fun cover letter activities

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38 Writing a Cover Letter

Melissa Ashman

Activity Guidelines

Suggested Course Level

Lower level undergraduate

Activity Purpose

• Students will practice writing a cover letter using a real job advertisement and a fictional resume.

Materials Required

• Copies of a fictional resume
• Copies of a job advertisement (to match the provided fictional resume, it’s best to find a job advertisement relating to office management or administrative support)

Activity Instructions

• Review the parts of a cover letter with the class.
• Distribute sample job advertisements and resumes to students.
• Place students in small groups. (Steps 2 and 3 can be skipped if this activity is following the employment skills analysis activity.)
• Ask students to work with their group to write a cover letter for the person in the resume in application for the job in the advertisement. (NOTE: Try to pair students who have experience writing cover letters with those who do not.)
• Provide feedback as you circulate around the room.
• Debrief the parts of the cover letter, such as the salutation, introduction, skills/qualifications to highlight in the body of the letter, the conclusion, etc.

Debrief Questions / Activities

• How did you open your letter? Why?
• What did you say in your first paragraph? Why?
• What did you say in your middle paragraphs? Why?
• What qualifications did you highlight? Why?
• What did you say in your conclusion? Why?
• What are you taking away from this activity?

Activity Variations

• This activity can be done individually instead. If few students in the class have prior experience writing a cover letter, this activity can be done with the entire class (using the instructor as a scribe in a blank document).

Additional Resources / Supplementary Resources

• Fictional resume WORD
• Fictional resume PDF

Tags:  employment communications, writing mechanics, grammar, style, tone, concision, hands-on, small group, creating a product or document, writing practice, cover letter

Student Engagement Activities for Business Communications Copyright © 2020 by Melissa Ashman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Resumes and Cover Letters for High School Students

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Today's high school students must market their experiences, skills, achievements, and accolades to set them apart from others when applying to college or for a job. This lesson takes students through the steps of creating an effective resume and cover letter using ReadWriteThink's Resume Generator and Letter Generator.

Featured Resources

• Resume Generator : This ReadWriteThink resource takes students through the process of creating a resume one step at a time.  
• Letter Generator : This ReadWriteThink resource helps students create a professional cover letter.  
• Sample High School Resumes and Cover Letters : These realistic resumes and cover letters help students visualize and generate content for their own documents.

From Theory to Practice

Common core standards.

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

Materials and Technology

• LCD Projector  
• Computers with Internet access
• The 3 Fs of Resume Writing  
• My Resume Ideas: Getting Started  
• Steps to Creating a Cover Letter  
• Sample High School Resumes and Cover Letters  
• Resume / Cover Letter Rubric  
• Visualizing Your Resume: Graphic Organizer  
• Visualizing Your Cover Letter: Graphic Organizer

Preparation

• Prepare copies of the  Sample High School Resumes and Cover Letters printout so that students may review it.  
• Reserve space in a classroom that has access to the Internet, specifically ReadWriteThink’s  Resume Generator and Letter Generator .  
• Prepare copies of the following printouts: The 3 Fs of Resume Writing , My Resume Ideas: Getting Started , Steps to Creating a Cover Letter , Sample High School Resumes and Cover Letters, Visualizing Your Resume: Graphic Organizer , and Visualizing Your Cover Letter: Graphic Organizer .

Student Objectives

Students will

• Understand the function, form, and effectiveness of a resume by examining and discussing sample resumes with their classmates  
• Demonstrate the importance of rhetorical situations by selling themselves to a defined audience  
• Develop a working resume by using the Resume Generator  
• Recognize how a cover letter works in conjunction with a resume by drafting them for a similar purpose  
• Write a cover letter by using the Letter Generator

Lesson 1: What is a Resume?

• Introduce students to resumes as a genre of writing: professional writing. Discuss how this is different from academic genres in that it serves a different purpose and is intended for a different audience. In short, it is a type of writing by an author who is trying to get something. As a result, it is an extremely persuasive style of writing. Share examples of when a person would need a resume, such as applying for a job, a scholarship, or an award, or when creating a portfolio of one’s work.  
• Prepare students to understand the purpose of a resume, including its F unction, F orm, and (e) F fectiveness (the 3 Fs). Take an informal poll of the class, asking who has heard of a resume before this class, who has seen one, and who has one of their own. Based on the results, you may ask students to share their experiences to add to the conversation.  
• Function: The function of a resume is to inform the audience about you in order to accomplish something. What you’re trying to accomplish depends on what you’re trying to do. This might include getting a job, getting into college, winning a scholarship, or being selected for an internship. There are many reasons to show people your resume.  
• Form: Resumes need to look a certain way. This is considered their form. People who read resumes expect them to include specific information, such as your name, address, contact information, education, past jobs, volunteer experience, and special skills. If a resume does not look like a traditional resume, the reader may be confused and think the writer is not educated about writing proper resumes.  
• (e)Ffectiveness: For a resume to be effective, it must demonstrate your knowledge of both function and form. An effective resume - Has a clear purpose that shows why you are writing it - Is visually appropriate and appealing, or easy to read - Includes all the necessary information about the writer - Is grammatically correct with no errors in punctuation or spelling
• Share copies of the resume printout. You might begin discussing these by putting students into small groups first to review. Tell them to identify what they see as the 3 Fs: Function, Form, and (e)Ffectiveness.  
• Return together as a class, and discuss each F and how students determined what it was.

Lesson 2: Developing Content for Your Resume

• Review the  The 3 Fs of Resume Writing from the previous lesson.  
• Discuss the two types of resume: chronological and functional. Ask students which style they think is best for them.  
• Show the sample resumes from the previous lesson. Ask students to identify which one is chronological and which one is functional.  
• Share online resume reference sites such as  College Admissions High School Resume and  High School Students Need a Resume Too with the class to present additional ways of thinking about the construction of resumes. (If you are not in a computer lab or a room with Internet access, tell students to view these sites later on their own.)  
• Have students brainstorm content for their resumes using the printout  My Resume Ideas: Getting Started as a guide.  
• Begin completing the parts of the printout. Move around the room answering questions as students work.  
• Ask students to complete the printout on their own before the next lesson.

Lesson 3: Defining Audience and Purpose

• Have students take out their completed  My Resume Ideas: Getting Started printout. Put them into small groups to share their work with others.  
• What was easy about filling this out? What was difficult?
• What sections contained the most and least information? Why?
• The audience refers to anyone who will review the resume, so we must consider all audiences, both primary and secondary.
• The purpose refers to why the audience is looking at the resume and what they will be looking for, so we must ask ourselves what they want to read.

Lesson 4: Using Resume Builder

• Take students to a computer lab with access to the Internet and  Resume Generator to complete this lesson. Have them log into the Resume Builder site. As they do so, remind them about the time limit for creating their draft in class. They should structure their time accordingly.  
• Using their notes from the  My Resume Ideas: Getting Started printout, ask students to go through the process of entering their information. Show students the features of the tool, from the additional information about resumes on the first page to the audio feature accompanying the site that enables them to hear the information aloud.  
• When they have completed their resumes, have students save them and also print a copy to bring to the next class.

Lesson 5: Peer Review

• Ask students to take out the printed copies of their resumes. Discuss how resumes today can be printed and submitted to the audience, as they have prepared, but they can also be submitted electronically. In that case, the resume writer needs to understand how to save a resume as a .pdf or how to create a resume with very little formatting, with only the basic information listed and no fancy spacing or bullets used. Connect this to their use of Resume Generator , and discuss how this would be similar to or different from what they just did.  
• Put students into small groups to peer review their resumes. Encourage students to review their peers’ resumes for the 3Fs: Function, Form, and (e)Ffectiveness.

Lesson 6: What is a Cover Letter?

• What did you like about using Resume Builder to create your resume?  
• What did you find particularly easy or difficult about the process?  
• What do you like or dislike about your completed resume? d. What would you like to change about it?  
• Function: Cover letters accompany resumes to introduce the reader of the resume to the writer. They personalize the resume, allowing the writer to provide more detail about him- or herself and any relevant experience. Many people think of cover letters as a way for the writer’s true voice to come through.  
• Form: Like resumes, cover letters also have a typical form: that of a business letter. The writer has to know the correct placement of the heading, date, salutation, body paragraphs, closing, and signature. Readers expect a cover letter to have certain features. If they aren’t included, the reader may think the writer is not knowledgeable and, therefore, not ready for whatever he or she is trying to accomplish by submitting the cover letter and resume.  
• Has a clear purpose that shows why you are writing it  
• Is visually appropriate and appealing, or easy to read  
• Includes additional relevant information about the writer  
• Is grammatically correct with no errors in punctuation or spelling  
• Share an online reference about cover letters, such as Sample Cover Letter for High School Students , to support the present discussion, and raise or discuss any questions as a result of it. (If you are not in a computer lab or a room with Internet access, tell students to view this site later on their own.)  
• Show the sample cover letters written by high school students in the  Sample High School Resumes and Cover Letters printout. Discuss these with the students in relation to the 3 Fs: What is the function of the cover letter (its purpose), what is unique about its form (design), and how effective do students think this cover letter will be?

Lesson 7: Developing Your Cover Letter

• Explain to students that they are going to create a rough outline of a cover letter that could accompany their resume. Provide the  Visualizing Your Cover Letter: Graphic Organizer printout to fill out. They may do this individually or in small groups. Move around the room responding to students’ work and offering suggestions.  
• Once students have a good start on this, provide the more detailed  Steps to Creating a Cover Letter printout. Students should use this to create a draft of their cover letters, due at the next class. Remind students that their time in the lab during the next session will be limited, so they need to have a full draft completed.

Lesson 8: Finishing Your Cover Letter

• Once again, have students meet in the computer lab to type their cover letters using the  Steps to Creating a Cover Letter printout and Letter Generator . You may want to remind them about their time constraints and the need to organize their time.  
• Using Letter Generator, have students transform their drafts into finished cover letters.  
• Make sure students save their work and also print a copy.  
• At the end of class, ask students to submit their resumes and cover letters to you for a grade. Use the  Resume / Cover Letter Rubric to assist you in assigning a grade.
• Have students submit first and second drafts of the resume and cover letter to you for comments or an early grade, additional revision, and a new/final grade.  
• Do more detailed work with cover letters, including researching jobs and researching examples of cover letters for specific jobs. Then have students write cover letters tailored to these jobs.  
• Include a discussion of writing essays and personal statements for college applications.  
• Connect discussions of resume and cover letter writing to students’ college aspirations, including their ideas for majors, careers, courses, and activities to become involved in. You may consider reviewing online resources, including ACT .

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Review students’ printouts for The 3 Fs of Resume Writing, My Resume Ideas: Getting Started, Visualizing Your Resume: Graphic Organizer, Visualizing Your Cover Letter: Graphic Organizer, and Steps to Creating a Cover Letter after each lesson in which they are used or collected. Make sure students are correctly identifying the parts and including information as needed. If a pattern of errors or misunderstandings occurs, review them with students at the beginning of the next lesson.  
• Collect typed drafts of students’ resumes and cover letters as created using the Resume Generator and Letter Generator. Review and grade them using the Resume/Cover Letter Rubric. Address the grade and comments when returning the resumes and cover letters to students, especially if students are allowed to revise for a new grade.

