cold cover letter sample pdf

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Cold Cover Letter

Job-Winning Cold Cover Letter

Sample cold cover letter that effectively powers your job search. Use this type of cover letter when you are sending out your resume to network for possible employment opportunities.

Many job opportunities are found through networking, this type of approach to a job search has a higher success rate than other methods of finding a job.

Your cover letter should clearly state why you are interested in the company and what you can bring to the organization. Adapt this excellent cover letter example for your own use.

How do you address a cold cover letter?

When you send a cover letter cold it is essential to have a specific contact person to address and send your email to.
Go to the company website to find out the name of the relevant person.
Alternatively contact the company and find out the correct name and email address of the person you should send your email to.

For sample cold cover letters go here. Or use this cold cover email if you want to rather send an email.

Sample cold cover letter email

Subject Line: Introducing a Top Performing Customer Service Professional

Dear Mr Smith

As a Customer Service Specialist with a track record of achieving excellent results in the XYZ industry, I am enthusiastic about bringing my experience and expertise to your dynamic company.

ABC Company has opened 2 new branches in the last 18 months, significantly expanding your customer base. Some of the key capabilities that I can deliver to meet your increasing customer service needs include:

8 years experience servicing a large, diverse and demanding customer base
consistent achievement of performance bench marks in all areas
efficient in-depth tracking, analyzing and processing of market-related data
excellent verbal and written communication skills
a team player who achieves results through co-ordination with all stakeholders

As a hard working and results-driven customer service professional I am confident that I can make a positive contribution to ABC company. My resume is attached for your review and I look forward to meeting with you to further discuss my qualifications and experience.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Andrew Candidate

Contact Numbers

How do you write a cover letter for a job that is not advertised?

Use these 5 top cold contact cover letter tips to maximize your chances of success.

Address a person, not a title. Find out the name of the person responsible for the hiring decision by contacting the company.
Write a subject line that grabs the reader's attention and ensure your cold cover email or letter is opened and read.
Customize the cover letter to the job and company. Show that you have done your homework.
Highlight your most relevant skills and experience and clearly articulate what you would contribute to the organization and why you would be an asset.
Close your cover letter strongly and motivate the reader to take action.

Cold contact cover letters

Use these cold cover letter examples to get the interview.

Cold Cover Letter Examples

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Learn How to Write Cold Contact Cover Letters

Find out What to Include and See Examples

Cold Contact Cover Letter Example

Sending an email cold contact letter.

What to Include in the Letter
Before You Send a Cold Contact Letter

More Cold Contact Letter Examples

What is a cold contact cover letter, and how can it help your job search? A cold contact cover letter is a document sent with your resume to companies that have not advertised job openings .

Sending a cold contact cover letter provides you with an opportunity to be considered by the company for employment. Because writing this type of letter takes time, it's a good idea to only send cold contact cover letters to companies that you are very interested in working for.

The following is an example of a cold contact cover letter sent to an employer that hasn't advertised job openings. Download the cold contact cover letter template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online) or see below for more examples.

Cold Contact Cover Letter Example (Text Version)

Susan Sharpe 123 Main Street New York, NY 11111 555-555-5555 susan.sharpe@email.com

August 17, 2020

Mr. David Paulin Greenwood Elementary Principal 1390 Broadway New York, NY 11111

Dear Mr. Paulin,

Independent schools such as Greenwood Elementary require a hardworking, organized administrative staff to ensure that the school runs successfully and efficiently. My administrative experience and organizational skills would help contribute to the long history of success at Greenwood School.

I have extensive administrative experience in an academic setting. For the past two years I have worked at the Early Childhood Center at XYZ College, where I alternated between running activities for the children and answering phones, scheduling parent-teacher meetings, and performing other organizational tasks.

I also served as an intern for the principal of 123 Elementary School, undertaking a variety of office assignments while also observing firsthand the day-to-day duties of an academic administrator.

