Pharmacist cover letter example

How do you make a winning Pharmacist cover letter? What are the reasons for making one? How does it increase your chances of getting a job? What are some writing tips and tricks to help you along? These are all questions we’ll strive to answer in this guide.

The short of it lies in the principle of maximizing your chances and making a personal appeal. Out of two candidates with similar resumes, the one who also sent a convincing cover letter is likely to land the interview. More on that below, but let’s briefly dive into the pharmacist profession and job market first.

Pharmacists are healthcare professionals who dispense prescribed medications, recommend over-the-counter drugs, provide vaccinations, and advise patients on remedies for anything that ails them. They are also the last line of defense against any possibility of error — verifying that a doctor’s prescription and dosage make sense, ensuring that the patient isn’t allergic to the drug, and guarding against bad reactions from combinations of different medications.

Some countries have strict laws about over-the-counter drugs vs. those that must be prescribed by a doctor. But many countries have looser regulations that give pharmacists a more prominent role in health care, for example by dispensing drugs on their own authority that would be more tightly controlled elsewhere. In some places, pharmacists can be a first choice for patients seeking health care advice — not least of all because their counsel is free, you don’t need an appointment and you don’t need to wait long to see one.

For various reasons, a decrease is expected in pharmacist jobs in the next decade or so, at least in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 321,700 pharmacists in the U.S. in 2019, and this number is expected to fall about 3% through 2029. 

Among the reasons: sales of medication online and by mail are expected to reduce demand for pharmacists in brick-and-mortar drug stores, and pharmacy technicians are likely to take on a number of roles previously performed only by pharmacists. On the other hand, job growth is expected for pharmacists working at hospitals and clinics as they tend to an aging baby boomer population, providing tests for blood sugar and cholesterol, dispensing vaccinations and administering newly developed drugs. 

All things considered, the tight job market makes it essential for those seeking pharmacist jobs to have a superior strategy for marketing themselves and their skills. And the first thing they need is an outstanding resume and cover letter. 

Resume.io specializes in both of these, providing field-tested templates and professional guidance for job seekers of all kinds. We’ve already prepared a step-by-step guide for pharmacists on how to prepare a resume:

But a cover letter to accompany your resume is equally important, and that’s our current topic. What we’ll cover in this guide:

• Why a pharmacist cover letter is an essential component of a job application
• The structure and contents of this cover letter
• The psychology of writing a persuasive cover letter
• Common mistakes you need to avoid.

Let’s dive in (you can also check out our library of 125+ cover letter examples).

Why a pharmacist cover letter is essential

Why does a pharmacist need a cover letter, if the resume covers most of the same ground? For illustration purposes, let’s consider a totally different field. 

Suppose you come home from work one day and find a flyer stuck in your front door advertising gardening services that include lawn mowing, raking and hedge trimming. These are all supplied by the talented Juan Carlos Rocha, who includes his smiling photo, phone number and email, and says he is insured and bonded and has eight years of experience. 

This page is the equivalent of a resume. It’s a single piece of paper that includes his contact info, job skills and qualifications. But it’s an impersonal flyer that doesn’t really demand a reply, and you set it aside.

On the other hand, suppose Juan Carlos actually knocks on your door, introduces himself, and personally offers his gardening services to you. He might look at your yard and give you a bid on the spot, telling you that he offers a superior service for an excellent price because he has a family to feed. Given the combination of the value he offers and his personal outreach to you, you might hire him on the spot.

This personal pitch is the equivalent of the cover letter. It establishes a person-to-person connection — not with a flyer or resume intended for the entire world, but with a private conversation. 

A cover letter is literally an appeal — you ARE asking for a job — but at the same time you’re describing all of your experience and training for this job. You’re not talking about how you “deserve” a job, you’re talking about how your contribution could solve a potential employer’s problems, as well as benefit their team and company.

Best format for a pharmacist cover letter

Cover letters should generally be structured as follows:

• 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)

Most cover letters should be only one page consisting of just 200 to 400 words. The purpose of this letter is to identify your job objective and describe the experience, qualifications and skills that make you an outstanding candidate. 

There will be some cross-over between the contents of a resume and a cover letter. But while a resume can be a dry recitation of your work-related history, a cover letter gives you much greater leeway to showcase your passion, personality and drive. And it can make the difference between success and failure in applying for a job.

Some employers may request that you send a resume only, and their job-application system may not allow you to upload a cover letter. You have to respect such requests, but you should always include a cover letter unless you’re specifically asked not to. In fact, the failure to include a cover letter has been cited by employers as one of the significant reasons for disregarding candidates in favor of their competition.

You can find our universal and detailed advice on how to write a cover letter here. But let’s take a close look at how pharmacists in particular should prepare each of these sections.

This pharmacist cover letter example is a good foundation to develop your own professional application:

Cover letter header

For obvious reasons, physicians’ prescription forms contain their name and contact info, and your cover letter must do the same. The header is the space at the top of the letter that contains your name, address, phone and email. If an employer finds your letter interesting, there should be no mystery about how to reach you.

The header also provides an opportunity for some originality in design, as it may contain a light splash of color and even a photograph. It also allows room for white space, giving the eye a break from the solid blocks of text that follow.

The aim of the cover letter header: Cleanly and efficiently put your contact information in front of recruiters and hiring managers. Add a little pop to call attention to your document.

Cover letter greeting

The greeting, also known as a salutation, is the “Dear Mr. (or Ms.) Xxxxxxxx” below your header. Some applicants choose a more informal “Greetings” or “Hello” before the name of the recipient, but beware of being too casual in a business letter to someone who has the power to offer you a job. 

In most cases, you should always strive to address your letter to a named individual. At times, hiring managers prefer to remain anonymous, and you may have no choice but to use a more generic “Dear Hiring Manager,” “Dear (Company) Hiring  Team” or the like. 

But people like to see their own names in writing, and again it demonstrates your attention to detail if you’ve gone to the trouble of finding out to whom your letter should be addressed.

Our cover letter example uses "Dear Mr. Fisher," which is great if you know for sure you are writing to someone who is a Mr.

The aim of the cover letter greeting: Open the conversation professionally, but warmly and personally. 

Cover letter introduction

The first paragraph of your letter may be the most important, because it makes a first impression and sets the tone for everything that follows. Get off to a weak start, and you may never recover.

In one or two sentences, your intro should state your job objective and briefly preview your experience and qualifications for the job. It should be bold yet professional, and confident yet never arrogant. Draw readers in with a provocative opening that makes them want to read more.

The introduction text from our cover letter sample below explains why the applicant wants the job.

The aim of cover letter intro: Hook the hiring manager with information that will make them want to read on. Tailor your most important message and make sure it fits the job.

Cover letter middle part (body)

If the introduction of your letter is the appetizer, the body is the main course. It should consist of two or three paragraphs where you make a convincing case that you are the right candidate for the job. 

The body of your letter should include your work experience as a pharmacist — not just mentioning where and for how long you’ve worked, but describing your specific achievements on the job. Facts and figures are your friend here, so if there’s any way of quantifying how many prescriptions you filled, how many flu shots you administered or how many clients you served, all the better.

Anecdotes from your employment history can also be a great way of striking a chord — that one time you identified a potentially disastrous prescription error, or that day three coworkers called in sick and you had to run the entire pharmacy. Everyone loves a good story.

Aside from talking about past milestones, you can also use the body of your letter to mention your education, licensing and certification. And more broadly, you can talk about your passions, aspirations, special skills and anything else that’s relevant to the job you’re seeking.

The aim of the body of your cover letter: Extoll your virtues and how they will bring improvements to your prospective employer. 

The cover letter sample text below addresses the company's mission directly and explains how the writer's experience matches that mission.

How to close a pharmacist cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)

Your last paragraph should briefly summarize the info supplied in your introduction and body, and it should also issue a call to action. For example, you may ask whether it’s OK if you call next week to see about setting up an interview, or at the very least you can express that you are enthusiastically awaiting a reply.

Sign off with a “Sincerely” or the equivalent, and type your name. An actual signature is usually not necessary unless you’re sending a printed copy of your letter (even then, consider whether the handwritten signature adds or detracts from the visual appearance of your document).

Our cover letter sample text addresses a concern the hiring manager may have and ends with "Sincerely."

The aim of this final part: Express your interest in an interview and remind the hiring manager what you have to offer.

Writing psychology, tips and tactics

Some points for consideration:

• Never forget that you are addressing a human being, and you need to write as if you belong to the same species. Avoid the HR buzzwords and clichés that will make you sound like a corporate robot.
• Don’t hesitate to use emotional and personal language that may appeal more to the heart than to the head. The whole point of a cover letter is to establish a personal relationship with your correspondent, so don’t be too aloof, removed or impersonal.
• Find a tone that strikes the right balance between too familiar and too distant. Consider your position relative to the company and strive for the right balance between assertiveness and humility.
• Be specific about your achievements in your field, and put some thought into which ones are appropriate to highlight given each prospective employer.
• Put yourself in the shoes of your correspondent and ask yourself how your letter is likely to be received.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Pharmacists work in a field with little if any room for error. Here are some errors in writing cover letters that you must avoid at all costs:

• Mistakes in English usage. In a recent survey of 1,138 hiring managers about top resume mistakes that are instant deal breakers, the top answer was “typos or bad grammar,” cited by 77% of respondents. If spelling, grammar and punctuation are not your long suit, find an editor to proofread and revise your letter.
• Generic, non-customized letters. Study the company you’re targeting and leave no doubt that you are writing to this specific company and not mass-mailing the same letter to all prospective employers.
• Job-search clichés, corporate lingo and fluff. Resist the temptation to say you’re a “team player” and a “self-starter” who thinks “outside the box.” The first phrases that spring to mind when you’re writing a cover letter are probably clichés that recruiters have seen a thousand times before. Strive for language that is original, fresh and unexpected.
• Irrelevant info about your hobbies and interests. If it’s not relevant to the job, leave it out.
• Errors in fonts, formatting and design. Stick to a proven design and format.

Key takeaways

• Pharmacist jobs overall are not expected to grow in the years ahead. This means you’ll need an outstanding cover letter and resume to compete for a limited number of jobs.
• A cover letter is a critical supplement to a resume because it allows you to connect with a hiring manager on a personal level. Always include a cover letter unless you’re asked not to.
• Understand the structure and components of a cover letter and follow the guidelines for writing yours correctly.
• Stick to proven fonts and formatting to give your cover letter an eye-pleasing design that will look the same on your recipient’s computer as on yours.
• Tailor each cover letter to each prospective employer, and find the appropriate tone to address your target.

Get off to the right start with our matching cover letter and resume templates, designed by professionals and tested in the field. We can’t write it for you, but we can provide a great base to build on. Get started now and have a solid cover letter in no time!