Content

A cover letter should include the following sections:

• Addresses (yours, then the employer's)
• Date
• Salutation
• Introduction
• Body
• Concluding paragraph
• Closing

Post-interview correspondence should follow the same general format, but may not need a separate introduction, body, and concluding paragraph.  If the subject of the correspondence is limited -- a brief thank you, for example, or a quick question or response to a request -- then a single paragraph might include both the introduction and the body, and perhaps even the conclusion.

Address and Employer Salutation

Your address should contain the following lines:

• Your name
• A two-line address
• Your current phone number
• Your e-mail address

For example:

Your Name
207 P Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 555-0000
yourname@law.georgetown.edu

You should then leave a couple of lines and add the current date in this format: October 14, 20XX.

In the employer address area, you should include the name and the title of the person to receive the letter, followed by the employer's name and address (please do not forget to include the zip code). Whenever possible, your cover letter should be addressed to a specific individual, such as the hiring attorney, recruitment administrator or intern coordinator. If you do not know the name of the particular individual, call the firm or organization and ask to whom you should address your cover letter.

For example:

Ms. Nan Hunter
Hiring Partner
Hunter, Collins & Associates
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Suite 10
Washington, DC 20000
(202) 555-0000

Back to Drafting Effective Cover Letters and Post-Interview Correspondence