I have attached my resume, and would love to speak with you regarding how I could make a significant contribution to Greenwood School's daily operations. I will call you within the next week to discuss arranging an interview. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Susan Sharpe (signature hard copy letter)

Susan Sharpe

When you are sending your cover letter via email, include your name and the job title in the subject line of your message:

Subject: Inquiry From Susan Sharpe

List your contact information in your signature, rather than in the body of the letter:

Susan Sharpe 123 Main Street XYZ Town, NY 11111 Email: susan.sharp@mail.com Cell: 555-555-5555

What Information You Should Include in the Letter

As with an ordinary cover letter, your goal is to get the company's attention and show that you're a great candidate. Writing a cold contact cover letter is harder, however, since you cannot base your pitch off of the information provided in the job description.

In your letter, convey your interest in the organization, identify your most relevant skills and experience , and explain what you would offer the organization. Particularly since you're sending unsolicited correspondence, you should have a strong pitch or thesis statement for why you're worth considering.

For instance, you might say:

From the awards your company has received, it's clear that you make the very best of Widget X. However, the directions on how to assemble Widget X aren't as praised. That's where I can help: As an award-winning technical writer, I excel at explaining complex things in clear, simple language.

Here are the basic elements you'll want to include in your cold contact cover letter:

A Good Hook

Start with a strong subject line—this will help ensure that the recipient will open the email, despite not recognizing the sender. You can try aggressive subject lines like "Why you need a better event planner" or "Increase your sales 10%." Or, try more subtle approaches, such as "Quick request—marketing positions" or "Experienced marketer interested in company X."

If you know someone in common, include the person's name in the subject line.

As well, you'll want to have an attention-getting first sentence that conveys both what you want (a job; an informational interview) and what you can offer.

What You Would Offer

Be clear about why you'd be an asset. This is where research comes in: You want to connect the company's needs and goals with your skills and abilities. Show how you're well-suited to help the company achieve its mission, whether that's selling more widgets or making on-time deliveries.

If You're Connected, Mention It

If you have a connection that you can mention, make sure to include that information in the first few sentences of the letter. (Always check beforehand to make sure the c onnection is comfortable with you including their name and prepared to recommend you.)

Provide Evidence

It's great to say you have a proven track record launching PR campaigns; even better to send a link to an article or press release about the campaign's success. Include a link or attachments to your portfolio, writing clips, and any other relevant evidence of your work.

Include Next Steps

Conclude your email by offering next steps, such as a potential time for a follow-up call or a request for an interview or conversation. While your goal may ultimately be a job interview, smaller requests, such as an informational interview , tour of the company, or request for information on the next job fair, may more readily be granted.

Before You Send a Cold Contact Cover Letter

Is it worth it to send cold contact letters? That's a tricky question to answer. As you can see, crafting a strong cold contact cover letter involves as much time—or even more—than a cover letter written in response to a posted job description. And even with a strong, targeted letter, there's no guarantee that the company will be receptive to your overture.

However, that doesn't mean that cold contact letters and emails never get results.

If you email persuasively and convey clearly why the company needs someone like you, it can be far more attention-getting than one of many emails in a pile of cover letters responding to a posted offer.

Much of the success of a cold cover letter depends on timing, your understanding of the company, and the quality of your letter. This technique is most likely to be successful when you're truly passionate about a company and believe you'd be an asset.

Before sending a cold contact cover letter, do your research. As well as knowing the company, you'll want to send your letter to the most appropriate person. Use LinkedIn to find out the names of managers or employees in the department where you'd like to work.

Inquiry Letters
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CareerOneStop. " Inquiry Letters ." Accessed Aug. 17, 2020.

Cover Letter and Cold Letter Best Practices for Musicians

The following is excerpted from Chapter 12 of How to Get a Job in the Music and Recording Industry by Keith Hatschek, published by Berklee Press.

What’s the difference between a cold letter and a cover letter?