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• Kindergarten K

The 23 Best Cover Letter Examples: What They Got Right

Published: December 14, 2023

I've sent plenty of cover letters throughout my career, so I know it isn't usually fun to write one. Fortunately, the cover letter examples I painstakingly gathered below show that it’s possible to have a little fun with your job search — and maybe even make yourself a better candidate in the process.

I was shocked upon learning 45% of job seekers don't include a cover letter when applying for a job. I definitely don't recommend following the crowd on this matter because your cover letter is a chance to tell the stories your resume only outlines.

It's an opportunity for you to highlight your creativity at the earliest stage of the recruitment process.

Are you ready to showcase your unique skills and experience? Or are you looking for more tips and cover letter inspiration?

Keep reading for 20+ cover letter examples, then check out tips for cover letter formatting and what makes a cover letter great .

5 Free Cover Letter Templates

Five fill-in-the-blank cover letter templates to help you impress recruiters.

• Standard Cover Letter Template
• Entry-Level Cover Letter Template
• Data-Driven Cover Letter Template

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Cover Letter Examples

• Standard Cover Letter Example
• Data-Driven Cover Letter Sample
• Entry-Level Cover Letter Example
• The Cover Letter That Explains 'Why,' Not Just 'How'
• The 'We're Meant for Each Other' Cover Letter
• The Cover Letter with H.E.A.R.T.
• Short-and-Sweet Cover Letter Example
• The Short Story
• The Bare Bones Cover Letter
• The Breezy Follow-Up
• The Administrative Assistant Cover Letter
• The Internship Cover Letter
• The Brutally Honest Cover Letter
• The Pivot Cover Letter
• The Graphic Design Cover Letter
• Consulting Internship Cover Letter Example
• Nonprofit Referral Cover Letter Example
• General Email Inquiry Cover Letter Example
• Post-Phone-Call Cover Letter Example
• Mission-Driven Graduate Cover Letter Example
• Short Recommendation Cover Letter Example
• Professor or Research Position Cover Letter Example
• Director Cover Letter Example
• Editorial Cover Letter Example
• Promotion Cover Letter Example
• Law Cover Letter Example

Customizable Cover Letter Examples

In a hurry for a cover letter example you can download and customize? Check out the ones below from HubSpot’s cover letter template kit .

1. Standard Cover Letter Example

Download a Customizable Copy of This Cover Letter Example

This standard cover letter is among my favorite approaches because it hits all the right notes: It includes a space to give a brief summary of your experience, as well as a space to delve in-depth into the specific responsibilities of your current role.

You also have the chance to describe the challenges you’ve mastered in previous roles, showing that you’re capable of facing any problem that comes your way.

Why I Love It

I love this cover letter because it allows you to describe the high points of your career while still being professional, personalized, and succinct.

2. Data-Driven Cover Letter Sample

Numbers are worth a million words — or that’s how I think the saying should go (if only we could include pictures in cover letters).

Citing data and statistics about your achievements at your current company is an assured way to capture a hiring manager’s attention.

Over the years, I've learned most hiring managers don’t read the entire letter, so a bulleted summary of your achievements can be a powerful way to increase the effectiveness and scannability of your message.

I love this cover letter because it’s adaptable to any role. Even if you don’t work in a data-centric role, you can include any enumerable achievement.

If I worked in a creative industry, for instance, I could include the number of creative assets you designed for your current company.

3. Entry-Level Cover Letter Example

Many of us have had "first job jitters" (that's what I'm calling it) when applying for our first career opportunity.

However, my experience taught me to increase my chances of getting that first interview by including a cover letter that explains how my education can help me succeed in the role I applied for.

In fact, HubSpot staff writer Erica Santiago says highlighting her education was key to snagging her first role out of college.

"When I graduated from journalism school, I only had a couple of internships under my belt and maybe some writing clips — not enough to compete with most young professionals with more experience," she recalls.

"So, I highlighted the classes I took such as 'News Reporting and Writing' or 'Electronic News Gathering," she says, "And I explained the assignments I did and how they gave me real-world experience in interviewing and reporting."

She says that's how she got her first job as a digital journalist for WSVN in Miami.

If you need help understanding how to highlight your education in a cover letter, look no further than this example from HubSpot.

While other cover letter samples give experienced professionals the opportunity to share their experience at length, this one gives you the chance to describe your personal and professional attributes.

You can then convey how you can use your knowledge to help your target company reach its goals.

I love this cover letter because it’s easy and simple to use for a student who has little experience in their target industry — including those who haven’t yet completed an internship.

Looking for more? Download the entire kit below.

5 Professional Cover Letter Templates

Fill out the form to access your templates., best cover letter examples.

What does a good cover letter look like in practice, and how can you make yours stand out? I  found six examples from job seekers who decided to do things a bit differently.

Note: Some of these cover letters include real company names and NSFW language that I've covered up.

1. The Cover Letter That Explains 'Why,' Not Just 'How'

You may already know how to talk about how you’ll best execute a certain role in your cover letter. But there’s another question you might want to answer: Why the heck do you want to work here?

The Muse , a career guidance site, says that it’s often best to lead with the why — especially if it makes a good story.

I advise against blathering on and on, but a brief tale that illuminates your desire to work for that particular employer can really make you stand out.

Image Source

Here’s another instance of the power of personalization.

The author of this cover letter clearly has a passion for this prospective employer — the Chicago Cubs — and if she’s lying about it, well, I'm sure that would eventually be revealed in an interview.

Make sure your story is nonfiction and relatable according to each job. While I love a good tale of childhood baseball games, an introduction like this one probably wouldn’t be fitting in a cover letter for, say, a software company.

But a story of how the hours you spent playing with DOS games as a kid led to your passion for coding? Sure, I’d find that fitting.

If you’re really passionate about a particular job opening, think about where that deep interest is rooted. Then, tell your hiring manager about it in a few sentences.

Why This Is A Great Cover Letter

This example shows how effective personalization can be. The writer is passionate about the employer, drawing from her own childhood experience to communicate her enthusiasm.

Further reading: Sales Cover Letter Tips

2. The 'We're Meant for Each Other' Cover Letter

This cover letter example is a special one because it was submitted to us here at HubSpot. What does the letter do well? It makes a connection with us before we've even met the letter's author.

"Content Marketing Certified" shows the applicant has taken the content marketing certification course in our HubSpot Academy (you can take the same course here ).

Our "records" indicate he/she did indeed give an interview with us before — and was a HubSpot customer.

The cover letter sang references to a relationship we didn't even know we had with the candidate.

The letter ends with a charming pitch for why, despite him/her not getting hired previously, our interests complement each other this time around.

(Yes, the applicant was hired).

This cover letter example does an excellent job of building rapport with the employer. Despite not getting hired for previous roles they applied for at HubSpot, the writer conveys exactly why they are right for this role.

Read more: Customer Service Cover Letter Tips

3. The Cover Letter with H.E.A.R.T.

HubSpot has a lot of H.E.A.R.T. — Humble, Empathetic, Adaptable, Remarkable, Transparent.

Our Culture Code is the foundation of the company's culture, the driving force behind our mission to help millions grow better , and serves as the scaffolding for our hiring practices.

Recruiters at HubSpot look for applicants that demonstrate how they embody the Culture Code and job description, paying extra attention to cover letters that are super custom to HubSpot.

In another HubSpot submission, a HubSpot applicant writes about how she found out about HubSpot, why she likes the company, and how her professional experience aligns with H.E.A.R.T.

HubSpot's recruiting team was impressed with her dedication to the company and how she went beyond what was asked for by linking her portfolio in her closing paragraph.

Featured Resource: 5 Free Cover Letter Templates

Download our collection of 5 professional cover letter templates to help you summarize your professional journey and land your dream job – whether it's at your first or fifth company.

Short Cover Letter Examples

4. the short-and-sweet cover letter.

In 2009, David Silverman penned an article for Harvard Business Review titled, " The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received. " That letter has three complete sentences, as follows:

One might argue that this particular letter is less than outstanding, and I'll also admit it's an older example.

It’s brief, to say the least, and the author doesn’t go into a ton of detail about what makes him or her qualified for the job in question.

But that’s what Silverman likes about it — the fact that the applicant only included the pieces of information that would matter the most to the recipient.

"The writer of this letter took the time to think through what would be relevant to me," writes Silverman. "Instead of scattering lots of facts in hopes that one was relevant, the candidate offered up an opinion as to which experiences I should focus on."

When you apply for a job, start by determining two things:

• Who might oversee the role — that’s often included in the description, under "reports to." Address your letter to that individual.
• Figure out what problems this role is meant to solve for that person. Then, concisely phrase in your cover letter how and why your experience can and will resolve those problems.

The key to this standout cover letter is research.

By looking into who you’ll be reporting to and learning more about that person’s leadership style, you’ll be better prepared to tailor your cover letter to focus on how you can create solutions for them.

Read here for more tips on how to land your dream job .

5. The Short Story

Basha Coleman began her cover letter with a short story. The goal of this short story is two-fold:

• Detail the experience she already has with the organization.
• Stand out to the hiring team.

I notice her short story follows a typical narrative arc: It has a conflict/obstacle, a turning point, and a positive outcome, all created with a goal to emphasize a theme or point.

In this case, Coleman is emphasizing her existing affinity with the brand and her triumphs within the program so that she can continue on her career path.

Like the second example in our list, this cover letter does an excellent job of conveying the applicant’s existing affinity for the brand. If you are applying to a company you love, don’t be shy about showing it and explaining why.

6. The Bare Bones Cover Letter

In today's job market, cover letters aren't always necessary. Even though many recruiters won't ask for or even read them, cover letters can still be effective and convey personality to a reader.

Writing a strong cover letter can help you better convey your interest in the position and company.

This template from The Balance Careers puts together the essential components of a short cover letter: excitement about the position, your qualifications, and a call-to-action for the recruiter to follow up with you.

Combining these central aspects in a well-written, compelling narrative will go a long way in convincing readers to hire you.

This letter is organized and concise. The inclusion of bullet points to highlight key skills and help the recruiter skim the document is a nice touch.

Check out this post for more useful cover letter tips .

7. The Breezy Follow-Up

In this cover letter, Amanda Edens is following the instructions the hiring manager gave by forwarding an email with resume and writing samples attached.

This short cover letter is the result. I especially admire how she uses casual and breezy language to convey personality and enthusiasm, and she keeps her paragraphs succinct.

Not only does Amanda include links to relevant writing samples that are live on the web, but she also closes with a strong final paragraph that:

• Summarizes the expertise she has relevant to the posting
• Emphasizes that she doesn't want to simply get a job but rather help the organization accomplish their goals
• The reader gets everything they need in an organized and thoughtful manner.

8. The Administrative Assistant Cover Letter

In this cover letter the candidate, Michelle, plays up her prior music industry experience to build a connection with Epic Music Group. If you have specific industry experience for the role you are applying for, be sure to highlight that.

It’s clear that she’s passionate about not only the music industry, but Epic as a whole.

She’s done so much research on the company that she knows what software programs they use, and happens to be proficient in it to help convey value to the hiring manager.

This example further illustrates the importance of research.

Make sure you understand the culture of the company to which you’re applying before you send a completely unfiltered cover letter — if you don’t, there’s a good chance it’ll completely miss the mark.

In just three short paragraphs, the applicant uses their company research to drive home why they are the perfect fit for the role — emphasizing industry experience as well as software knowledge specific to the company.

All of this communicates that she’d be able to start with very few hiccups while getting up to speed.

Further reading: 15 Cover Letter Templates

9. The Internship Cover Letter

Maybe you’re just getting started in your career and looking to land the right internship to gain experience in your field.

