How to Start a Cover Letter: 7 Great Cover Letter Openings (+Examples)

Beginnings are always hard. The same goes for writing a cover letter. You know exactly what you want to say, but you’re not sure how to start a cover letter.

The good part is that when a recruiter or a hiring manager is reading your cover letter, it means that your resume most probably made it through the initial ATS scans, so congratulations! Now, the challenging part is that you have to catch the reader's attention as quickly as possible, because recruiters often spend only seconds skimming a cover letter. Studies suggest you have about 5–7 seconds to make a strong first impression. 

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• Examples of successful cover letter introductions
• A quick guide on how to start your cover letter 
• What to include when opening a cover letter
• Salutation (or how to address a cover letter)
• Key takeaways on how to begin a cover letter

Of course, there’s no single right way to do it. That means that you’ve got multiple options and can get a little creative.

Whether you’re looking for a traditional cover letter introduction, or something more unconventional, you’ll find it in this article — together with a quick guide and cover letter openings examples.

Alternatively, you can also just watch this quick video guide on how to write a cover letter below.

Successful cover letter introductions (examples)

We’ve gathered some really good opening lines from successful cover letters that got people hired in well-known companies such as HubSpot, Siemens, or Lush:

HubSpot Director of Business Development Cover Letter Sample

Account Executive Cover Letter Intro Sample

Sales Associate at LUSH Cover Letter Intro Example

Siemens SCADA Engineer Cover Letter Intro Template

Warner Bros. Public Relations Intern Cover Letter Example

Do you want to know how to craft such a strong cover letter opening yourself? Follow a quick guide below.

And if you prefer to see more examples from hired professionals or find a job-specific cover letter example for your industry, visit our  cover letter library .

Intro paragraph: a quick guide on how to start a cover letter

Generally speaking, the cover letter intro is a place where you should:

• Introduce yourself in detail
• Explain why the job is exciting for you
• Show you’re a great fit for the position

When it comes to cover letter openings, rule number one is that you should always start your cover letter in a way that grabs a recruiter’s attention from the get go.

On the other hand, be careful and stay professional. Don’t overdo it.

So the question is —when should you pick a standard opening paragraph and when to go with something more creative?

Well, it all depends on a particular job and the company culture.

• Go formal when applying to traditional industries like finance, law, healthcare, or government. These employers expect professionalism and structure.
• Go creative when applying to startups, media, design, or marketing roles. If the company’s website or job description sounds casual or personality-driven, a friendly or witty opener can make you stand out.

The rule of thumb? Mirror the company’s tone of voice. If they sound relaxed, you can be too — just keep it professional.

Take time to research each company where you’re applying for a job and identify its tone of voice.

Are they formal or casual? Look at the job description, their website, and social media accounts and you’ll be able to get the right idea.

Then in your cover letter opening, follow at least one of these 7 main principles:

1. Be direct

Employers are busy people who usually don’t have time to read long texts or overused cover letter phrases. What they want to know is simply whether you’re a good fit. Why not make it easier for them and be specific from the very beginning?

Let them know what position you’re applying for and use your cover letter opening to highlight years of experience in your field and any relevant hard or soft skills you bring to the table.

It’s a universal, yet effective answer to how to start a cover letter.

2. Respond to the company’s needs

Employers want to know how you can contribute to their company. The first paragraph of the cover letter is a great place to demonstrate that.

Have a look at the job offer, go over the company’s needs, and pick those that you can easily relate to.

Then take a look at your achievements and impressive skills, and use them to illustrate how you can bring value to the new job. Ideally by mentioning any quantifiable results from your previous jobs.

3. Include company facts and news

Companies want to see that you’re interested in them and their industry. If you show that you already know about them and have done your research, you can make a great first impression.

Browse their website and scour the internet for related news articles. They can provide you with interesting facts that pertain to your role.

It can be anything — a specific event, fact, notable statistic, or an award that the company has recently received.

4. Highlight a mutual connection

Referrals can work like magic when it comes to getting invited to a job interview. So if someone has recommended you for a position or you know anyone at the company who can vouch for you, mention their name right away.

After reading your cover letter, recruiters will most likely want to learn why your referrer thought you’d be a good fit. If nothing else, it will make recruiters pay attention to the rest of your cover letter.

5. Show passion for what you do

Employers love job candidates who are enthusiastic about what they do. These candidates tend to perform better and are more dedicated to their roles.

So if you’re all hyped up about your job, don’t hesitate to infuse your cover letter with a couple of sentences demonstrating your excitement about what you’re doing.

6. Open with a relevant accomplishment

Hiring managers like achievers. If you’ve accomplished something noteworthy while with your previous employer, there’s a good chance you can bring the same value to your next job too.

What’s more, it shows that you’re an expert in your field.

