Six takeaways from a successful UX cover letter

For my money, one of the hardest parts about applying for a job is writing the dreaded cover letter. How are you supposed to create a good first impression out of thin air? A good cover letter has to be so many things at once: memorable, impressive, well-written, personalized. It’s daunting.

Most people’s solution is to create a reusable template that they can send to multiple companies quickly, and simply swap out the company name in each. That’s fine, and there’s an extent to which you should be hitting the same notes each time; but you should really take the time to tailor each letter to the job you’re applying for. Yes, it will require more work and more emotional investment, but you’ll get better results.

To help with your next cover letter, I’ll show you one that I wrote that landed me an interview with a product team at a national agency. Rather than focus on the abstract principles of a good cover letter, I’ll break down the mechanics of what made this particular letter successful—because the lessons therein are (hopefully) applicable to your own needs.

Most every lesson here is relevant to any industry, but I hope that any aspiring UX designers who read this will get some added benefit from learning how to talk about their work that can sometimes be hard to show off, as well as how to adjust their tone to match the verve of the creative industry.

The Letter

Identifying information has been redacted.

1. Strike the right tone.

You’ll notice this letter is almost recklessly casual. It doesn’t start with “To whom it may concern.” It uses casual language like “psyched” and “no hard feelings,” and even humor. This is not always recommended.

In this case, I was trying to match the tone and tenor of the company to which I was applying. After reading a few of their blog posts, tweets from their employees, and so on, I had an idea of how they talked about themselves and their work—and it just so happened to align with my own personal communication style. So I felt comfortable talking like I do every day, hoping they would see that as a sign that I was a good culture fit.

Product design is a relatively young industry, so it doesn’t come with the stuffy expectations of older, traditional corporations. Make sure you know what tone your hiring manager will be receptive to, and aim for that.

2. Explain why you’re applying.

Everything here is true. I discovered this company through the work they’d posted on Dribbble, and it looked like it was up my alley. It wasn’t until I got to their website that I even knew they had an opening. By mentioning those projects specifically, it showed that I had a good reason to want to apply — I wasn’t just scraping the classifieds. Always find a way to show the company you’re applying to that you understand and care about their work. The more specific you are, the less it will feel like a form letter.

3. Introduce yourself. Also, be yourself.

When you’re introducing yourself, it’s important to give an overview of your career objectives. What’s your specialty? What do you want to be doing?

And while you’re at it, let your personality shine through. Depending on your audience, a little humor is okay and, if it comes out naturally, can give the company a sense of your personality. It shows confidence and emotional maturity. It’s also more impressionable. Someone is going to remember laughing at your cover letter, and that makes them more likely to share it up the flagpole.

4. Talk up your relevant work.

A cover letter is a chance to do what you can’t do in a resume: Tell the story. Always talk specifically about your relevant experience, what you learned, and why it’s impressive. Of course, it helps if you have relevant experience, so if you’re looking to apply for something in UX, make an effort to build a portfolio of UX work. But even if you don’t, it’s okay to say so. The best employers are looking for someone who has the right learning mindset, rather than the right experience already.

I made a mistake here by not talking about results. Often, UX work doesn’t lead to beautiful portfolio pieces, but it does lead to data. For example, if you can say “cart abandonment went down 30% after we deployed the new checkout flow I designed,” do that.

In addition to my day job, mentioning freelance work here serves two goals: bolsters my experience in the UX/UI discipline, and shows that I go after projects in my spare time that are appealing to me. It shows, rather than tells, that I take the initiative.

5. Be honest.

Job hunting is like dating. Why waste either party’s time if you’re not truly right for the role? Plus, it has the added benefit of making you sound like you’re not desperate for the job—even if you secretly are. This will give you a foothold when it comes to salary negotiation.

To be clear, I don’t recommend playing hard to get. I brought up my living situation in this instance because the job description specified that relocation was required. Including this paragraph was a way for me to learn about them: How flexible are they on their remote policies? Are they interested enough in interviewing me that they’d be willing to consider a remote employee?

6. Show that you’ve done your homework.

The job posting mentioned Sophie and Max (not their real names) as HR contacts who would be processing the application. Great! Now I know who I’m talking to, so I’ll mention them by name to add a personal touch. It also shows that I read the job description in full.

If you’re still stressed about writing the perfect letter, don’t worry: it’s quickly becoming a thing of the past. Especially for hot Silicon Valley startups that move more quickly than your average big corporation, recruiters don’t have time to pore over every paragraph and imprint on every nicety. In fact, UI/UX roles are so in demand that they’ll often be the ones trying to sell you. Just keep the focus on your work, connect with the real person on the other end, and most importantly, let your real voice shine through.

Related Resources

🔗 2019 Hiring Report by InVision
🔗 UX Cover Letters — A Step By Step Guide
🔗 The State of UX in 2020