In this case, you’ll need to highlight more of your educational background and transferable skills since you won’t have as much professional experience to highlight.

The cover letter above is a great example of how to emphasize your skills and accomplishments when applying to internships or entry-level positions. A few things the applicant does well:

• Highlights relevant extracurriculars and affinity networks. In this case, the applicant is applying for a business analyst position, so mentioning their involvement in a FinTech group makes sense.
• Previous internships in relevant fields: Our applicant points out that they’ve interned as a Business Analyst at another firm. Pointing out that they’ve done the role before will help make their case for fit.
• Highlight other useful skills: This applicant is fluent in both English and German. If an international company or an organization needs bilingual support, knowing multiple languages is an asset.

This cover letter example illustrates how you can leverage your education and background to get the gig even when you don’t have much working experience. Highlighting previous internships or experience in related fields can go a long way in convincing hiring managers you’re the perfect candidate for the role.

Further reading for recent graduates:

• How to Find a Job After College
• Writing a Cover Letter for an Internship

Creative Cover Letter Examples

10. the brutally honest cover letter.

Then, there are the occasions when your future boss might appreciate honesty — in its purest form.

Former Livestream CEO Jesse Hertzberg, by his own admission, is one of those people, which might be why he called this example " the best cover letter " (which he received while he was with Squarespace):

As Hertzberg says in the blog post elaborating on this excerpt — it’s not appropriate for every job or company.

But if you happen to be sure that the corporate culture of this prospective employer gets a kick out of a complete lack of filter, then there’s a chance that the hiring manager might appreciate your candor.

"Remember that I'm reading these all day long," Hertzberg writes. "You need to quickly convince me I should keep reading. You need to stand out."

The applicant did their research on the company’s culture and executed this cover letter flawlessly. It’s funny and shows off the applicant’s personality all while making it clear why they are a good fit for the role.

Further reading:

• How to Stand Out and Get Hired at Your Dream Company
• How to Find Your Dream Job

11. The Pivot Cover Letter

Making a career switch? Your cover letter can be an excellent opportunity for you to explain the reasoning behind your career change and how your transferable skills qualify you for the role.

It’s clean but effective.

Since the role she is applying for is more visual, it’s important to both show and tell why you’re a good fit.

This cover letter strikes the perfect balance between creativity and simplicity in design while putting the applicant's career change into context.

The copy is clean, with a creative font choice that isn’t distracting from the content, but still demonstrates the applicant’s knack for design.

12. The Graphic Design Cover Letter

When applying for more creative roles, the design of your cover letter can say just as much as the words on the page. Take the graphic designer letter example below.

It’s got so much going for it:

• Pop of color
• Clean layout
• Interesting fonts

Besides the style elements, this example also doesn’t skimp on the key skills recruiters are looking for. Using metrics, the applicant proves their value and why they would be a great fit.

This cover letter thoroughly conveys the applicant’s skills and qualifications using a variety of visual elements and emphasizing their greatest achievements.

Pro tip: If you're applying for a graphic design job, share a link to your graphic design portfolio website , even if it's not an application requirement.

Job Cover Letter Examples

Next up, let’s go over some classic cover letter examples for jobs, especially if you’re applying to internships or only have a few years of experience.

The below cover letters follow the golden rules and don’t deviate too much from the standard — which is ideal if you’re applying to positions in more traditional industries.

13. Consulting Internship Cover Letter Example

Many internship applicants are early on in their careers or are still in college. That means they’ve yet to gather enough experience to offer tangible proof of their ability to do the job.

That means that a cover letter is the place where an internship applicant can shine.

This cover letter example highlights the applicant’s skills in a bullet-point format. That makes it easier for an overburdened hiring manager to get the essence of her points, quickly, if they’re only skimming cover letters.

Not only that, but this applicant personalized the letter in every single sentence. She shares information about her prior conversations with some of the company’s employees and mentions the company’s name at every turn.

While she only has one prior consulting job, she deftly mentions the skills she developed in that role and ties them into her desired position at Quantcast Product Group.

This cover letter example does a fantastic job advertising the applicant’s soft skills in a highly scannable format — while still going heavy on the personalization.

Don’t be shy to lightly play with formatting to get your point across and to imbue the letter with your passion for a company.

14. Nonprofit Referral Cover Letter Example

This cover letter example for a nonprofit job hits the ground running by right away inserting the name of one of the nonprofit’s Superintendents.

That’s an excellent way to get a recruiter’s attention and make you stand out from the slush pile, even if you’re only just out of school, as is the case for this applicant.

If you’ve received an internal recommendation for a position, you’d be wise to open your letter with that information. Don’t worry about it feeling too stilted or strange — remember, hiring managers only skim letters.

Your goal is to make sure they get information about you that they otherwise won’t get from your resume.

With only three full paragraphs, this cover letter example is short, sweet, and to the point. No time is wasted, and it also goes over the critical basics, such as skills and experience.

This nonprofit cover letter includes a recommendation from an internal employee at the target organization, making it more likely to stand out from the slush pile.

I  also love that it doesn’t skimp on the basics, such as skills, enthusiasm, and experience.

15. General Email Inquiry Cover Letter Example

Even if a job opportunity isn’t available at an organization yet, it doesn’t mean that there won’t be. You can always send a general inquiry cover letter, like the one in this example.

This email cover letter for a political campaign internship is short and sweet, but includes the critical information the campaign coordinator needs to consider the applicant for any new positions that may open up.

The best part about this cover letter is that it can be easily customized from one political campaign employer to the next.

While it does include a level of personalization, it’s brief and can be easily changed to address the specific political candidate.

When sending general inquiries like this one, it’s essential to make the personalization aspect as pain-free as possible for yourself. That may mean including only one sentence or two, knowing that a general inquiry might not be replied to.

This email cover letter example hits all the right notes while keeping it brief and to-the-point. While we don’t recommend choosing this format for a formal cover letter, it works if you’re sending a general inquiry to an employer over email.

It’s also a good example to follow if you’re still in college or have very little experience.

Read more: How to Write a Letter of Interest

16. Post-Phone-Call Cover Letter Example

If you get a phone call from a potential employer and they invite you to send your resume, pat yourself on the back — that is such a win. In your cover letter, be sure to mention that right away, like this example does.

A hiring manager or an executive at a company likely has a lot of tasks on their plate, which means that they may forget about your call from one week to the next.

That is totally okay, which is why this example starts with a reminder that the applicant and the letter recipient spoke back on January 31st. It also has a few more details about why they started speaking in the first place.

Aside from leveraging the phone call that’s already occurred, this cover letter also does an excellent job explaining why the applicant is an ideal choice for the job.

It goes into detail about skills and previous experience with a high level of enthusiasm, and includes a promise to follow up at the end.

This cover letter example includes two things that will immediately draw my attention: A phone call they’ve already had, and a mutual contact at their organization.

The job and internship search can be grueling; never be afraid to use everything you have at your disposal to improve your standing over other applicants.

Read more: How to Start a Cover Letter

17. Mission-Driven Graduate Cover Letter Example

This cover letter example from a recent B.A. graduate wowed me from the first sentence.

The applicant right away explains her attained degree and her specific career interests, then dives into the aspects of her experience that make her such a great candidate.

It's so personalized to the employer’s own mission that it’s difficult to stop reading it.

Even if the hiring manager isn’t a science or health professional, they would be able to effectively gauge the applicant’s suitability for the role by the expertise she shows in her cover letter alone.

The applicant explains at length why she’s excited to work for that specific hospital. The organization serves Aboriginal populations, which aligns with her own values and research interests.

In the last paragraph, she summarizes what she knows about the employer in one sentence, then describes how each of her experiences supports the employer’s mission.

That is an exceedingly clever and meaningful way to align yourself with an organization at a deeper level.

If you’re applying to a mission-driven organization, don’t be shy about showing your excitement and expertise. You don’t need a lot of experience to show that your values align with those of your target organization.

This cover letter example is especially good inspiration if you’re making a career change, have only just a few internships under your belt, or are graduating from college.

18. Short Recommendation Cover Letter Example

Referral or recommendation cover letters don’t need to be too long, and this is a great example of that. It immediately leverages a mutual connection at the company.

The mutual connection recommended that the applicant contact the hiring manager for a role, which is a piece of information I  always recommend you frontload in your letter.

This specific cover letter comes from an applicant with little experience, making it a good example to follow if you’re switching careers or just out of college.

Instead of talking about their experience, the applicant uses anecdotal evidence to convey their enthusiasm for working at that company.

The writer also goes over their most salient skills, such as being able to speak multiple languages. They also explain how their degree directly applies to the target role.

I  love that the candidate highlights their leadership abilities and makes that an effective selling point for being hired.

This cover letter doesn’t go on for too long, which we love. It’s simple and sweet and provides all the information the hiring manager needs to look more closely at the applicant’s resume and make an interviewing decision.

19. Professor or Research Position Cover Letter Example

Academic or research position cover letters might require a little more information than the typical cover letter — and this is one such example. Why is it okay to go a little longer?

Because the letter is not only a way to supplement the PhD candidate’s academic CV, but to provide a writing sample for the search committee.

I love this cover letter because it expresses the candidate’s enthusiasm for teaching and explains her instructional ethos, such as providing out-of-the-classroom opportunities, championing communication, and encouraging students to step out of their comfort zone.

The applicant also suggests courses she may be able to teach at the target institution, and expresses her interest in developing new courses as needed.

She also suggests how she can enhance the college’s extracurricular programming by offering study abroad courses, which shows not just an interest in teaching but adding to the school’s overall culture.

While this letter goes for a little longer than recommended, it serves as a fantastic writing sample and explains the applicant’s research background at length.

If you’re applying to academic or research roles, don’t be afraid to go into detail about what most excites you in terms of research interests.

20. Director Cover Letter Example

This cover letter example — for a Director of Catering position at a university — doesn’t waste any time.

The applicant right away says that they’re a strong candidate for the role, then jumps right into three salient qualifications that make him a great fit.

I love how the applicant uses bullet points and bold text to guide an overburdened hiring manager through the cover letter — and to give them permission to scan it, if needed.

If the hiring manager would like more information or actual examples of the skills, they merely need to read the rest of the bullet point paragraph.

As mentioned, light formatting can be beneficial to your cover letter, as it draws the recruiter’s eyes and prevents them from having to fish for the information they’re looking for.

This short, sweet cover letter includes the critical information a hiring manager or high-level executive needs to make an interview decision.

I  love the use of formatting that doesn’t stray too much from regular cover letter conventions, and I  like that the applicant kept all other paragraphs extremely brief.

21. Editorial Cover Letter Example

Applying for an editorial or journalistic position? Like a cover letter example I  shared earlier, you can take a more storytelling approach to capture the hiring manager’s attention.

This cover letter example does that effectively by telling an anecdote that directly mentions the newspaper where they’d like to work.

This immediately draws the reader in and tells them that this application isn’t random at all; the applicant would like to work at the newspaper because they’ve read it every morning.

Not only that, but they have a favorite reporter on the newspaper’s staff. The applicant then jumps into the specific reason they want to take an editorial position at the Baltimore Sun.

The cover letter includes all pertinent information, such as how previous positions have equipped the applicant to take on this job. It closes with enthusiasm after keeping the reader rapt every step of the way.

The applicant uses storytelling to — you guessed it — apply for a position that needs storytelling skills. If you’re applying for a data-driven position or a graphic design position, why not showcase those skills in the cover letter itself?

I  like that this letter doesn’t diverge too much from cover letter conventions while still differentiating itself.

22. Promotion Cover Letter Example

In this cover letter example, the applicant already works for the employer and wishes to apply for the next position to move up in their career.

I  like that the letter cites the applicant’s extensive knowledge of the organization, which will no doubt give them an advantage over external applicants.

Not only that, but the applicant also references their experience before they started working at the employer and uses that information to make their candidacy even more desirable.

Lastly, this letter includes a healthy level of enthusiasm for the university and the position — something that is never extra in a cover letter.

This cover letter example does an excellent job showing the candidate’s knowledge of their current organization while stating why they’re a natural fit for the promotion.

Plus, the letter includes information on the applicant’s relevant activities outside of work — if you’re involved in any organizations that might help you do your job better, be sure to include them.

23. Law Cover Letter Example

This law cover letter example jumps right into personalization, a bold move that will serve you well if you’re genuinely interested in a company and want to stand out.

The applicant cites the recipient’s recent article on bond litigation, then ties that into the role they’d like to get at the law firm.

The applicant then goes into his skills and the feedback he’s received from past managers. This is an excellent way to introduce your skills without sounding dry — or even unfounded.

By citing positive feedback you’ve received, you’ll imply that others have praised you for having those skills, and that you’re not only "tooting your own horn."

Pro-Tip: In cover letters, it’s absolutely okay to toot your own horn — that’s what they’re for. But if you can cite others’ remarks, that also helps.)

At just two and a half paragraphs, this letter is exceedingly short but no less effective. It’s an excellent example of how to personalize your letter quickly while still conveying the essentials of a cover letter.

This short cover letter example keeps it brief while still creating high impact. The applicant personalizes the letter immediately, cites external feedback, and conveys enthusiasm.

This letter proves you don’t need to write a novel about an employer to sway the hiring manager into giving you an interview.

Now that I've shown you some excellent examples, let's talk about how you can create the best cover letter for your dream job.

What is a good cover letter?

A cover letter is used to show your interest in the role, passion for the company, and the impact you've had in previous positions. Good cover letters should include a standout opening, relevant skills and qualifications, and a strong finish with a call-to-action — all within one page and unique to each application.

What’s on a cover letter?

Before you start writing your cover letter, let's cover a few basic must-haves you'll want to include. If you’re looking for more detailed instructions, check out this guide to writing a cover letter .

Add a simple, but pleasant greeting to address the recruiter or hiring manager.

Learn more:

• Dear Sir or Madam Alternatives
• Cover Letter Greetings

Write a catchy introduction that explains why you’re interested in the role.

• How to Write an Introduction
• Tips for Writing a Good Introduction Sentence

Work Experience

This is the heart of your cover letter. It outlines your relevant experience and why you’d be a great fit for the role. You can highlight special skills, experiences, professional achievements, or education to help make your case.

• How to Write About Your Professional Background
• Professional Bio Examples
• LinkedIn Bio Examples

In this paragraph, add a call-to-action by expressing interest in an interview. Offer your contact information and sign off.

• Email Closing Line Examples
• Tips for Writing Conclusions

What does a cover letter look like?

Besides showing off your skills and qualifications, cover letters give you the opportunity to present a clear, concise, and compelling writing sample. It shows off your personality and your ability to convey ideas.

That's a lot of information to include on a single page, so it can help to have a clear structure to start with.

Check out our fillable cover letter templates to see how you should organize the content of your cover letter.

What makes a great cover letter?

A cover letter is personal, but it also needs to help you reach a goal and help the hiring team understand how you could perform that role with their company. This complexity can make cover letters really tough to write.

Because cover letters are difficult to write, many come off as boring, basic, or confusing for hiring managers to read. But the tips below about the qualities that make a cover letter great can help you take your cover letter from basic to bright.

Start with this quick video, then keep reading for more tips:

Personalized Introduction

Begin with an introduction that's personal. It should capture the reader's attention and address your recipient by name. Then, add a compelling opening sentence that emphasizes your interest in the specific role.

Helpful Cover Letter Introduction:

"Dear [Hiring Manager's Name],

In an increasingly digitized world, where customer-centric strategies are vital for business success, I am thrilled to apply for the [Job Title] position at HubSpot."

Unhelpful Cover Letter Introduction:

"To Whom it May Concern,

I am applying for the [Job Title] position at HubSpot. I have some experience in marketing and can help your clients grow their businesses."

Relevant Professional Experience

It can be tempting to use the same cover letter for every job. After all, it's about your experience, isn't it? But it's not enough to rephrase the work history in your resume.

Recruiters and hiring managers are looking to fill a specific role, so you need to show how your experience translates to their unique needs.

So, the body of a great cover letter should showcase the specific professional experiences that are relevant to the job you're applying for. Emphasize your accomplishments and skills that directly relate to what the job needs.

To speed up this part of the cover letter writing process, start by creating a list of your transferable skills . Drafting this list can help you quickly focus on the skills to highlight in your cover letter.

Then, use AI tools to summarize job descriptions and narrow in on where your experience and the needs of the role you're applying for overlap. This post is full of useful AI assistant tools if you're new to AI.

Helpful Cover Letter Experience:

"At [Company Name], I had the opportunity to assist a global ecommerce retailer in enhancing their online customer experience. By conducting in-depth market research and customer journey mapping, I identified pain points and areas of improvement in their website navigation and user interface."

Unhelpful Cover Letter Experience:

"I also worked with an ecommerce retailer to improve the customer experience. We did some surveys and training, and they were happy with the results."

Useful Examples

To make your cover letter stand out, add specific examples that show how you've solved problems or gotten results in past roles.

Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible, using data to give the reader a clear understanding of your impact.

Helpful Cover Letter Example:

"I lead a team of five content writers while increasing website traffic by 18% year-over-year."

Unhelpful Cover Letter Example:

"I have a great track record of leadership and achieving fantastic results."

Research and Company Knowledge

Hiring teams aren't hiring anyone with the skills to do the job. They're hiring a person they'll work alongside at their specific company.

So, to show that you're not just looking for any job anywhere, share your knowledge of the company's industry, values, and culture in your cover letter.

Spend some time on the company website and take notes on what makes this business interesting to you and why you would want to work there.

Then, explain how your skills align with the company's mission and goals and explain how you could add to their chances of success. This will showcase your interest in the company and help them see if you are a good cultural fit.

Helpful Cover Letter Research:

"I was particularly drawn to HubSpot not only for its industry-leading solutions but also for its exceptional company culture. HubSpot's commitment to employee development and fostering a collaborative environment is evident in its recognition as a top workplace consistently. I strongly believe that my passion for continuous learning, self-motivation, and dedication to contributing to a team will make me a valuable asset to HubSpot."

Unhelpful Cover Letter Research:

"I have been inspired by HubSpot's commitment to inbound marketing and its comprehensive suite of solutions. HubSpot's dedication to providing valuable content and fostering meaningful relationships aligns with my own values and aspirations."

Clear Writing

Your cover letter needs to pack in a lot of important information. But it's also important that your cover letter is clear and concise.

To accomplish this, use professional but easy-to-understand language. Be sure to remove any grammar or spelling errors and avoid lengthy paragraphs and avoid jargon or overly technical language.

You may also want to use bullet points to make your letter easier to skim. Then, proofread your cover letter for clarity or ask a friend to proofread it for you.

• Guide to Becoming a Better Writer
• Tips for Simplifying Your Writing

Helpful Cover Letter Writing:

"In addition to my academic accomplishments, I gained valuable practical experience through internships at respected law firms.

Working alongside experienced attorneys, I assisted in providing legal support to clients. This hands-on experience helped me develop a deep understanding of client needs and enhanced my ability to effectively communicate complex legal concepts in a straightforward manner."

Unhelpful Cover Letter Writing:

"Furthermore, as a complement to my academic accomplishments, I have garnered invaluable practical experience through internships at esteemed law firms.

Throughout these placements, I actively collaborated with seasoned attorneys to conduct due diligence and furnish clients with comprehensive legal support. Notably, these experiences fostered a profound comprehension of client necessities, whilst honing my legal acumen to articulately convey intricate legal principles within a lucid and concise framework, adhering to applicable precedents and statutes of limitations."

Genuine Interest and Enthusiasm

Find ways to convey your passion for the role and how excited you are to contribute to the company you're applying to. At the same time, make sure your interest feels authentic and outline how it aligns with your career goals.

Your ultimate goal is an enthusiastic letter that feels honest and leaves a lasting positive impression.

Showing excitement in writing doesn't come naturally for everyone. A few tips that can help you boost the genuine enthusiasm in your letter:

• Record audio of yourself speaking about the role, then use voice-to-text technology to transcribe and add these sections to your letter.
• Choose your words carefully .
• Write in active voice.

Helpful Cover Letter Tone:

"I am genuinely enthusiastic about the prospect of joining [Company/Organization Name] as an accountant. My combination of technical proficiency, eagerness to learn, and strong attention to detail make me an ideal candidate for this role. I am confident that my dedication, reliability, and passion for accounting will contribute to the continued success of your organization."

Unhelpful Cover Letter Tone:

"Honestly, I can hardly contain my excitement when it comes to reconciliations, financial statement analysis, and tax regulations! Engaging in spirited discussions with professors and classmates has allowed me to foster an unbreakable bond with the fascinating world of accounting, and I'm positively bursting with enthusiasm at the prospect of applying my skills in a professional setting."

Memorable Conclusion

End your cover letter on a strong note. Summarize your top qualifications, restate your interest in the position, and express your interest in future communication.

Then, thank your reader for their time and consideration and include your contact information for easy follow-up.

To make your conclusion memorable, think about what parts of your letter you'd most like the hiring manager to keep top of mind. Then, consider your word choice and phrasing. If you're feeling stuck, this list of ways to close an email can help.

Helpful Cover Letter Conclusion:

"Thank you for considering my application. I am excited about the opportunity to further discuss how my qualifications align with the needs of Greenpeace. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience to arrange an interview.

Together, let's make a lasting impact on our planet.

[Your Name]"

Unhelpful Cover Letter Conclusion:

"Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of discussing my qualifications further and how I can contribute to Greenpeace's mission. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience to arrange an interview.

I’d like to add another stage to the job search: experimentation.

In today’s competitive landscape, it’s so easy to feel defeated, less-than-good-enough, or like giving up your job search.

But don’t let the process become so monotonous. Have fun discovering the qualitative data I’ve discussed here — then, have even more by getting creative with your cover letter composition.

I certainly can’t guarantee that every prospective employer will respond positively — or at all — to even the most unique, compelling cover letter. But the one that’s right for you will.

So, get inspired by these examples and templates. Write an incredible cover letter that shows the hiring team at your dream job exactly who you are.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in October 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

Don't forget to share this post!

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15 Cover Letter Templates to Perfect Your Next Job Application

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Eight Cover Letter Greetings for Every Situation

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A cover letter.

Look at the cover letter and do the exercises to improve your writing skills. 

Instructions

Do the preparation exercise first. Then read the text and do the other exercises.

Preparation

Check your understanding: true, false or not given

Check your writing: gap fill, check your writing: multiple selection, worksheets and downloads.

Do students at your school do work experience? What company or organisation would you like to do work experience in? What do you think are the main advantages of work experience?

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How to write a (funny) cover letter

Let your humor shine through so they meet the real you.