If you have any special skills or accomplishments that will make you stand out from other job candidates, mention them right away in your cover letter opening.

However, try to make no general claims without providing evidence. Support your arguments with real numbers and statistics.

7. Use humor and creativity

Recruiters are human beings, too (shocking). In a pile of boring resumes and repetitive cover letters and motivation letters, they may find a good joke, juicy pun, or funny opening line a nice refreshing break.

It can even be a reason to call you up for an interview.

So if the company seems to have an easygoing vibe, use humor to bring attention to your skills or relevant personal traits that are needed for the position you’re targeting.

8. Start with a bold statement or statistic

Nothing grabs attention faster than a confident or surprising statement, especially when it’s backed by data. It shows confidence and credibility right away.

This approach works particularly well in data-driven industries like marketing, analytics, or engineering.

9. Align with the company’s mission

If you genuinely believe in the company’s goals or values, mention that right away. It helps you sound authentic and shows cultural fit.

Common mistakes to avoid in your cover letter opening

• Starting with a cliché like “I’m writing to apply for…”
• Writing a generic paragraph that could fit any job
• Talking too much about yourself instead of the company’s needs
• Forgetting to mention the position you’re applying for
• Using edgy and inappropriate humor in a formal setting

Remember — your goal is to sound confident, not careless.

Cover letter beginning: What other things to include?

Now that you saw some great examples of cover letter openings, you may wonder what else can you do to perfect your cover letter introduction.

Well, there are a few other key elements that a good cover letter beginning should include:

• Contact information both for you and the company
• Headline (optional)
• Personalized greeting

To know where to put this information, just scroll down.

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Header

The header sits at the very top of your letter. This is the place for your and the company’s contact information.

A cover letter header should include:

Your information:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Optional: your address, LinkedIn, or website

Company information:

• Hiring manager or recruiter’s name (if available)
• Job title
• Company name
• Company address

To give you a better idea of what makes a great header, take a look at these two examples and see which one works better: 

Why doesn't it work? This header doesn’t include the candidate’s full name, the company, the manager’s name, or the date. Although an incorrect header isn't literally going to make or break your cover letter, not having the basics in order really isn't a good look. 

What makes this one so much better? This header is clean and complete. It shows your full contact info, the date, and the hiring manager’s information. The reader immediately sees who is talking to them and how they can get in touch with you.

Left align all of this information. Or make it easy for yourself and choose a pre-designed  cover letter template  and only fill in the details.

Headline (optional)

You don’t have to include it, but it can help you grab the hiring manager’s attention.

In your cover letter headline, you can use numbers, questions, or interesting adjectives.

It can be something like “5 Ways I Can Help You Improve Your Company’s Marketing.”

Alternatively, you can just state the name of the position you’re applying for.

Salutation (or how to address a cover letter)

Try to avoid using “To Whom it May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”. This form of address, while correct, has become so overused it won’t help you stand out at all.

Instead, try to research the hiring manager’s name online. Look at the job posting, and check the company’s website or LinkedIn. (Did you know that you can turn your LinkedIn profile into a great resume with just one click?)

Alternatively, you can address it to the whole team or HR.

Generally, stick to these rules:

• How to address a cover letter to a recruiter or hiring manager: The best practice is to use a personalized greeting in the following form: “Dear [first name]” or “Dear Mr./Mrs. [last name]” for formal companies.
• How to address a cover letter to multiple recipients: If you’re addressing your cover letter to the entire team or human resources, you can use “Dear [name of the company/department] Team” or “Dear Human Resources”.
• How to address a cover letter to an unknown person: If you fail to find the hiring manager’s name and don’t want to address your cover letter to an entire team or HR, use “Dear Hiring Manager”, or “Dear Recruitment Officer”.

After the salutations, you can continue with an attention-grabbing intro paragraph.

Key takeaways: How to begin a cover letter

To sum up — the beginning of your cover letter will determine whether the hiring managers will read the rest of it or not.

If you want them to pay attention to what you have to say, make sure your cover letter opening:

1. Uses a personalized greeting
2. Says who you are
3. Shows you’re passionate about the job or the company
4. Highlights your top (and relevant) accomplishments and skills
5. Mentions a mutual contact
6. Reflects the company’s tone of voice
7. Is tailored to a specific position and company’s needs
8. Uses keywords from the job description
9. Is short, nice, and direct

Of course, the rest of your cover letter is important too, and we can help you with that easily as well.

If you’d like to know what to write in the rest of your letter, check out our complete cover letter guide, get inspired by cover letter examples, or learn how to end a cover letter.

Ultimately, you can use our advanced AI Cover Letter Writer to effortlessly create a cover letter that will make you stand out and bring the results you want. 

This article was recently updated. The original article was written by Nikoleta Kuhejda in 2021.