Executive Cover Letter Example & Writing Guide
- What should your executive cover letter include?
- What can you write in the introduction of your cover letter?
- What should be mentioned in the cover letter body for an executive role?
- How to write a cover letter closing
Executives lead from the front and typically have many accomplishments under their belt. These talented leaders possess deep knowledge in their chosen field and usually a strong track record in growing profitable operations. If you’re an executive looking to make your next career move, conveying your leadership prowess and confidence in delivering results to key decision-makers is vital. But, you’ll also need to stand out as competition for executive-level jobs can be pretty fierce.
Crafting a targeted, impressive, and unique executive cover letter is one way to ensure you stand out in the sea of highly qualified applicants and pique the interest of the senior leadership team.
In this cover letter guide, along with the corresponding executive cover letter example, we’ll look at exactly how to draft a cover letter that can get you interviews, including:
What should your executive cover letter include?
What can you write in the introduction of the cover letter
What information can you give in the body of the cover letter
How to write a cover letter closing
What should your executive cover letter include?
Your executive cover letter needs to be clear, concise, and highlight your top-level experience, impressive achievements, and the specific qualities you can bring to the organization. Avoid the temptation to describe your extensive work history and experience in a longer form executive cover letter, as the majority of hiring managers prefer a more succinct approach.
Typically, your cover letter will include your contact information, details of the company you are applying to, the date, and a formal greeting. Following this, you’ll need a compelling introduction to hook the reader, main body of information, and finally your closing paragraph. We’ll go over these elements in detail in the following paragraphs.
What can you write in the introduction of your cover letter?
A cover letter’s introduction needs to attract the hiring manager's attention and tell them why you have a strong interest in applying for the position. Pack some punch into your executive cover letter introduction by emphasizing your extensive industry experience and strongest career achievements.
If you’ve worked in demanding or diverse organizations, developed strategic partnerships with C-level executives, or delivered multi-million-dollar improvement initiatives make sure you mention this in your introduction. Reviewing the requirements of the role and pain points of the organization will help you pin down which achievements will resonate the most.
Dear [name],
It is with great interest that I am forwarding my resume for consideration as a [Position Title] within [Company Name]. Given my extensive background building, operating, and growing highly profitable companies within demanding industries, I would be an excellent fit for the role.
What should be mentioned in the cover letter body for an executive role?
The body of your executive cover letter is where you expand on your qualifications, experience, achievements, and the unique value you can bring to the company.
An effective approach is to break into it three different sections:
Why you? Provide specific examples of executive leadership. This could include successfully overseeing high-volume, large-scale operations with multi-million-dollar revenues. Showcase your expertise in business turnaround or transformation. Perhaps you’ve turned around insolvent operations to profitable enterprises. Where possible, quantify your achievements for maximum impact. You should also weave in your strong communication, relationship-building, and leadership skills to demonstrate the added value you can bring to the role.
Why here? Why do you want to work for this particular company? What are your ideas and vision for the organization? Researching future company plans/agendas and explaining how your experience would be of benefit is a great way to demonstrate your suitability for the job opening.
Why now? Perhaps you’ve just successfully completed a major turnaround project and are looking for your next challenge, or you may be looking for an executive-level role as part of career progression. Communicating your career objectives and the backstory as to how you’ve arrived at this point in your career will allow your personality to shine through in your cover letter.
Get more in-depth advice in our blog: Cover letter format: tips, tricks & examples
Expert Tip
Across your cover letter, emphasize your experience as a thought leader in your industry. Companies are looking for experts who have significant industry knowledge, are able to deliver insightful strategic input, and ensure positive business results. For example, if you work in the supply chain field your speciality could be sustainable global supply chains.
Please consider the following highlights from my resume:
Executive Leadership – Throughout my career, I have served in executive management roles, including overseeing a high-volume auto dealership producing $150M in annual revenue.
Turnaround Specialist – My expertise is in taking over insolvent operations and turning them into highly profitable entities positioned for unprecedented growth.
Communications – Engaging and constructive, I am focused on building positive relationships with customers, stakeholders, peers, direct reports, and all levels of operational leadership.
I excel in collaborative, fast-paced settings, and these qualities attract me to a career with an organization such as yours. As an analytical, quality-focused professional, I have a strong desire to exceed expectations and deliver the effort necessary to achieve company goals.
How to write a cover letter closing
The closing section of your executive cover letter needs to thank the hiring manager for their time but also encourage them to get in touch with you. This is also a golden opportunity to deliver a strong finish to your cover letter. This doesn’t need to be a long paragraph (1-2 sentences is fine).
Reinforce what attracted you to the job opening. This should demonstrate the impact you will have: “As an analytical, quality-focused professional, I consistently exceed expectations and develop creative solutions to challenging global supply chain issues.”
Include a Call to Action. Encourage them to take your application to the next level: “I look forward to speaking with you and discussing how I can fulfill the unique requirements of this position. Until then, thank you for your time and consideration.”
Tick all the boxes on our cover letter checklist. Learn more here: Cover letter checklist
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how I can fulfill the unique characteristics of this position. In the interim, I thank you for reviewing this letter and the accompanying material.
Sincerely,
Tamara Winsor
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