A “cold letter” is one that is submitted, with or without your resume, in the hopes of securing an interview with a company that interests you. A cold letter is one that you send into the unknown, often blind, as you may not know if the company is looking to hire new staff or not. Simply put, it’s a shot in the dark.

A cover letter is written to address an existing opportunity at a company. Let’s say you spoke to someone in the human resources department. They said, “Yes, send us a resume, here’s our address.” A well-written cover letter starts by referencing that this submission is being sent in response either to a specific job opening or to a company’s request to review your resume and qualifications.

The cover letter accompanying your resume for a specific opportunity should also state why you believe you are qualified for the position in question. Don’t assume that the resume screener will proceed far enough into your resume to the location where your carefully crafted worth points reside. Restate two or three key attributes and worth points in your cover letter, and end on a positive and enthusiastic note. Remember that the same care that went into your resume should be invested in your cover and cold letters: be sure that there are no typos, use good grammar, leave a little white space, and include your name and contact information on the letter, as it may become separated from your resume. Keep your letter to a maximum length of one page.

On the next page is a sample of a well-written cold letter I received a number of years ago. I took the time to read it and the attached resume, which looked promising. But this person never secured a phone or in-person interview with me. Why? She never took the next important step. She never made the follow-up call to see if I would give the time for an interview. Her letter said, “I look forward to meeting with you and will be calling you in the next few weeks to arrange a mutually convenient time.”

Dear Mr. Hatschek,

Your name came up in my research of the music business in the San Francisco region as someone whose effectiveness and influence on the industry has been exemplary. You are clearly an individual whose knowledge and experience would be invaluable to anyone hoping to enter this highly competitive and relatively closed field.

I am a musically literate, well-spoken, and enthusiastic recent college graduate whose greatest passion in life has always been music. Please be assured that I do not expect you to know of any specific positions in your or other companies. Rather, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you briefly to discuss the business in general and get the benefit of your comments and advice.

In addition to a lifetime of collecting and listening, I have worked extensively with local acts in both promotion and staging, and am myself a singer and a songwriter. I would be happy to discuss this and other work experience in more depth when we meet.

I look forward to meeting with you and plan to call in the next few weeks to arrange a mutually convenient time.

Sincerely yours,

That call never came. It may have been due to the huge number of letters she sent out, or that she landed her dream gig. But if you take the time to write a strong letter and send it out, you should budget adequate time to do at least one follow-up call for each submission.

Although I wasn’t hiring at the time, I would have given this person time for an informational phone interview based on the quality of the letter and the attached resume, and that would have been a positive learning (and networking) experience for her.

Remember, often the people who have valuable information may not hire you today, but they could refer you to someone else in the industry that is hiring. So invest the time and effort to make your cold and cover letters strong, concise communicators—especially if they’re aimed at what I call “Targets of Opportunity,” which we will investigate in the next chapter.

A Final Thought on Originality and Accuracy in Cover Letters

I’m often asked, “Once I have one really good cover letter can I just use that as a form letter for all the jobs I respond to?” No, you must always customize each cover letter. It doesn’t matter if you have thirty jobs you’re responding to this week. Break it down into short-term goals for that day.

Write a letter. Carefully double-check the accuracy of the spelling and the address. Pay special attention to the name of the person to whom you are sending the letter. If you are unsure of any of the contact information, call the company. “Hi, I’m sending a letter to Keith Hatschek. I just want to make sure I am spelling his last name right. Is it H-a-t-c-h-e-c-k?”

Receptionist: “No, it’s got an ‘s’ in there and no ‘c’ at the end.”

“Oh, thank you, H-a-t-s-c-h-e-k.”

You accomplished two things during that phone call. You have gotten your prospective boss’s name right. And you made an impression with a person at that firm who is likely to remember that you took the time to call and find out how to spell the boss’s name correctly.

