Office administrators are professional multitaskers. In this admin position, you’re responsible for everything from payroll management and schedules to events and records keeping.
Office administrator positions can offer great pay, daytime hours and the chance to work in collaboration with just about every employee in the office – all without needing an advanced degree.
Does this sound like the perfect job for your organizational and administrative abilities? In order to convince a hiring manager that you’ve got the right skills and attitude, you’ll need a great cover letter.
A cover letter for an office administrator position shows a hiring manager that you understand the company’s needs and you’ve got the right personality and work ethic to make sure their office runs smoothly and efficiently. With Resume.io’s tools and cover letter templates, including this office administrator cover letter example, you’ll quickly learn how to write a cover letter that lands you the perfect position.
This cover letter example, along with our adaptable cover letter sample will:
But before we dive into the secrets of great cover letter writing, it’s a good idea to make sure your resume is polished and professional. It’s easier than you think with Resume.io’s office administrator resume example, templates and comprehensive resume writing sample.
To write any great cover letter, you first need to understand the why. Candidates for administrative and entry-level positions often view a cover letter as just one more step preventing them from submitting their application. Thus, they don’t put the required effort into making sure the cover letter addresses the right skills and qualities from the job description.
A well-crafted cover letter is a powerful tool, but that can only happen with the proper care and attention to detail.
So what is a cover letter?
This document of 200 to 400 words, or one page, accompanies your resume and allows you to expand on your most relevant skills, interests and ideas. It even offers space for a bit of personality and allows you to make a personal connection before ever setting foot inside the company offices. No wonder a cover letter is one of the most requested application materials.
As you might have already noticed, online applications are great for streamlining hiring processes, but they don’t always allow candidates to ask questions or get all the information they need. This is often the case when it comes to cover letters. Sometimes a job opening will fail to mention the document entirely. So what should you do?
While it can be tempting to take the easy way out and submit your resume without a cover letter, that’s not a great strategy to actually land the position. Unless the job description or hiring manager asks you not to, we recommend writing a thoughtful cover letter for each position you apply to.
Since many candidates possess skills like spreadsheet management, file organization and scheduling, it can be difficult to stand out in a crowded field of applicants for an office administrator position.
That’s why you should treat your cover letter as your secret weapon. Your cover letter gives you a chance to smooth over any questions that may arise from your resume, for example if you have gaps in your work history, have made a career change or are just starting out in the administrative field.
If you have years of experience, a cover letter helps you highlight your strongest skills by focusing on individual achievements, positive feedback and growth you’ve made throughout your career.
A good cover letter can also be an equalizer. You might be up against candidates with twice as many previous positions as your own, but if you can show a hiring manager that you’re a determined, quick-learner with a great personality, you’ll land the job interview. It’s all a matter of maximizing your chances and knowing what matters most to your prospective employer.
Unfortunately, writing just any cover letter is usually not enough to land you a job interview. To really impress recruiters and give yourself the best chance of snatching an administrative assistant job, you’ll need to tailor your cover letter to each and every position you apply for.
Tailoring your cover letter means customizing it with the right work experience, office procedures and other skills based on the job requirements at that particular company. To do this, you’ll first want to spend time evaluating the job description and finding the most important duties. Then make sure to include examples, numbers and mentions of how you applied those same skills in previous roles.
If you’re looking for more inspiration for cover letter writing, please view our related administrative cover letter examples listed here below:
Many applicants dread the cover letter writing process because they believe it lacks a clear structure. Luckily, you don’t have to be among them. There IS a way to format a great cover letter and in this section, we’ll break it down into easy steps that allow you to include all the right information.
Here are the key components:
The great news about cover letter structure is that it remains relatively unchanged between positions or industries. Invest the time into learning how to write a great letter now, and you’ll reap the rewards for years to come. You can find even more tips for each of these sections in our overall guide on cover letters.
The header of your office administrator cover letter occupies the prime real estate at the very top of the page and serves two important purposes. The first is to identify you with the necessary contact information like your full name, phone number and even social media handles.