I freaking love Glossier. I love it so much, I’ve brought every single one of my friends who visits NYC to their store, and I’m pretty sure a lot of the people working there know who I am by name. Plus, my friends always ask me about my favorite products and recommendations. I own every single flavor of their Balm Dotcom, use multiple Glossier products multiple times a day, and feel that I have earned the title “Glossier Queen.” Basically, the next step in my Glossier Journey™  would be to work for them. Or, maybe even better: get them to hire my mom (aka BEST Take Your Child To Work Day EVER). 

BACKSTORY/SPOILER: So I wrote a cover letter to Glossier about why they should hire me and my mom. From Glossier: crickets . WHAT? BUT! The founder of GOLD happened to see my letter, loved it, and hired me to write this article. So I did get a gig—and Glossier, I’m not giving up!

What’s so important about a cover letter? 

You are not a resume. You are a person. A cover letter is someone’s first impression of you, so it should show that you would be a good addition to the team—not only qualifications-wise but personality-wise. 

That’s why a cover letter doesn’t need to be meep morp robot-y. Stand out—be funny! From a decade (holy cow that’s a big number! Gimme an O! Gimme an L! Gimme a D!) of doing theater auditions, I’ve learned that you must stand out to be remembered by the director, which will increase the chance of you getting cast. For those of you who’ve had experience with theater, think of a cover letter as an audition. 

You want to be professional and show off your skills—and you want to stand out. Here’s how!

5 tips for using humor to make your letter sound human

Whether it’s for a summer camp counselor, baby food taste tester, or the ceo of a modern lifestyle brand that rhymes with “doop,” here’s what you need to get your cover letter the attention you deserve., 1. say hello (to a real person).

Research the proper contact, and address them by name. No one wants to read a letter to “Whom It May Concern,” unless their name is Whom It May Concern. Once you know who they are, say hi! It’s nice. I like to say “Hello, name of person who you’re writing to!” with an exclamation point because it shows that I am excited to apply for this job and do good work! Just not too many exclamation points after that! I think you see what I mean!

2. Introduce yourself with ~pizzazz~

Tell them a little bit about yourself. Just a taste—like you have experience in something that relates to what you want to be doing. This is a good place to be authentically funny, or at least charming, if it feels natural. 

Here and elsewhere, this doesn’t mean you need to write an actual joke with a setup and a punchline and a clever tag. It’s more an opportunity to add a bit of very specific and colorful detail, like, if you’re me: “I own every single flavor of Balm Dotcom and am on my third Boy Brow.” ( Humor is like ranch dressing. A little with some carrots, broccoli, etc. is good. Great, even! But most people are really weirded out when you just eat a whole lot of it with a spoon.) Also: this is not the place for self-deprecating humor, like “College was awful, like me!!1!1!1!1!!!!” 

3. But also be straightforward where needed.

People like people who make them laugh, but they also like people who are the right fit for the job with a good work ethic and passion. Be clear about:

• What gig you want.
• Why you want to work there: What are their values? Mission? Why work for them instead of somewhere else?
• What you can help them with: Childcare? Research? Taking over multinational corporations? Get specific about the tasks you are ready to roll your sleeves up to do.

This is where you show that you know when to be funny/charming and also when to get down to bizness.

4. Do! Not! Sell! Yourself! Short! 

When you talk about your qualifications, don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through, even as you aim to communicate concrete and important info. Try to paint a picture and describe, rather than just using Resume Words like “detail-oriented” or “self-starter.” Instead of saying you’re “super-organized,” you can say that you color-code your color-coding pens inside a color-coded pencil case. In other words, where it’s not too forced, show, don’t tell!  

5. End with a call to action

Tell whoever you’re emailing what you are hoping to get from them, other than a job: a response. For those of you who are new to writing cover letters, it sounds a bit strange to tell them to respond, but ya gotta do it. Schedule a Skype call or meeting IRL—just do what you’ve gots2do.

The easiest way is just to slide it in during the sign off.  Try “Looking forward to hearing from you soon.”

I’ll end by sharing with you my letter to Glossier. Maybe it will be helpful to you—or maybe they’ll see it here and reconsider. (See: I’m SHOWING, not just telling, that I’m “dedicated.”)

Good luck landing your dream gig—by being yourself!

Hello friends at Glossier!!

My mother and I are beloved fans of Glossier. Both of us would ~love~ to work at your company; alas she has had over two decades of startup experience, including “IPO” (her words, not mine), which was funded by the Lauder family, therefore she would be a better fit for a job. She is, as you probably just read, very experienced with high growth startups, but more importantly, awesome, innovative, and smart. I think she would make an excellent addition to your team. (LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tereza )

Now let’s talk about me: I attended a year of school at Leaf Academy in Bratislava, which focuses on Entrepreneurial Leadership, focusing on design thinking. Through this program, I’ve helped to plan multiple events such as Model European Parliament SK, Startup Weekend Bratislava, Sensorium Digital Arts & Culture Festival, and Výťah Space Conference. In addition, I have extensive experience with social media (being Gen Z, of course).

This past year, I’ve discovered my passion for the environment and sustainability—specifically sustainable skincare and clothing brands. It is extremely important to me, as someone who will be alive to experience the effects of climate change, that lifestyle companies that use their power as drivers of how people go about their lives step in and take action towards climate change. 

I own every single flavor of Balm Dotcom and am on my third Boy Brow, I never go downtown without stopping by the Glossier store—I always bring my friends. In fact, most of my friends refer to me as something along the lines of “Glossier Queen” which is accurate. I attend school in Europe but will be home from July 1 st to August 30 th . If you wanted to hire me instead, I think my mom would be okay with that.

Our favorite Glossier products are Boy Brow, Lash Slick, and of course, Generation G in Leo, Jam, and Poppy.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read (or not – that’s okay too) this email. Although this is written in a jokey way, I really think she would be a great addition to the team. I would love nothing more than a “take your kid to work day” at the Glossier office.

If you would (hopefully!!) like to reach out to my mom, her LinkedIn is above.

     Margot Hulme

PS: This is not my mother writing this as a joke; it is me Margot ( https://www.instagram.com/margotkh/?hl=en )

Photo via: Glossier

Margot Hulme is a high schooler living in New York. Not upstate NY, but just outside New York City. When she’s not studying for the SATs (shoutout class of 2021), Margot is probably playing piano or browsing the King Arthur Flour catalog. Ya know, just for fun.

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Fun & Creative Pen Pal Ideas

Hello, dears!

My last pen pal post, “ The Ultimate List of Pen Pal Ideas ,” was super popular, so here I am with more ideas! Apparently that list wasn’t ultimate after all. 😛

Today I’m going to give you suggestions for how to take your letters from a one-page weather report to the highlight of your pen pal’s day. 🙂 We’ll go through tips for improving your letters and envelopes, as well as a big list of fun extras to send and creative activities to do with your pen pal. Excited? I am! 😀

Let’s get started.

How to Improve Your Letters

Do you ever have trouble coming up with things to say in your letters? XD If so, hopefully these three tips will help. (That sounded like one of those annoying ads: “3 Weird Foods to Help You Lose Weight!” or something. XD Don’t you hate those? ANYWAY.)

Swaps & Activities for Pen Pals

One of my favorite parts of having pen pals is all the fun things you can include in an envelope besides letters! Here are some meaningful and fun activities to do and things to swap with your pen pal.

Fun Goodies to Send

I made a huge list of things to send your pen pals in the last post , but here’s another one! XD TIP: If you really want to make everything aesthetic, use one color scheme throughout. 

• newspaper clippings from your local newspaper
• scrapbook paper
• unusual or foreign coins (or a quarter with their state on it)
• a watercolor palette (with dried paint from tubes, watercolor pencils,  or watercolor crayons)
• fabric scraps
• patterns (sewing, embroidery, cross-stitch, crochet, etc.)
• business cards
• feathers (make sure they’re clean 😉 )
• an aesthetic collage (either their aesthetic or yours)
• playlists , lyrics, or artist suggestions
• pamphlets from local business or visitor’s centers
• a map of your city/state/province/etc. marked with your favorite places
• a hand-drawn map of your property, house, bedroom, etc.
• paint chips or paint cards in pretty colors
• pictures cut from magazines, calendars, etc.
• small works of art
• handlettered verses or quotes
• jokes or riddles
• greeting cards (you can write the first part of your letter in these and add additional sheets of stationery as needed)

Envelope Art Inspiration

It’s hard not to smile when you see a letter for you in the mail… and it’s even harder when the envelope is beautifully decorated! Here are a few examples of mail art I made. The latter designs are for sale on my Etsy shop  if you’re not into art but still want to send pretty envelopes. 😉

________________________________________

Phew, that was a LOT of ideas! I hope you guys gathered some inspiration for how to make pen-paling even more fun. 🙂 If you enjoyed this post, feel free to pin the image below for future reference.

Which of these ideas are you most excited to try? Which piece of envelope art was your favorite? Do you have any tips for pen-paling?

Thanks so much for reading, dears, and please have a lovely day!

***Allison***

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87 thoughts on “ Fun & Creative Pen Pal Ideas ”

YAY!! I was so excited when I saw that you posted another pen pal post!! I really enjoy these posts! I always have an image of what I want something to look like in my head and then I put it on paper and it looks anything from good. XD XD Great post!

I’m so glad you were excited! I love pen pal posts too, so yay! Ha ha, yeah… I know what you mean. XD Thanks, Laura!

Like Liked by 1 person

Ahh, you’re gonna make me start penpaling again XD I love all these ideas! And I’m waiting til a friend’s birthday so I can buy something from your and Megan’s shops! 😀

Ha ha, WELL I HOPE SO! XD I’m so glad you liked the ideas and OOH, really? How splendid of you! 😀 ❤

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😀 I hope I can!

Great ideas!!! I love doing fun little things for people!!!!

Thanks, Joy! I know, right? Me too. 🙂

Ahhh, YAY! I love these pen-pal posts!! They are the best!! 😀 One of my pen-pals and I color a coloring page back and forth, it’s a super fun idea!! 🙂

Aww, I’m so glad you liked it! That’s great! It’s a lot of fun. 🙂

hey, Allison! woah, this was such an inspiring post! I actually sent out a pen-pal letter today. 🙂 these are such good ideas, Allison! I​ really enjoyed reading all of these– super clever ways to amp up letters. I will definitely be using them in my next letter. thanks for sharing, dear! 💓 -sydney

Ahh, that made me happy. 🙂 I’m so glad I could inspire you, dear! Thanks for reading!

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Allison, your envelopes are adorable! Quick q about the watercolor wreaths: do you individually hand-paint them onto the envelopes, or do you digitize them and make them into stickers? The wreaths look identical, and it seems like it would be hard to hand-paint them on the envelopes. 😀

Thanks! Lilian | greenteawithbooks.wordpress.com

Ooh wow cool! So I guess Vistaprint makes like a sticker that you can put on the envelopes? That’s super unique. 😀 Thanks for answering my question, Allison! ❤

Isn’t it? Well they do print stickers, but for the envelopes they actually print the design on the paper just like you’d print something on your printer at home. Sure thing!

