Recent Graduate Cover Letter & Writing Guide

A cover letter for a recent graduate is a professional document that should highlight your essential qualifications and help you get your first job. Its primary purpose is to show that you’re the right person for the role, grab the hiring manager's attention, and secure an interview.

This article will explore the intricacies of writing a strong cover letter for a recent graduate. We’ll tell you what to put in your cover letter and how to write each section. We’ll also provide a couple of real examples to show you what the final product should look like.

What to Put in Your Cover Letter as a Recent Graduate

Knowing what to put in your cover letter as a recent graduate can be challenging since you likely have little to no professional experience. However, you can still craft a compelling cover letter by focusing on your skills, academic accomplishments, and other activities.

One of the best ways to start a cover letter is by expressing your enthusiasm for the position. Employers always look for motivated employees, especially those driven by their company’s work or mission.

In addition to that, you want to focus on your academic background. Since you’re a recent graduate, you want to mention your degree to emphasize your specialization. But that’s just scratching the surface. There are many other activities and accomplishments relevant to your academic journey.

For instance, you can highlight relevant coursework you took, research projects you worked on, extracurricular activities, academic honors and awards, and more. If you have completed a capstone project or have any other significant work to highlight, you describe it in great detail to emphasize your knowledge and competence.

You should also talk about any relevant internships, part-time jobs, volunteer experiences, personal projects, and similar activities. If you don’t have professional experience, these activities are the next best thing. They show that you have practical skills that can be combined with theoretical knowledge.

You can also use these past efforts to highlight some of the highly sought-after soft skills, such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving, etc.

Finally, you can get ahead of the competition by emphasizing specific reasons you’re applying for the company and showing how your goals align with the organization’s. Combine that with a call to action toward the end, and you’ll maximize your chances of getting an interview invite.

How to Write a Cover Letter for a Recent Graduate in 7 Steps

Let’s learn how to write a cover letter for a recent graduate by examining each section individually. 

Here’s a brief visual guide to help with learning:

#1. Write a Professional Heading

A cover letter heading should display your and the recipient’s contact information and the date and location of the writing.

Start with your details, and include the following:

Depending on the job and your profession, you can include additional details, like your address, LinkedIn, personal website, portfolio, etc. After that, you should include the date and location before listing the hiring manager’s contact information.

Here’s an example:

#2. Use a Polite Greeting

You want to cordially greet the reader and introduce them to your cover letter. The trick here is to address the recipient by their name. That way, you’re creating a connection with them, increasing the impact of your writing.

Furthermore, you show diligence and dedication since you went the extra mile to research the company and find out who will read your cover letter for a recent graduate.

Here’s a good example:

You should avoid generic salutations like “To Whom It May Concern.” If you can’t find the recipient’s name, you can always address them by their job title or department.

#3. Open Strongly

You want to start your cover letter strong and create an elevator pitch-style opening paragraph. To achieve that, you should specify the position you’re going for, mention your degree, and highlight one or two of your most impressive abilities and accomplishments.

Here’s an example:

#4. Emphasize Skills

As an entry-level candidate with little to no professional experience, your skills are some of your most vital assets. When talking about them, you want to focus on those that are relevant to the role you’re after. You can further demonstrate your competence by highlighting your high GPA, the courses you took, and more.

Let’s see that in an example:

#5. State Any Relevant Experience

Any relevant experience you have in the field can significantly contribute to your job application. Even if this is the first official job you’re applying for, you can always leverage your academic efforts, personal projects, competitions, etc.

Here’s an example:

#6. Call to Action

A call to action can be as simple as suggesting that the hiring manager call you for an interview. You can also use this to draw attention to your resume or portfolio.

Here’s a good and brief example:

#7. Sign-Off

Your sign-off should politely conclude the letter. Include your name after a cordial closing statement, and your cover letter for a recent graduate will be complete.

Here’s what that looks like:

2 Examples of Cover Letters for Recent Graduates

The best way to understand everything you’ve learned so far is through complete graduate cover letter examples, so here are two different ones.

Example 1

Let’s start with a complete example of a cover letter for a recent graduate without experience. Here’s a cover letter written by a computer science graduate looking for a junior position:

Recent Graduate Without Experience Example

Use this example

Example 2

Now, let’s check out an example of a cover letter for a fresh graduate with internship experience who is applying for a position outside their primary field. In this case, an architecture graduate is applying for a junior position in graphic design by highlighting qualifications applicable to both careers.

Here’s an example:

Architecture Graduate Applying for a Junior Position in Graphic Design Example

Use this example

To finish this comprehensive guide on cover letters for recent graduates with a bang, here are some expert tips that will help you make yours even better:

Final Thoughts

Recent research shows that 52% of college graduates are unemployed for a year after graduation. One of the best ways to beat this statistic is with a well-written cover letter and resume for a college graduate.

Remember that even though you have limited professional experience, you have plenty of valuable skills, academic accomplishments, and other activities to leverage. Play to your strengths, and it won’t be long before you’ll be choosing what to wear to a job interview!