The sole purpose of a cover letter is to get the recruiter to read the resume. The cover letter hence needs to be well-written and neatly formatted. We have already discussed in an earlier article, tips to write an effective cover letter, how to go about writing a clear, concise and straight to the point cover letter. Here we take a look at what entails a correctly formatted cover letter .

Salient Features:

• One page in length.
• Enough white space and clutter-free look.
• All content should be left aligned.
•  The type of fonts used and font size should be the same as in the resume
• Also the name and contact details of candidate should be designed in the same format as the resume. (Also read: 10 tips to format your resume)
• Candidate’s address MUST be there – on the top or at the bottom, after the name. General formula is on top for hardcopy and at the end of the letter in a soft copy.

Addressing the letter

 Standard format of the resume in terms of the beginning and end would be as follows:

Beginning:

It is better to avoid words like Sir/Madam. You should find out the name and designation of the person you need to address the letter to, and specifically address that person. 

Here is a standard format that is generally followed.

• Date
• Name
• Designation
• Company name  and addres

Dear Mr/Ms Name and/or Surname

Reference : Position Number/Name (if applicable)

 End

•  You can finish the letter with either "Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully”. These are general terms that can be used across all levels.
•  “Your cordially” can be used at middle or senior level 
• “Yours respectfully” or “Kind regards” – can be used for fresher/entry levels
•  Leave a few line spaces for your signature (for a hard copy format), then write your full name. Again the name should be in the same font size and type as the rest of the letter.

Follow these basic tips to make a well-formatted cover letter, which catches the recruiter’s eye.