Ahh, gotcha. Thanks! 🙂

Allison, these are such great ideas! 😀 You’re such an amazing artist. Having a penpal must be fun! I should get one, although I am no good at art. XD Thanks for sharing! This was so fun to read! 😀 #aesthetic

Aww, ha ha! Thanks so much, Zielle! Yeah, I hope you can find a pen pal because it’s so fun – no matter if you’re good at art or not. 🙂

No worries! 😊Okay I’ll take that into mind! 😁

Oh my goodness I love all of these so much!!! Now I have some even more great ideas to include in my letters to you. 😉 BTW I got your letter last week so hopefully I can work on a reply soon! THANK YOU for all the cute washi tape and coloring pages and the sticky notes and everything!! XD ❤ I LOVE all of your gorgeous envelopes too! I'm totally adding them to my Etsy wishlist right now! Though, if I ever bought them, you're my only pen pal, so if I used them I'd just be sending them back to you?? Which would be kind of pointless since YOU made them?? XD XD XD XD XD

Ahhhh thank you! Hee hee, well YAY! XD I’m so glad you liked my letter. 🙂 Really? Yay, thanks! Ha ha, well that’s true… 😛 But I suppose you could also use them to hold cards for others, like thank-you cards or money for a gift? But HEH, good point. XD

Oh I forgot to mention I LOVE the pretty Bible verse you made on the back of your letter! After I finished writing a reply, I hung it up on my wall! 🙂 🙂 🙂 ❤

Aww, really? I’m soooo glad you liked it! 😀

You’ve just inspired me! My friends live far away from me now but your ideas are great for how we can still do things together! I also thought of starting a story and writing a few lines at a time or something! Thank you so much x

Ahh, that’s wonderful! I’m so very glad to hear that I inspired you. That’s a GREAT idea about writing a story a few lines at a time!

These look so amazing! Love the ideas so much! xx

Thank youuu! I’m so glad you like them!

These are so fun! Great ideas! I love your art! ❤ -Brooklyne

Aww, thank you, dear. ❤

Ooh your envelopes are so pretty! I love mine! 🙂 TIP FOR ALL WHO READ: Buy something from Allison’s shop, everything is so pretty!! 😀 Aren’t those lyrics from this song? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18cW_yHo3PY

Aww, that comment made me smile. I’m so glad you’re enjoying your envelopes and thank you for the sweet shout-out! Your shop is beautiful too. 🙂 And YES, you got it! We used to listen to Johnny Cash and the Statler Brothers a lot when I was younger. XD

🙂 Hehe, I had to google the lyrics, but I’d heard the song before. 😛 XD Aww, thank you.

Ha! XD And you’re welcome!

All of these envelopes are gorgeous! And I love all the ideas. Never sending a boring envelope or letter again hehe xD

HAHA, well thanks! XD XD

OH MY GOODNESSSSSSSSS……. 🙂 I was just telling a friend where I get my envelope art inspiration, and here you come with another fabulous post!!! YAY!

You have such a great eye for colors, designing, and proportions! I love it!

Awwww, really? That’s so sweet of you, THANKS! ❤

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Yay, I love these ideas!

What neat ideas! Now I need to find a pen pal XD. I didn’t recognize the song lyric, I looked it up. Wow, amazing art, such talent!

Aww, thanks! Ha ha, I hope you can. Good for you. 😛 Ahh, thanks again, dear!

I wish I had thought of all this years ago when I had a few penpals.

EVERYTHING IN THIS POST WAS SO PRETTY and it was so inspiring. THANK YOU <333 I love penpaling but never really got to sending my friends extra stuff but I'd love to now (that I'm older and have the capability and money haha). so you gave me great ideas! thank you again for posting this it is so helpful and cool!!!

oh one extra question – your sister’s penpal kit ships only in USA. do you think she’d make an exception for me if I asked? I live in Canada, see XD

and this is the last comment from me for now but MY FAVORITE PICTURE IN HERE IS PROBABLY THE LEGOLAS ONE xDD it’s so funny + cool ;D

Oh, leave as many comments as you like, dear. 😉 HAHA THANK YOU SO MUCH. XD

You know, she just might. 😉 I’ll be sure and ask her! Thank you so much for asking ME!

Hi Lisa! I saw your comment and decided to make shipping available in Canada, BUT it’s quite pricey. XD Still, if you want to it’s now available!

Thank you so much Allison + Megan! I can see it’s going to cost a bit, but I really want to get it anyway. Awfully kind of you to make it available to me ❤

You’re quite welcome! Thank you so much, I hope you can! 🙂

AHHHHH YOU ARE SO SWEET AND YOU’RE WELCOME.

I love this post!!! So few people take time for such thoughtful letters, stationary and writing! Just lovely.

Yay! Yes, I love taking a little extra time to make it a little extra special. 🙂

EEEEEP, THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD POST! It was all super-thought out and I can tell you put some effort in it. 😉 All the pictures and designs and everything (heh, quite a few of them were mine, whaddya know? XD) were lovely! 👍 I LOVED IT, MY DEAR!

AHH THANK YOU. You are right – I certainly did put some effort into it. XD (Heh heh I know, right?) I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT. THANKS.

YAY FOR A PEN PAL POST! This was so fun to read! I pinned half of your pictures to Pinterest. XD And thanks for the shout-out! 😛

HAHA THANK YOU. XD And sure thing! 😀

ALLISON!! this is the perfect timing because i’ve just begun being a pen pal and i’m not quite sure what to send back. this post is so helpful in giving me some opening ideas, so thank youuu!! 😍☀

Well YAY! I’m so glad to hear this was helpful! Have fun letter writing, dear! 😀

Oh yay! I loved it when you did this (similar) post last time! Thank you for the fun tips! OOHH! YOUR BUNNY ENVELOPES!!! Oh, dear me, I believe i’m melting from the cuteness! Great ideas, Allison! Happy Saturday!

~theJunebugblog

You’re most welcome, dear! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂 HA HA, AWW, thank you! Happy Saturday to you too!

I love all of these ideas; thank you!

Yay, my pleasure!

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Love this! So creative! Also, I totally recognize the lyrics! Johhny Cash all the way!

Ahh, thank you! Hee hee, GOOD FOR YOU.

• Pingback: The Ultimate List of Pen Pal Ideas – A Farm Girl's Life
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I have quite a few pen-pals and what we do is we go back and forth asking and answering each others questions. We also write about other things but it is hard to figure out questions to ask so can you please make a list of questions to ask a pen-pal? I would love it if you did.

I love doing that! That’s a GREAT post idea! I would love to do that soon. Thanks for the suggestion!

These worked so well for me and my penpal thank you so much!!!

Well YAY, I’m delighted to hear that, Rebekah! 🙂

I’ve never had a pen pal before so I need help starting a letter what do I start with.

Good question! I would start by introducing yourself, telling a few facts about you such as what your hobbies are, what you’re up to right now, etc., and then asking some questions for your pen pal to answer! Don’t worry too much about it, though – there’s not a certain formula you have to follow. Just start writing and enjoy! Hope that helps. 🙂

I have to laugh. I have been decorating envelopes for years. I am 82 and get a lot of joy from drawing etc. Now the envelopes are the “in thing”. On Amazon you can find butterflies that wind up and take off when the person opens the card. So fun. I enjoy your envelopes and ideas. Thanks

Oh my goodness, how wonderful! I loved your comment, Eugenia, and think it’s so neat that you decorate envelopes too. Maybe you’re the one that started the trend in the first place. 🙂 Those butterflies sound so fun indeed! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for reading!

Thank you! I love watercolour and drawing, and these are so inspiring!

I’m glad to find a fellow artist, and also glad that I could inspire you, Sarah!

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Activities Coordinator Cover Letter Examples & Writing Tips

Use these Activities Coordinator cover letter examples and writing tips to help you write a powerful cover letter that will separate you from the competition.

Table Of Contents

• Activities Coordinator Example 1
• Activities Coordinator Example 2
• Activities Coordinator Example 3
• Cover Letter Writing Tips

Activities coordinators are responsible for organizing and leading social and recreational activities for residents in long-term care facilities. They also work with families and staff to ensure that everyone has a good time.

To get hired as an activities coordinator, you’ll need a well-written cover letter. Check out the examples and tips below to learn how to write a cover letter that will help you stand out from the competition.

Activities Coordinator Cover Letter Example 1

I am excited to be applying for the Activities Coordinator position at the Sunshine Retirement Home. I have more than 10 years of experience working with seniors in a variety of settings, and I feel confident that I have the skills and passion necessary to be a successful Activities Coordinator.

I have a proven track record of developing and implementing engaging activities programs that meet the needs of residents. I am also skilled in creating positive relationships with residents and their families, which is essential in this role. I am confident that I can provide the Sunshine Retirement Home with the high-quality programming and support that its residents deserve.

In my previous role as an Activities Coordinator at the Sunrise Assisted Living Facility, I was responsible for developing and implementing a wide variety of activities programs, including social, recreational, and educational programs. I also managed the volunteer program, which included recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers. I was highly successful in this role, and I was consistently praised by residents, their families, and my superiors for my dedication to quality programming.

I am confident that I have the skills and experience necessary to be a successful Activities Coordinator. I am eager to discuss this opportunity further and to learn more about the Sunshine Retirement Home. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Activities Coordinator Cover Letter Example 2

I am writing to apply for the Activities Coordinator position that was recently advertised on your website. I am confident that I have the skills and experience necessary to be successful in this role.

I have over three years of experience working as an Activities Coordinator in a variety of settings. I have a proven track record of successfully planning and organizing a wide range of activities and events. I am skilled in managing budgets and working with a variety of vendors. I am also an excellent communicator and have a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office.

Most importantly, I have a passion for working with people and a dedication to providing excellent customer service. I am confident that I can exceed your expectations and make a valuable contribution to your team.

I would be happy to discuss my qualifications in further detail with you at your convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Activities Coordinator Cover Letter Example 3

I am writing to express my interest in the Activities Coordinator position at your facility. I have extensive experience in this field, and believe that my skills would be a great addition to your team.

I have worked as an Activities Coordinator for over 10 years, and have gained valuable experience working with people of all ages and abilities. I have coordinated activities for seniors, children, adults, and special needs individuals. I have also coordinated events such as birthday parties, holiday celebrations, and corporate events.

I am skilled in developing activity programs that are both fun and educational. I believe that it is important to provide activities that challenge people mentally as well as physically. I am skilled in creating activities that stimulate the mind while providing physical exercise. I am also skilled in creating activities that are appropriate for the age and ability level of each participant.

I am also skilled in managing large groups of people. I have coordinated events with up to 200 participants, and have never had any issues with crowd control or safety. I am also skilled in managing multiple projects simultaneously. I am able to prioritize tasks based on their importance, and complete them accordingly.

I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss how my skills could benefit your organization. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Activities Coordinator Cover Letter Writing Tips

1. show your passion for working with people.

When writing a cover letter for an activities coordinator position, it’s important to show hiring managers that you have a passion for working with people. This can be done by highlighting your experience in customer service, working with children or organizing events.

If you have any relevant awards or certificates related to your work with people, be sure to mention them in your cover letter. This will help hiring managers see that you have the necessary skills and experience for the job.

2. Customize your cover letter

Since activities coordinators often work with a variety of people, it’s important to tailor your cover letter to match the specific needs of the job. For example, if the job listing asks for someone who is experienced in working with children, be sure to highlight any experience you have in this area.

You can also mention any additional skills you have that could be beneficial in this role, such as experience in event planning or marketing.

3. Showcase your creativity

Hiring managers are often looking for candidates who are creative and have the ability to think outside the box. When writing your cover letter, be sure to showcase your creativity by talking about a time when you came up with an innovative solution to a problem.

