Chief of Staff cover letter example

Chiefs of staff act as trusted aides to top tier executives. A chief of staff cover letter, therefore, needs to present an air of confidence and assurance along with a demonstration of excellent written communication.

A resume tells the reader what you have done and what skills you have, but a cover letter gives you a blank slate for impressing the top dogs with your professionalism and understanding of their needs. 

How do you do all that in 400 words or less? This guide, which includes a chief of staff cover letter example, will take you through the following topics:

• Understand the outline of a cover letter
• Ideas for building your case for employment in each section
• Ways to recognize common errors and correct them

Best format for a chief of staff cover letter

While it is a blank slate, every cover letter follows a format containing common elements. Maintaining structure allows for creativity while offering a chief of staff cover letter that hits the points recruiters are expecting. 

The format of a chief of staff cover letter should contain the following elements:

• The cover letter header
• The greeting / salutation
• The cover letter intro
• The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
• The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)

If you’re looking for an overview on the topic, the comprehensive cover letter guide offers more general advice about how to go about compiling cover letters. This guide is designed to help you make the most of each specific paragraph and section. See the chief of staff cover letter example below. 

Cover letter header

While you will pour most of your creative energy into the content of your chief of staff cover letter, the header adds visual appeal to your document. If design isn’t your strength, or you don’t want to bother with formatting, a cover letter template will do the trick.

Why bother? First of all, the header puts your contact information in the forefront, and you can’t get called for an interview if the recruiter can’t reach you. Secondly, the design should complement that of your resume to create a complete application package.

Cover letter greeting

The greeting of your chief of staff cover letter tells your reader that you are addressing them directly and professionally. As a chief of staff candidate, you will be working as the key aide to one person, so you need to get their attention right away.

Unless the CEO is your BFF, use a standard opening. We recommend Dear Dr./ Mr./Ms. and the last name of your reader. If you are applying to a committee or the entire C-suite, you can choose to go with Dear Leadership Team or something similar.

Cover letter introduction

Imagine you are giving a talk to an audience of peers and company leaders. How do you want to be introduced? Begin your chief of staff cover letter as if you were introducing yourself to the audience, because you are doing just that.

Highlight your greatest achievement and sum up your experience in a line or two, and tell them why the job caught your eye. Follow that up with a preview of what your reader can expect in the rest of your letter. 

If you don’t grab your reader’s attention in these first few sentences, it’s unlikely they will read on. Think about what they want and how you can frame their needs within the context of your career experience.

Cover letter middle part (body)

The middle three or four paragraphs of your chief of staff cover letter detail both your career and the reasons you will be an excellent addition to the team. You stated your main idea in your introduction and now it’s time to back it up.

Ideas for this section include:

• A thorny problem with personnel you handled with aplomb
• An idea that led to streamlined processes and increased efficiencies
• How you make the life of the company president easier through your day-to-day organization
• Your approach to leadership and team building with a concrete example

Any accomplishment that doesn’t require sentences of explanation can go in a bulleted list (such as the one above) that serves to break up the blocks of text that a letter comprises.

Just as you do in your resume, personalize these anecdotes so that they illustrate the talents your prospective employer seeks. It doesn’t hurt to take keywords and phrases into account, either in case the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) also scans cover letters.

How to close a chief of staff cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)

Every outstanding cover letter for a chief of staff ends with three components: one last intriguing fact to follow up on during your interview, a reiteration of your main point, and a statement of your interest in an interview (also known as a call to action).

If your reader has gotten this far, congratulations, they are very keen on you. Now you have to remind them why they are so keen and that you truly want the job. A call to action is a request for an interview that adds a bit about what you want to discuss. For example: “Because you have recently acquired a new company, I would be happy to share my ideas on how to integrate departments and maintain company culture.”

Finally, sign off with “Sincerely” or “Best Regards” and your full name.

Basic mistakes in a chief of staff application letter (and how to avoid them): 

No one intentionally leaves errors in a job application, but they do happen. Some mistakes can be caught by careful proofreading, but others may require revision or reconsideration. Take these writing errors into account before you hit the send button on your chief of staff cover letter:

• Changes in tone. Consistency makes for smoother reading, but it also shows that you can communicate in a professional manner when needed without slipping into casual conversation.
• Anecdotes that take too much explanation or don’t relate directly to the job. We all have favorite work stories that we like to trot out. They may show us at our best, but if they take more than a couple of sentences to explain, save them for the interview. And no matter how good your anecdote is, you’re wasting the time of your reader if it doesn’t address their needs.
• Typos, grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes. There’s no excuse for any of these since spellcheck and programs such as Grammarly are literally at your fingertips.
• Thinking you don’t need a cover letter. It never hurts to go the extra mile. At worst, your letter isn’t read. At best, it makes the difference between getting the interview and ending up in the slush pile. Write the letter, unless the job listing specifically says not to.

Key takeaways

1. Chiefs of staff can be found in any business that has a C-suite, a president or other leadership looking for a trusted aide.
2. Use your chief of staff cover letter to highlight your excellent communication, trustworthiness and leadership skills.
3. How would others introduce your career? Think through that answer to prepare to write your letter intro.
4. Leave your reader with a tidbit that piques their interest and that they will want to ask you about in an interview.