Health coaches are the magicians of the fitness world — helping clients reach their full potential and exceed their goals. So that you can flex your professional muscles, you need to have a well-written health coach cover letter. Hiring managers will be looking for experts with a varied array of fitness knowledge, a load of experience, and personality to boot.
Before you land that dream interview, you need to get your foot in the door. Your cover letter is a chance to tell your career story so far: What training have you had? What results can you offer? What special skills or knowledge can you bring to the table? While your resume will delve into the specifics, you should use your cover letter as a way to hook potential employers. Chances are, you’ve got lots to offer, so it’s time to show it off.
Here at Resume.io, we have expert-backed resources to give you a competitive edge. Check out our selection of well-pitched cover letter examples to give you the inspiration you need. In this cover letter guide, along with the corresponding health coach cover letter example, we’ll cover the following topics to help you get started:
Ready to get moving? You might be a whiz in the gym but how can you let employers know that you’re the perfect coach for the job? Take a look at our advice along with the cover letter sample to give you the inside scoop. Here’s everything you need to know.
Before we get started, let’s talk about strategy. You wouldn’t begin working with a client ahead of creating a well-researched fitness plan. The same goes for your cover letter. Don’t make the mistake of free-writing the entire thing. Instead, you should know what core cover letter sections to include and follow a solid formula.
The format of a health coach cover letter needs to contain the following elements:
For more general writing advice, you can take a peek at our comprehensive cover letter guide. When you’re writing a health coach cover letter, the above layout works well. You might want to gush endlessly about your passion for fitness. That’s all well and good. However, be sure to give the hiring manager some more meat too. You also need to include details of your experience, your specific skills, and how you work with clients.
Don’t have a way with words? Don’t panic. The adaptable cover letter example below may give you the inspiration you need:
Dear Mr. Atkinson,
Working as a health coach with my two previous wellness clinics has seen me focus on weight management and nutrition, with additional academic research into the role of metabolism and exercise in weight loss in conjunction with Rutgers University.
I believe in giving my wellness clients the very best advice based on the latest science. By continuing my academic partnerships I hope to deepen my understanding and bring it to my next employer. I am a Registered Dietician and Certified Health Education Specialist as well as an active member of the National Society of Health Coaches.
I pride myself on the positive impact on my clients: 95 percent have hit their short-term health goals and 68 percent are still on track after a 3-year period. I believe in offering individual pathways to long-term outcomes. An average of 80 former clients a month reach out to let me know how they are getting on. Building an ongoing community is an excellent source of new business and my social media success (15k followers) is fueled by contented former clients.
I hope to bring my unique consultative approach to Hew Health. In client surveys, I consistently received a 9.7+ satisfaction rating for my communications skills – driven by my desire to simplify health messaging and focus on the advice that truly moves the needle. Vital messages go missing when clients are told to do more than they can remember.
I would relish the opportunity to visit your clinic to understand your approach and see where my simple and science-led health coaching would fit into your offering. If your social media reputation is anything to go by, I am sure that I would enjoy working with you.
Sincerely,
Lillian Case
The cover letter header sits right at the top of this document. It needs to be functional and easy to read. That means that you can leave out any flowery language or creative flair. It should include your full name, email, and mobile number. Plain and simple.
You might be tempted to use a fancy graphic or even some imagery here. That is a mistake. Plain text is the way to go as it can easily be read by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). You don’t want to end up in the ‘junk’ pile before a hiring manager sees your letter.
We won’t beat around the bush. The cover letter header is not the most interesting part of your application. That doesn’t mean you can leave it out. This line plays a pivotal role in ensuring that hiring managers can get in touch with you. You want to make things as easy as possible for them. Make sure that the header sits front and center on your application.
Next up, it’s time to greet the employer. The wording you use here could have an impact on how the hiring manager sees you. You don’t want to be too casual and turn them off. At the same time, you don’t want to go down the ultra-formal route. If possible, find out who the hiring manager is — it might be the gym manager — and use their title and last name.
If you can’t figure out who is in charge, you need to take a different tack. “To Whom it may Concern” may sound impressive but it’s all too formal. All this tells a hiring manager is that you haven’t done your research and you’re using a tired, old phrase. Instead, you should opt for the friendlier-sounding ‘Dear team’. When you’re applying for a role in a medium company, such as a fitness center, your cover letter may be read by a bunch of managers.