The second purpose is to add a touch of attractive formatting to an otherwise plain document. A cover letter template can help you find just the right balance between professional and stylish.
The goal of this section: Keep your personal data right at the top of your cover letter, create an attention-grabbing and professional design.
There’s an easy way to take your application to the next level and that’s by aligning the document styles of your cover letter and resume. This simple step can help take your application to the next level by creating a polished “personal brand” for your application – a consistent look and feel that identifies your materials.
To get started, you’ll want to spend some time with the company’s website and branding. Do they value creativity and individualism or are they a more formal business with a precise tone and image? Answering these questions will help you choose the cover letter template and matching resume one that are best for that particular company. And with Resume.io’s cover letter builder, you can easily switch or customize the templates as you apply to multiple positions.
Your office admin cover letter greeting says a lot in only a few words. In this section, you’ll want to make a personal connection with the hiring manager and establish a positive and respectful tone. Addressing people by name is the best way to start.
For serious companies, “Dear” followed by the recruiter’s proper salutation and last name is usually most appropriate. If you already have a prior relationship with the employer or the workplace culture is very casual, “Hi” or “Hello” followed by a first name may be acceptable.
The goal of this section: Address the hiring manager by name whenever possible, establish a friendly and respectful tone with the appropriate greeting.
Using the hiring manager’s name in your greeting is one of the best ways to show that you’re invested in the position. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that people have a positive neurological response upon hearing their own names.
However, in medium to large companies, finding the name of a specific hiring manager, let alone the one who will be reading your letter can be nearly impossible. Often, hiring is handled by a team of people and an applicant’s cover letter can float from desk to desk.
In that case, a more general greeting that includes the company’s name can still leave a positive impression. “Dear (Company Name) Hiring Team” is a safe option, but you may also try “Family” for companies with more sentimental branding.
Many hiring managers are inundated with applications for any given administrative support role, leaving them with only a few seconds to evaluate your office administrator cover letter. That means your introduction needs to catch their attention and offer them the right skills and experiences from the start.
Luckily, this isn’t too difficult to do. Try beginning with a concise anecdote, a relevant statistic or a surprising bit of information, as long as it’s professionally appropriate.
The goal of this section: Grab the hiring manager’s attention and encourage them to keep reading to the body of the letter by using an interesting fact, anecdote or statistic.
The body of your office administrator cover letter is where you can finally dive into all the relevant experiences and skills that make you the ideal candidate. Follow up on the success you mentioned in your introduction and expand it with details.
One of the best ways to do this is through the STAR method. First, describe a Situation, the required Task and your Action, then explain the positive Result that followed. Make sure to choose only the most relevant examples based on the job opening you’re applying for.
In another body paragraph, you can describe how you use the most important skills or your potential contributions to the position. Just make sure not to repeat too much information from your resume.
The goal of this section: Use the STAR method to describe relevant examples of your skills and abilities, offer potential contributions to the role.
You’ve finally reached the conclusion and it’s time to put this masterpiece to bed. Do that by creating an effective Call to Action to conclude your office administrator cover letter. This sentence expresses your interest and enthusiasm for the position and invites a hiring manager to contact you.
Then, finish your letter with the appropriate signature. “Sincerely,” “Thank you” or “Best regards” can all be great options.
The goal of this section: End your letter on a respectful and positive note with a call to action that encourages a hiring manager to contact you. Sign off with the appropriate signature.
Office administrator positions make great entry level jobs. Here are a few key traits you’ll want to convey on your office administrator cover letter.
Office administrator positions can be challenging to land because many candidates possess the qualities needed to survive in these positions. However, companies aren’t just looking for administrators who can get through the day – they need people who work actively to keep the office running smoothly at every moment. So how do you prove that you’re a stand-out applicant?
One of the best ways is by harnessing the power of specificity. This principle states that people are more likely to remember specific facts, numbers and statistics than they are general information about a person or situation. By giving a hiring manager the right amount of precise and relevant details, you can prove your accomplishments and prove your value to the potential employer.
Here are some examples of numbers for office administrator cover letters:
Instead of:
Try: