Cover Letter
Study this sample cover letter and explore the dropdowns below to learn how to craft a quality document.
Cover letters are 1 page or less and consist of formal business writing. Although not always required, they can help to show your personality, dedication, and value, as well as set you apart from other applicants.
Access the full PDF guide to view all sample cover letters and detailed advice.
Watch our video on crafting a cover letter.
In a hurry? Read our Quick Tips or watch our Quick Video explanation.
Name & Contact
Keep it simple. Name should be 14-18pt font. Contact information should be 11-12pt font. Add links such as Github, LinkedIn, or other professional portfolio sites. Make sure that this section is located at the top of the page. Do not put it in the header section of Word/Google Docs (that is, in the top margin) to ensure readability and Applicant Tracking System (ATS) compliance.
Summary
Summary (also called the Profile) is optional. If you choose to include this, make sure that it is highly tailored to the field you are pursuing. Express your goals and value beyond “looking for a summer internship”.
The Summary should be located between your Name & Contact and your Education sections.
Education
Arrange your Degree and University along the left margin and your expected Graduation Date and GPA (if it is above a 3.5) along the right margin. Consider putting your Degree in bold to better highlight your skills and knowledge.
Relevant Coursework
Align on the left margin and make a list or use bullet point formatting to ensure Applicant Tracking System compliance. Only list coursework that clearly demonstrates your value.
Be sure to spell out the title of the class; most people outside of UTD will not recognize the course abbreviation/numbers.
Skills
Classify your skills if you have many. Otherwise, start at the left margin and make a list. As long as you can honestly speak to your ability, you can add it to your Skills section. Don’t sell yourself short!
Soft skills (for instance, communication, active listening, customer service) do not go in the Skills section. Rather, work these into your bullet points.
Experiences
Experiences can be Professional or Academic. In both cases, be sure to build out the sections like you would for a job—clearly demonstrate the skills you used and the results you gained. For Academic Experience, do not simply discuss the end results of the app you built or the topic you wrote a paper about. Keep in mind that you likely will not be hired to create that exact app again, but you will be called upon to use those hard and soft skills again. Sell your skills, not the particular project.
Bullet Points
Start with a strong action verb. Try not to repeat the same verb.
Be specific—you want the potential employer to clearly picture your skillsets and work style.
Use a model like WHO (What you did, How you did it, Outcome/Purpose) to ensure that you are covering all the important information. See our full guide for more examples of the WHO model and for other effective models. Add metrics—quantify where possible.
Organizations, Community Service, & Leadership
Add any experiences that you believe will help showcase you as a professional. Athletics or other non-industry organizations can be added; however, be sure to prioritize industry-related content on your resume. Do not add hobbies unless you are affiliated with an organization (for instance, a UTD Baking Club would be all right to list. However, you would not want to list simply “baking”.
Awards
Awards can go close to the end of your resume. You can also consider adding scholarships as part of your Education section.