The cover letter greeting aims to kick things off on the right footing. It needs to show that you are a professional coach while also highlighting your communication skills.
Let’s say you’re speaking to a potential client: What would you tell them about your health coaching services? What strengths would you highlight? What is your Unique Selling Point (USP)? These are things you should consider when writing your cover letter introduction.
Go in strong with the talents that make you the right coach for the job. This part of your cover letter needs to pique an employer’s interest. Capturing and holding their attention can be tough. You have a matter of seconds to get them on the hook and keep them there.
Why not add a dash of creativity? Since you will be working one-on-one with health clients, you need to be an all-around people person. For that reason, you can use warm, friendly, and enticing language in your cover letter introduction. Sure, this part of the letter needs to be somewhat formal. However, you can afford to let your personality shine through.
Check out the cover letter sample for some help here:
Dear Mr. Atkinson,
Working as a health coach with my two previous wellness clinics has seen me focus on weight management and nutrition, with additional academic research into the role of metabolism and exercise in weight loss in conjunction with Rutgers University.
The middle paragraphs of cover letters are the most important. It’s where you include your top achievements, any specialist skills, and the experience that makes you right for the role. Avoid copying and pasting entire sections from your resume. You simply want to touch upon things and give hiring managers a taste of what’s to come in your application.
Results speak for themself. As a health coach, you will have worked with an array of clients in the past. Draw upon this experience and include it in your cover letter body. For example, if you have helped clients reach their goals in six short weeks, add that in. If you have an 88% success rate with clients, be sure to highlight it. Back up the claims you make.
Ask yourself: What is the employer looking for? You can refer back to the original job advert to give you some handy hints. Rather than focusing your attention on yourself, turn your head to what the hiring manager is looking for. How can you fulfill their needs? How does your experience meet the requirements of the health coach position at hand?
By giving all of your energy to what the employer is searching for, you have a higher chance of landing the interview. For instance, instead of saying that you are ‘looking to expand your client base’ you might say that you want to ‘help the fitness center win more clients’. It’s these small tweaks that show you’re a team player and make you attractive.
Take a look at our cover letter example here:
I believe in giving my wellness clients the very best advice based on the latest science. By continuing my academic partnerships I hope to deepen my understanding and bring it to my next employer. I am a Registered Dietician and Certified Health Education Specialist as well as an active member of the National Society of Health Coaches.
I pride myself on the positive impact on my clients: 95 percent have hit their short-term health goals and 68 percent are still on track after a 3-year period. I believe in offering individual pathways to long-term outcomes. An average of 80 former clients a month reach out to let me know how they are getting on. Building an ongoing community is an excellent source of new business and my social media success (15k followers) is fueled by contented former clients.
I hope to bring my unique consultative approach to Hew Health. In client surveys, I consistently received a 9.7+ satisfaction rating for my communications skills – driven by my desire to simplify health messaging and focus on the advice that truly moves the needle. Vital messages go missing when clients are told to do more than they can remember.
When you’ve ticked all of the above boxes, it’s time to say adios. The final lines you use are just as important as your introduction. It is the last thing that a hiring manager will read, so you want to leave the right impression. Your conclusion needs to exude nothing but self-confidence and a positive outlook for the future.
You don’t want to be presumptuous but a little optimism goes a long way. With that in mind, you may want to include a nifty line such as ‘Looking forward to the prospect of discussing my skill-set further with your team’. This nod shows that you are genuinely interested in the position without presuming that you will get an interview.
Leave the hiring manager wanting more. You can do so by hinting at how you will contribute to the team. For example, you could include a line about having new ideas for the fitness center or wanting to share some client retention tips. These lines will whet the hiring manager’s appetite — the only way they can find out more is by interviewing you.
Our cover letter sample gives you a taste of how to write this section:
I would relish the opportunity to visit your clinic to understand your approach and see where my simple and science-led health coaching would fit into your offering. If your social media reputation is anything to go by, I am sure that I would enjoy working with you.
Sincerely,
Lillian Case
Looking to get into the world of fitness? If you’re new to the health coaching sector, you will need to draw upon your passion and willingness to learn. When writing this cover letter you won’t have any experience to include. However, you can touch upon the following:
Since your resume may be lacking, your cover letter gives you the opportunity to fill in any blanks. Why are you making a career change? Why do you believe you will excel as a health coach? What is it that drives you? You should answer all of these questions now.