You can also describe how you’ve helped to organize successful events in the past, or how you’ve gone above and beyond to meet the needs of your clients.

4. Proofread your cover letter

Just like with any other position, it’s important to proofread your cover letter for mistakes before submitting it. This shows hiring managers that you’re detail-oriented and take your job seriously. It’s also a good idea to have a friend or family member read over your cover letter to catch any errors you may have missed.

Energy Analyst Cover Letter Examples & Writing Tips

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A cover letter is a way to introduce yourself to a potential employer. A good cover letter describes your experience and abilities, gives some sense of your personality, and communicates what makes you the best person for the job.

5 Fun Kindergarten Letter Recognition Games

In kindergarten, we spend at least one part of every single day working on letter recognition. This is a yearlong topic of study in the kindergarten classroom and one that our students need lots of exposure with! Whenever we’re targeting a skill repeatedly like this, I’m careful to choose lessons that keep the content fun and engaging. When it comes to mastering the alphabet, kindergarten letter recognition games are where it’s at!

If you’re burnt out on the more “traditional” methods often used to master uppercase and lowercase letters, I’ve got a treat for you! Kindergarten letter recognition games are the BEST way to instantly up the engagement factor of your alphabet lessons and keep those kiddos on task! Today, I’m sharing 5 of my favorite kindergarten letter recognition games and how we use them all year long for hands-on learning.

Games Make Learning Fun

Before we talk about letter recognition, let’s chat about learning games in general. If you’ve been around here for a while, you might already know that I’m a big fan of games and hands-on learning activities in the classroom.

The reason for this is that they truly make learning SO much more fun and engaging for my students. I love that if I’m losing the attention of my kiddos, a simple game can snag their attention and bring them back into focus quickly!

It also helps to teach them that learning should be fun. As a kindergarten teacher, I consider it to be my mission in laying the foundation for how children think about school and education. My aim is to ensure they LOVE coming to school and learning new things! Games make that mission simple since there’s no coaxing necessary to get kiddos fired up about a new game.

Games are also SO helpful with teaching repetitive topics as well. If you’re planning to target a specific skill over and over, (a.k.a. EVERYTHING we do in kindergarten) games will help to make sure your kids continue to be interested in the material. Games help keep things feeling fun and new, even if you’ve already practiced that particular skill a ton of times. Ready to see my top 5 kindergarten letter recognition games? Let’s get to it!

1. Cover It Up – Letter Recognition Pages

First up, let’s chat about “Cover It Up”. These no-prep games are something I use nearly every day in my small groups, and they come in especially handy when it comes to letter recognition. The idea here is that kiddos will identify the letter at the top of the page, and then find all of the matching letters. They can use markers or a bingo dauber, or some kind of manipulative or mini eraser to cover them up.

Typically, I will lay these sheets out at my small group table before a new group comes in. This is a super simple activity to get them working and learning right away, as you prepare for the small group activity or lesson. Once kiddos get the hang of this activity, they don’t even need instructions. I love that they can jump right in and get started with letter recognition without skipping a beat!

I use “Cover it Up” activities for letter recognition, beginning sounds, word families, and more! If you want to learn more about how to incorporate these low-prep activities into your small groups, be sure to take a peek at this post that details how I structure my guided reading groups.

2. More Small Group Letter Recognition Games

Small group instruction is one of my favorite things. It’s a chance to connect with my students, see how they are progressing, and join in with playing some fun games too!

Some of my favorite things to use during small groups are these kindergarten letter recognition games . This resource is jam-packed with 16 letter recognition games that are absolutely perfect for small group environments.

Included in this set, you’ll find BINGO, roll and read, alphabet board games, pocket chart games, and more. I love that these games are so versatile and allow for continued practice with letter identification while keeping things feeling brand new!

While these are perfect for small groups, they’re also a wonderful option for partner games, center activities, and fast finishers too.

3. Digital Kindergarten Letter Recognition Games

Are you a fan of Boom Cards? If you’re new to Boom, you’re in for a treat! Boom Cards have become super popular, and I personally LOVE using these for targeting letter recognition. These digital task cards are a no-prep, highly engaging activity that can help you offer more daily practice with letter recognition in your classroom.

Boom cards are presented in a “game-like” format, making them irresistible to students, and a great option for center time. Some of my favorites for targeting letter recognition include:

• Letter Sorting Boom Cards
• True or False Letter Recognition Boom Cards
• Find the Letters Boom Cards
• Letter Match Boom Cards

All of these options are perfect if you’re looking for new kindergarten letter recognition games to add to the mix. As I mentioned, I will often use these as low-prep center activities or partner activities. When playing in pairs, I have students take turns answering the questions. Another fun option is to project these up on your Smart Board and play as a whole class. To do this, simply call on kiddos one at a time to come up and answer the task card. This is great review activity, morning warm-up, and transition activity when you need to get your kids focused again.

4. Letter Recognition Building Mats

This next activity is always a student favorite and a great way to brush up on letter recognition throughout the year. These letter recognition mats feature 5 different activities on each page, so they’re great for keeping your kiddos self-contained and focused while you work with small groups.

To use these pages, students will say the name of the letter and build it with building bricks.

Then, they will practice tracing and writing the letter. Next, they find and circle the letter in a group.

Finally, they rainbow write it and trace it again to finish the activity.

You can either print these off like worksheets or laminate them to use with dry-erase markers.

Either option is a great way to sneak in some letter recognition practice during center time, small groups, as an early finisher activity, morning work, or as a fun homework assignment.

5. Letter Recognition Partner Game

Last but not least, I have one more kindergarten letter recognition game that’s always been a student favorite. This “Let’s Make a Square” game is great for practicing and reviewing the alphabet. In my classroom, we play these as partner games during center time, or as a fast finisher activity.

To play, students will take turns drawing one line at a time to connect two dots side by side, either vertically or horizontally. When one student completes a square around a letter, they are able to claim that letter only if they can correctly identify the letter.

If they identify the letter, they color it. If they cannot identify the letter, their partner can “steal” the letter by correctly identifying and coloring the square. Kiddos will continue to draw lines and claim and color squares until all squares are claimed. The player with the most squares colored wins!

This game is always a hit, so we use it throughout the year to brush up on uppercase and lowercase letters in a fun way!

Even More Kindergarten Games

Hopefully, this post inspired you to try something new in your classroom to target letter recognition! Kindergarten letter recognition games make mastering uppercase and lowercase letters fun and engaging, so I highly recommend adding them to the mix if you haven’t already.

And if you’re looking for even more kindergarten games to add to your classroom, make sure to check out these posts:

• Teaching Ending Sounds with Games
• 5 Fun Games to Teach Rhyming Words
• Spring Counting Games for Kindergarten

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This post is filled with tons of fun kindergarten letter recognition games to keep the learning rolling in your classroom. Pin this post on Pinterest to keep these ideas handy for when you need to “freshen up” your lessons!

• Read more about: alphabet , centers , games , letters

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Hi, i’m julie.

If you are looking for hands-on, engaging kindergarten activities , you came to the right place!

I’m here to save you time by sharing tried and true kindergarten resources, tips, and ideas and hopefully give you some ideas for your own kindergarten lesson plans!

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30 Fresh and Fun Ideas For Your Newsletter

Does your brand send a regular newsletter? Many brands do. Research shows 77% of B2B companies consider a newsletter an important part of their email marketing strategy. Plus, newsletters are listed as one of the top email trends for 2021 by Envato.   

While many companies produce and send email newsletters, it’s not always easy to come up with content ideas for them. To help you create can’t-wait-to-read newsletters, we’ve compiled a list of 30 ways to inspire new content for your newsletter. 

Content that’s helpful to the subscriber

For starters, you’ll want a newsletter template with a great design and one that you can populate with content easily. The newsletter should contain great content that’s valuable to subscribers. Following that line of thinking, here are a few ideas:

1. How-to articles

Create content that’s relevant to your target audience that helps them accomplish something with step-by-step instructions. For example, a furniture store can offer an article about how to remove pet stains from furniture, while a travel agency could provide steps to book the perfect honeymoon. 

Think about what kind of instructional content you can provide the contacts on your email list. Put the article on your blog and then send readers a link to your article with a few lines that explain why they should read it. Here’s a great example of a how-to article highlighted in a newsletter:   

2. Top 10 lists

Top 10 lists are popular because they’re easy to read. Create a list of valuable tips, popular blog articles, or money-saving ideas that refer to your business. It’s a useful way to get more mileage out of your content marketing efforts. 

If 10 items feels like too big of a commitment, you can scale it down to five or three.

Moz does a great roundup of its top 10 blog articles and simply lists the titles in this basic yet effective newsletter:

3. Add an infographic

Use a tool like Canva to create a cool infographic for your newsletter. Turn your year-end sales numbers into a cool chart, or provide customer satisfaction ratings and comments in a visual way. Newsletters tend to be text heavy, but great marketing campaigns have stunning visual elements too. 

Create a post that offers a recap of your company’s recent news, articles, or popular social posts. It’s a great digital marketing tactic to repackage content that already exists.

5. Remind subscribers about a poll or survey

Surveys can help small businesses collect valuable information, but response rates can often be lackluster. The average response rate for a survey is about 33%. The best way to get people to fill out a survey is by sending it out several times and in several different ways. 

You can send a solo email that focuses specifically on the survey, share a link to the survey on social media, and include it in your newsletter. This email, which was sent by Scoot and showcased on ReallyGoodEmails , could easily be part of a larger newsletter.

6. Customer reviews

Collect a few customer reviews on a specific product and share them in your newsletter. Start out by explaining the product, offer a picture of it, and share a short comment or two. 

Remember, newsletters aren’t about selling products, so something like this should be done sparingly and be placed at the bottom of a newsletter. 

7. Case studies

If you’re already creating and sharing case studies on your website, why not add a link to your most recent case study in your newsletter? A good case study presents a problem and a solution and has easy-to-read statistics. Make sure you have all of these elements before sharing a case study with consumers.

8. Podcasts 

Podcasts are gaining popularity. Research shows 114 million Americans have listened to at least one podcast in 2020, compared to just 20 million in 2018. If you’re hosting a podcast, add a link to your newsletter. You might even mention the podcast in your email subject line to drive open rates. 

Spotify sends out a newsletter-like email that explores several of its podcasts. Here’s an elegantly-designed email that promotes Michelle Obama’s podcast. This could easily be mimicked and used as a segment of a company newsletter.

9. Free resources

Have you created an eBook, white paper, or guide? If so, promote it in your newsletter. Ideally, this resource won’t be gated to ensure readers can access the content quickly and efficiently. Make sure the resource is valuable to the reader and focuses on their needs; as opposed to writing an eBook about how awesome your company is. The content should be in-depth and fresh.

If you created an eBook a few years ago, it’s not something you should promote without cleaning it up and refreshing it first. Here’s a great example of a playbook being promoted:

COVID put a temporary hold on in-person events like trade shows and conferences, but a recent survey shows events will likely come back in 2021. Eighty-one percent of event planners will host their next in-person event sometime this year. Use your newsletter to invite or remind subscribers about upcoming events.

10. Invitations

Marketers should tell customers about events like a webinar, charity drive, or customer appreciation sale in their next newsletter. Create an event on Facebook so guests can RSVP and include the link in your monthly newsletter. 