People remember things like that. So the cover letter originality and accuracy are very important to serious job seekers. You can and should use some of the same sentences and bullet points for similar jobs, but don’t fall into the trap of sending out a generic cover letter. You’re missing an opportunity to further separate yourself from the pack if you take that path.

Learn more about roles in the music industry with Berklee Online’s careers page .

7 Tips to Keep Your Singing Voice Healthy in Cold Weather

Berklee is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education "NECHE" (formerly NEASC).

Berklee Online is a University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) award-winner fourteen years in a row (2005-2019).

Get your free music business handbook from Berklee Online.

Cold Caller Cover Letter Example

Making uninvited calls to prospective clients in order to advertise and sell a good or service is known as cold calling. A salesperson known as a Cold Caller contacts prospective clients without their consent in an effort to advertise and sell a good or service. They are often in charge of generating leads and cultivating telephone interactions with prospects.

You must demonstrate in your application/cover letter for the Cold Caller role that you have the knowledge and experience necessary to flourish in this position. Understand how to compose a cover letter that can help you get the job by referring to our Cold Caller Cover Letter Sample and advice.

Cover Letters
Marketing & Sales

What to Include in a Cold Caller Cover Letter?

Roles and responsibilities.

Using a provided phone directory, make cold calls to individuals to advertise products or ask for money.
Respond to incoming calls from potential clients.
Use scripts to describe the features, costs, and other aspects of the product and to highlight its advantages.
Pose key questions to have a deeper understanding of the client’s demands.
Show the buyer how the goods or services will suit their demands in order to convince them to make a purchase .
Enter the client’s personal data precisely into a computer system.
To protect the reputation of the business, address grievances or questions.
To surpass sales targets and encourage additional purchases, go that extra mile.
Keep a record of your phone calls, product sales, and other pertinent information.
Perform market research to find leads and future customers.
Locate and screen the sales leads.
Set up meetings for sales personnel to interact with prospective clients.
Use a CRM system to track and record phone calls and sales prospects.
Contact clients who have shown a willingness to invest in services or products.

Education & Skills

Cold caller skills:.

Exceptional interpersonal and communication abilities.
Strong negotiating and sales abilities.
Perseverance and fortitude.
Flexibility in one’s approach to teamwork and individual work.
Excellent organizational and time management abilities.
Precision and mindfulness of details.
Ability to easily establish relationships with customers.
Proficiency with sales monitoring and CRM programs.
Understanding of sales tactics and methods.
The capacity to remain composed under duress.

Cold Caller Education Requirements:

A bachelor’s or a master’s degree in a pertinent field like marketing, or business.
3-5 years of demonstrable work expertise in a pertinent field.
A CSP Certification.

Cold Caller Cover Letter Example (Text Version)

Dear Mr./Ms.,

I’m writing to convey my keenness in the Cold Caller post that your esteemed organization is now hiring for. I think I’m a strong contender for this job based on my degree and professional expertise. I’ve worked in sales for several years, and I’ve honed excellent persuasive and communication abilities that would make me successful in the role of Cold Caller. I’m an ambitious person who feels at ease making cold calls, producing leads, and setting up appointments. I’ve been successful in meeting and exceeding sales goals in the past.

Here are some of my professional highlights:

Generated more than 150 leads till now while working at (company name).
Surpassed the sales target every time, by overperforming the sales goals by almost 200%
Built a good rapport with customers, which led to a high percentage of client retention.
Skilled at managing leads and monitoring progress utilizing a variety of digital tools and platforms.
I can swiftly pick up new information and am versatile.
I am adept at multitasking and I also feel at ease functioning in a fast-paced atmosphere.
I can quickly and easily build relationships with clients because of my strong interpersonal abilities.

I am thrilled about the chance to contribute my knowledge and abilities to your business and support the expansion of sales. I want to express my gratitude for contemplating me for this job. I would appreciate the chance to speak with you and learn more about how my qualifications for the Cold Caller role correspond to your requirements.