internal applicant is that you know a lot about the company. You’re well aware of the company’s culture, mission, and values, and you can easily weave them into your cover letter to explain why you’re the right fit for the role.
Including this information in your cover letter is likely to convey a positive message to the hiring manager that you’re willing to learn and grow with the company. This could significantly increase your chances of landing that job.
What to include in a cover letter for an internal job?
A well-written cover letter for an internal job should contain the following:
An introductory paragraph that states your current job title and key tasks.
A genuine interest in the new role.
An explanation on how the target job matches your current skill set.
Examples of previous accomplishments that align with the target job.
An expression of gratitude to the hiring manager for considering your application.
Dear Justine,
I would like to apply for the Content Manager position. Given my current employment with ABC Content Production Inc. as a copywriter, I have acquired the necessary skills and expertise to succeed in this new role, and I am looking forward to a challenging, yet rewarding opportunity to take my career to the next level.
During my two years of employment under Alberta Sims, I have created articles, blogs, social posts, and web content, which has helped our organization acquire more leads and improved the website’s click rate by 35 percent. I have also had the opportunity to mentor and train new team members, evaluate their work, and help them plan their workload and priorities better. With several ongoing, concurrent projects, I learned how to deliver quality work within tight deadlines and collaborate with subject-matter experts to create a content calendar for the company. In fact, Alberta recently named me Copywriter of the Year, an honor I am extremely proud of.
I am passionate about mentoring high-performing teams and staying up to date on all the latest search engine optimization rules and guidelines, which makes me an ideal candidate for the job. I look forward to discussing with you how my skills will prove useful for this job role. Thank you for considering my application.
Regards,
John L. Smith
Dear [First name of the hiring manager],
At the advice and recommendation of [referral’s name], [referral’s job title], I would like to apply for the role of [internal job title] at [organization name]. Having worked as a [your current job title], my skills and interests closely align with the new job role.
While working for [Company Name], I have developed subject-matter expertise in [your core competencies] and have had the opportunity to collaborate with cross-functional teams to complete complex projects with tight deadlines.
As a [existing job title], I have:
[Insert one accomplishment, backed by numbers, that relates to the new job role].
[Insert one accomplishment, backed by numbers, that relates to the new job role].
[Insert one accomplishment, backed by numbers, that relates to the new job role].
As [referral’s first name] can attest, I have the right skills and aptitude for this job. I am willing to discuss, in detail, how I can prove to be a suitable candidate for this job role. Thank you for taking the time to consider my application.
Yours truly,
[Your name]
Do you need a professionally-written cover letter to take your career to the next level? Check out our cover letter services!
Key takeaways
1. Creating a cover letter is not just important when applying for a job as an external candidate, but it also may be needed when applying for an internal job.
2. The key to writing an effective cover letter for an internal job posting is to focus on your relevant skills and experience, highlight your accomplishments, and leverage your existing knowledge of the company.
3. Make sure to thoroughly review and proofread your cover letter before submitting it.