11. Upcoming trade shows

Planning to attend a trade show? Advertise the details in your newsletter. Include a picture of last year’s booth, explain what’s new this year, and provide valuable information like the most affordable place to park. With an event like this, you can mention small tidbits of information over several different newsletters. 

Business information

Your newsletter is a great place to offer information about your business or brand. Here are a few ways to educate subscribers about your business:

12. Business history

Tell customers a piece of your company’s history. You can add a morsel or two to each newsletter, create a timeline, or write a longer article on the company’s anniversary that covers big milestones. ReallyGoodEmails has a great example of David’s Tea showcasing its history:

13. A letter from the owner

A great newsletter has some authority to it. A letter from the business owners or CEO is a nice way to accomplish that. The letter could thank customers for their support, discuss industry news, or talk about a new product the company is about to offer. Customers need to hear from those in charge now and then; it helps maintain a trusted relationship.

14. Employee of the week

Pay tribute to a special employee by highlighting him or her in your newsletter. Keep it short and sweet, but provide enough information to show customers that your staff is top-notch. Always include a picture of the employee.

If you create an employee newsletter, highlighting team members is a great way to boost morale.  

15. Frequently asked questions

What are the top five FAQs that your secretary or sales team receives each week? Use the information to create a frequently asked questions post for your newsletter or create a simple design element that adds one question to the bottom of each email. 

16. Updates on changes

If the company has a new boss, is planning a renovation, or is changing the way it does something, use your company newsletter to update customers.

17. Address solutions to problems

If customers are complaining about a particular aspect of your business, address it in your newsletter. Explain what you’re doing to make corrections. Keep it positive, ask customers for their patience, and make every effort to fix the problem quickly.

18. Business video tours

Break out your smartphone and provide a short tour of your business for customers to check out in your newsletter.

19. Discuss partnerships

Whether you’re teaming up with a local non-profit or the business next door, tell customers how the partnership benefits them in your newsletter.

20. Behind-the-scenes photos

Give customers a look behind the scenes by posting pictures of employees moving massive inventory for the holiday season, or a shot of your team stocking shelves. If you have a few extra minutes, consider shooting short YouTube videos to give customers a glimpse of the work that goes into the business. 

You can promote social initiatives in your newsletters too. It’s a great opportunity to cross-promote your business and encourage newsletter subscribers to become part of your social media family.

21. Tell subscribers about social giveaways

Are you giving away something cool on Facebook? Remind your customers about it in your newsletter. Provide participation details and a link to enter. Here’s a great example from VRBO:

22. Encourage subscribers to follow you

Add a brief “Follow Us” section to your newsletter that includes all of your social links. Tell subscribers that you’re trying to hit a certain number of followers to encourage them to like your pages.

23. Tell subscribers about a social competition

Ask subscribers to join a social competition. You might ask them to submit photos of themselves using your product or write a short essay about a loved one. Launch the competition in your newsletter and remind subscribers to participate.

Promotional ideas

Your newsletter is a way to communicate with your customers and build a relationship, so you don’t want to fill your newsletter with promotional material. However, once in awhile it’s okay to add these ideas:

24. Add a special coupon to your newsletter

Offer a coupon just to your newsletter readers. Provide a coupon code to use online or a printable coupon that can be used in-store. 

25. Mention a new product launch

When you have a new product coming in, tell your customers about it. Build the hype by providing availability, release dates, and options like sizes and colors that are available. Here’s a simple way to introduce a new product – let the product image do most of the talking, like this:

26. Refer-a-friend promotion

Allow subscribers to forward your newsletter to a friend, and if they subscribe to your list, send the customers a special deal or discount for helping you grow your list. (After all, referrals are always welcome).

Loosen the tie or kick off your heels. Your newsletter doesn’t have to be stuffy. Create some out-of-the-box content too with these ideas: 

27. Personalized images

Are you personalizing emails? Many brands add a subscriber’s first name to a subject line, but that’s about it. Personalization works, so why not up your game with a personalized image? Pinpointe has a partnership with NiftyImages that gives brands the power to create personalized images like these: 

28. Make a connection to a unique holiday

When an odd holiday rolls around that’s connected to your business, use it to spark a small post in your newsletter. For example, a bar can write an article on National Margarita Day and offer a discount. Here’s a list of odd holidays to use.

29. Cute or wacky photos of your employees

Did your company host a Halloween costume party? Are you hosting an Evening with Santa? If so, use a few of the pictures in your holiday newsletter to give subscribers a “glimpse behind the curtain.” Be sure to get permission to use the photos first and use good judgment. (Pictures from the 11 th hour of the holiday party, for example, probably aren’t a good idea).

30. What’s the deal with the weather?

At some point, crazy weather will impact your area. Consider writing about it and how it impacted your business. Maybe create animated GIFs that show employees shoveling, for example. Be careful, though. Don’t write about any storms that hurt someone, stick to interesting weather topics.

You want subscribers looking for your newsletter. To do that, you need to create content that’s interesting and intriguing. With these newsletter content ideas, you’ll be able to do just that.

Lisa Furgison McEwen

Lisa Furgison McEwen is a freelance writer and co-owner of McEwen's Media, a content marketing company. She has a decade of journalism experience under her belt and creates top-notch content for dozens of clients.

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25 Letter Sound Activities 

March 30, 2023 //  by  Lauren Jannette

A for apple to Z for zebra. Get your preschool and kindergarten students ready to read with these fun letter activities! Set up your literacy centers to include cool picture cards, bingo markers, and lots of construction paper. These activities are sure to quickly become beloved classroom games that’ll get little ones excited about all the awesome letters of the alphabet. With a bit of review, your kids will be reading in no time!

1. Alphabet ID Mats

These printable letter mats are a great start to letter sounds and recognition. Say a letter sound and have kids place a counter on each circle that depicts that letter. Use their favorite candies for a tasty, post-lesson snack!

Learn More: Crystal McGinnis Kindergarten Creations

2. Beginning Sound Match Game

Grab your magnetic letters and get ready to match those sounds! For each picture, match the magnet of the initial letter sound. Try to match end letter sounds to talk about how some letters are silent in words.

Learn More: The Kindergarten Connection

3. Phonetic Slides & Ladders

Race through the alphabet to the finish line! To stay on their square, students have to say the correct initial sound of each item pictured. After they’ve said the sound, see if they can write the correct letter.

Learn More: The Measured Mom

4. Letter Sound Wheels

Work on beginning sounds with these adorable letter sound wheels. All you need are the templates and a few clothespins. Go around the wheel and have your learners slowly pronounce each item. Then, have your kids pin the pictures that start with the letter sound in the middle.

Learn More: Playdough to Plato

5. Ice Cream Letter Sounds

Stack your letter sound ice cream cones high! Go through all of the pictures for each letter before building. Be sure to emphasize the sound of each initial letter. 

Learn More: Little Dots

6. Build a Flower

Decorate your classroom with colorful letter flowers! Design a flower center with the same letter that starts with each of your student’s names. They can then practice building flowers with matching initial letter sounds.

Learn More: This Re a ding Mama

7. Memory Games

This printable game is a fun idea for busy bags or quiet play time! Flip the cards over until you find a matching picture and starting letter. Print two sets of cards to match letters with other letters. 

Learn More: Frugal Fun 4 Boys

8. Letter Sound Kaboom Game

Raise the stakes of letter recognition with this fun game! Kids will pull a stick out of a cup, identify the letter by name, and then also tell you what sound it makes. Watch out for the Kabooms ! If learners draw one, they must return all their sticks to the cup.

Learn More: The Brilliant Homeschool

9. Letter Sound Swat

Reach for those letters! Write letters on post-it notes and stick them all over a wall. Hand your kids a fly swatter and call out the letter sounds. They’ll jump up and down swatting letters all day long! 

Learn More: Forward with Fun

10. Letter Sound Smash

This low-prep letter sound activity is for the littlest of learners. Kids will roll balls of playdough and place them under letters written on a sheet of paper. When you say the letter sound, they get to smash the playdough again and again!

Learn More: Engaging Littles

11. Alphabet Ice Pods

Sensory play is perfect for keeping kids active while learning. Freeze plastic letters in water. Use squirt bottles filled with warm water and salt to melt the ice. When a letter comes loose, the first child to say the letter sound gets a point!

Learn More: Days with Grey

12. Name Sticks

Start your letter activities with the most important word of all: your kid’s name! Paint their name on a paint stick and have them pin the letters in the correct order. 

Learn More: Our Home Creations

13. Trace and Paste Letters

Get crafty with your letter sounds and develop fine motor skills at the same time! Trace an upper and lowercase letter onto a sheet of paper. Then, using your favorite crafting materials, have them carefully glue along the lines while pronouncing the letter.

Learn More: Kindergarten Connection

14. Sound Clip Cards

Learn the letter sounds of all the seasons! During your letter practice sessions, learners can pin a clothespin onto the correct initial letter sound for each picture. Once your kids find the correct letter, see if they can sound out the rest of the word.

Learn More: Natural Beach Living

15. Spin and Cover

Spin the spinner and find the letters! This super simple game is great for learning initial sounds. Give your students cute stickers to use or make it into a magnet board for re-useable fun all year long! 

Learn More: Fun Learning for Kids

16. The Old Lady Swallowed a Sound

Add some giggles to your alphabet lessons with hands-on activities. Kids have to decide what foods to feed the old lady and correctly pronounce the initial letter sound before she gets to eat. 

Learn More: ABC’s of Literacy

17. Songs & Chants

Music is a fantastic tool to help students learn and remember letter sounds. You can choose to create your own music or borrow your little ones’ favorite tune. Print out the song sheet to work on visual letter recognition at the same time!

Learn More: Whimsy Workshop Teaching

18. First Sound Bubbles

Coloring by letters is an awesome way to get some extra practice with letter sounds. By focusing on a few letters sounds at a time, kids can avoid getting overwhelmed on their journey to understanding letters and strengthen their literacy skills.

Learn More: Keeping My Kiddo Busy

19. I Spy Letter Sounds

Put those detective skills to work with this printable game! Learners will practice saying the letter sounds in the middle of the page. Then, they’ll search for items that start with that letter. 

Learn More: Turner Tots

20. Sound Sorting Mats

Spend some extra time on difficult consonant sounds. These colorful cards are great for learning initial letter sounds. The simple, low-prep activity is ideal for busy kindergarten teachers looking to fill their alphabet centers with tons of fun games!

21. Alphabet Sorting Game

Give those energetic preschoolers something hands-on to complete! Print and laminate letter and object flashcards. Mix them up and have your kids sort them into the correct bins. They must say the letter sounds before putting the card into the basket.

Learn More: Tot Schooling

22. Magnetic Sound Match

Magnetic letters are great for A-Z no prep activities! Place your magnets in a bag and give your kids a letter sheet or a dry-erase lapboard. Pull a letter out of the bag and have them say the sound before placing it over the correct square.

23. Beginning Sound Board Games

Race along the letter tiles to the finish line! Working in small teams, learners can roll the dice to see what letter sound to pronounce. Once your kids master the sounds, ask them for a word that starts with the letter.

24. Beginning Sound Mazes

See if your kids can find their way through this cool letter maze! It’s great for learning upper- and lowercase letters along with letter sounds. For the youngest of your bunch, provide a control chart with the images to follow for a little extra help.

Learn More: 1plus1plus1equals1

25. Alphabet Books

There’s a wide range of books to learn all about alphabet sounds and build literacy skills. Take time to sound out individual letters and slowly work up to having your kids read on their own.

Learn More: What Do We Do All Day

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