How to write a job-winning pharmacy technician cover letter
When customers visit their local pharmacy, a team of talented pharmacy technicians ensures those customers receive the proper prescriptions and excellent service they deserve. To become a pharmacy technician, you need a well-written cover letter that showcases your best professional qualifications.
In this guide, we will provide you with 5 key tips for writing a pharmacy technician cover letter to land your ideal job. Keep reading to learn how to:
- Craft your pharmacy technician cover letter header & headline
- Tailor your pharmacy technician cover letter for a specific job
- Write an effective & eye-catching pharmacy technician introduction
- Describe your best skills & accomplishments as a pharmacy technician
- Finish your pharmacy technician cover letter with a strong conclusion
1. Craft your pharmacy technician cover letter header & headline
The first step to writing an excellent cover letter as a pharmacy technician is to craft your header and headline. First up is your cover letter header, which contains crucial information such as:
- Your name and professional title
- Your professional contact information
- The name of the pharmacy you are applying to
- The address of the pharmacy
As you create this header, use larger and bolded fonts to make your name stand out. This is the first information an employer will see, so you want your personal information to be memorable.
Here is an example of a well-formatted pharmacy technician header
Jack King, Pharmacy Technician
(123) 456-7890 | jackking@email.com | linkedin.com/in/jack-king
To: Neighborhood Pharmacy
Pharmacy Technician Department
1234 Street Address
Seattle, WA 98101
Once you have created your header, the next step is to write a compelling cover letter headline. While headlines are optional, these title statements can help hook an employer’s attention and make your letter more captivating overall.
A strong cover letter headline will include a keyword related to the position, an eye-catching number or trigger word, a powerful adjective or verb, and a promise statement that informs the employer the letter is tailored specifically for their company.
Here is an example of a well-written pharmacy technician headline, followed by a brief breakdown of its key parts
My 3 Best Skills as a Pharmacy Tech & How It Can Benefit Your Customers
Trigger Word/Number: 3 Skills
Keyword: Pharmacy Tech
Adjective/Verb: Best, Benefit
Promise: Your Customers
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2. Tailor your pharmacy technician cover letter for a specific job
Whenever you write a cover letter as a pharmacy technician, it is important to tailor the content of your letter to the specific job you are applying to. This shows the employer that you have put extra effort into your cover letter and have taken the time to research their company beforehand.
As you research a company to begin this tailoring process, look for information such as:
- What language and keywords the company uses in their job descriptions, company mission, and marketing materials. This information can be used to adjust your writing style to be more in line with the employer’s.
- Key skills and responsibilities the company lists in their job descriptions. These skills are the ones you should focus on describing in your own cover letter.
- The person at the company who will review your cover letter. Use this detail to create a personalized greeting that addresses a specific person by name.
Here are 3 examples of personalized cover letter greetings
- Dear Mr. Mark Franks,
- Dear Head Pharmacist Mark Franks,
- Dear Mr. Mark Franks & the Pharmacy Team,
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3. Write an effective & eye-catching pharmacy technician introduction
After you have completed your header and headline – and have researched the company you are applying to – it’s time to begin writing the content of your letter.
The first paragraph is your introduction, where you will provide:
- A brief overview of your professional history (years of experience, specializations, etc.)
- A statement on why you are enthusiastic about applying to this company
- A mutual acquaintance (when possible) – including a mutual acquaintance can be incredibly useful, as it gives the employer an immediate and trustworthy professional reference.
Pro Tip: To expand your professional network – and gain a mutual acquaintance you can name in a cover letter – use a professional platform like LinkedIn to connect with other people in the pharmacy industry.
Here is an example of an effective introduction from a pharmacy technician's cover letter
Dear Head Pharmacist Mark Franks,
I am a pharmacy technician with 5+ years of experience working in inventory management and pharmacy data input. Recently, I connected with one of your current pharmacy techs, Ms. Jane Doe, on LinkedIn to ask about your current openings. After learning of your pharmacy’s high level of commitment to both patient education and satisfaction, I decided your pharmacy’s values align perfectly with my own.
4. Describe your best skills & accomplishments as a pharmacy technician
Next on your writing to-do list are the body paragraphs. A good pharmacy technician cover letter will contain between 2 to 4 body paragraphs that describe your relevant skills and accomplishments.
As you describe these qualifications, make sure to include key details such as:
- Context: Always provide context around your skills and qualifications, such as including the responsibilities of a previous role you held.
- Quantifiable Information: When possible, offer the employer quantifiable and verifiable facts concerning your accomplishments, like public data or statistics.
- Specificity: For your skills, be as specific as possible when describing each one. For example, don’t just say you have communication skills, explain your communication style and how you apply it in the workplace.
Here are 6 pharmacy technician skills to describe in a cover letter
- Prescription order screening
- Pharmacy inventory management
- Proper medication storage procedures
- Electronic file and record management
- Investigational drug studies
- Preparing prescriptions for pick-up
Here is an example of how to describe an accomplishment in a pharmacy technician cover letter
As a pharmacy technician at [Former Employer], I oversaw the pharmacy’s inventory management and storage procedures. By implementing a new daily inventory process, I reduced wasted and expired medications by more than 20%.
5. Finish your pharmacy technician cover letter with a strong conclusion
Our final tip for writing a pharmacy technician cover letter is to end with a strong conclusion.
Your closing statement serves a key purpose besides wishing the employer well – it should encourage the employer to contact you promptly. To do so, this closing statement should include:
- When and how you can be contacted
- When you intend to follow up
- A formal sign-off
Here is an example of a strong conclusion from a pharmacy technician’s cover letter
As the newest member of your pharmacy team, I will be committed to efficiency and customer satisfaction. I am eager to learn more about this opportunity and hope to hear from you by next Friday. If I have not, I will reach back out at that time to follow up. The best way to reach me is at (123) 456-7890 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sincerely,
[Applicant Name]
If you have ever wondered how a cover letter differs from a resume, this article will tell you everything about the key differences between the two.
