YYou might think that counting pills and chatting about Medicare with pensioners does not require much explaining, but that is exactly what you need to do in a pharmacy technician cover letter when you are looking for a new job. It is less about what you do, and more about how you go about it. With this pharmacy technician cover letter example and guide, we will explore how to explain how you offer every pharmacy client a first-rate experience.
According to the American Pharmacy Association, there were 119,451 CPhT renewals and 760,334 certificates granted by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board in 2021, and while this valuable qualification is a must-have, your cover letter is about far more than those precious four letters.
So how do you set yourself apart from the 119,451 experienced techs when you want to move jobs? A great cover letter is key to success. How do you juggle ruthless operational efficiency with patient and empathetic customer service? What approach do you take to stubborn operational challenges? How do you convey, on one page, exactly what you love about the job? Most importantly, what is it like to work with you in a close-knit team?
All these questions and many more will be addressed in our pharmacy technician cover letter example, showing any pharmacy manager how you could be the missing element in their pharmaceutical compound with a powerful cover letter. Use this guide alongside our free cover letter examples and our adaptable cover letter sample and your application will guarantee you an interview.
In this pharmacy technician cover letter example, alongside a host of recruiter-approved tips, we will help to cover the following considerations:
- How to create an optimal cover letter format and which paragraphs to include
- Which messages should be included in each pharmacy technician cover letter section (header, greeting, intro, body and conclusion)
- How to take the hiring manager’s psychology into account when writing your cover letter (think of it as a monologue to start a conversation)
- How to explore positive aspects of your candidacy and common mistakes to avoid.
The cover letter and resume are often written simultaneously as they contain different aspects of the same story and in the process of writing both documents inspiration is likely to strike at varying points. Our pharmacy technician resume example is filled with tips and ideas to make a great addition to your cover letter.
But let’s focus on the specific nature of a cover letter. How do you structure your writing?
Best format for a pharmacy technician cover letter
Pharmacy technicians are expected to be methodical and logical in everything that they do, so any pharmacy manager would expect an equally clear approach to how they set out their job search case in their cover letter.
The format of a pharmacy technician 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 end paragraph of the cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
The rigorous cover letter format might be compared to pharmaceutical dispensing: certain things should be done before others or it will not have the desired effect. In this section we will outline how to craft an effective pitch, which messages you might choose to include in which sections, and the psychology of how your cover letter can serve to prompt the right conversations during a future pharmacy interview.
Our how to write a cover letter guide offers advice from every conceivable angle in terms of sitting down and writing what might be the most important 200-400 words of your job search, but there are a number of nuances that are specific to a pharmacy technician cover letter format and how it can work to complement the information included in your resume rather than repeat it. A pharmacy manager’s time is precious – make sure that you don’t waste it.
The best cover letter format makes your individual case for the specific job in question – make sure that your letter is closely tied to the job description and the culture of the pharmacy. National chains will operate differently to smaller local outlets, so tailor your stories and your language appropriately.
Conduct wider research into the nature of the role
Each pharmacy will have differing expectations for their pharmacy technician, so make sure that your cover letter is as tailored to the role as possible. You will find the basic information in the job description; but going the extra mile by popping into the pharmacy itself can often reveal insights that you can include in your cover letter. Pharmacy technicians need to work on their own initiative, so this is a great way of elevating your candidature.
This adaptable pharmacy technician cover letter sample might offer some inspiration:
Dear Mrs. Wannakind,
Maintaining 99.8% dispensing accuracy and 0.05% stock shrinkage is not easy when you are looking to improve on your 97% client satisfaction rating, but my seven years as a pharmacy technician taught me a few valuable lessons in where my priorities lie.
After gaining my associate degree in Pharmacy Technology at Loreto College, my PTCB certification followed soon after, but it was during my first job after college that I realized just how important the client service aspect was in the role. You might run a brilliant process, but if you don’t make the pharmacy clients feel welcomed and comforted, they won’t come back. We increased daily traffic by 180% over the seven years at NeoPharm.
I am proficient in distributing prescriptions, verifying insurance, maintaining adequate stock inventories, labelling medicines, and using the various automated systems in a pharmacy setting. Without everything working seamlessly in the background, you have no chance at customer satisfaction, so when you have a busy day, it is always a balancing act.
For example, my pharmacy manager was spending two hours a day with Medicare administration, so I set out to streamline our processes, introducing an element of automated software, which provided her with an extra hour a day to dispense medicines. We served 15% more clients as a result.
I have moved to Nashville to be closer to my elderly mother. As she has been a customer of your pharmacy for many years, I am well aware of your high standards of service. I would seek to delight every client as if I were serving her.
I hope to have the opportunity of an interview to understand more about your operation and share a little more about how I might make a difference.
Sincerely,
Judd Mead
This cover letter sample is offered as a source of inspiration for any pharmacy technician, so while your experience might differ from the above, the tone and feel of the letter might be something to aim for. With our cover letter builder, you can edit sentences, swap the sections around and even choose a different cover letter template if you don’t feel that the visual look of the document is going to create the desired impression.
Searching for additional inspiration for cover letter writing? Have a look at our other related medical cover letter examples:
- Nursing Cover Letter Sample
- Medical Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Pharmacist Cover Letter Sample
- Physical Therapist Cover Letter Sample
- Lab Technician Cover Letter Sample
- Medical Receptionist Cover Letter Sample
- Doctor Cover Letter Sample
- Dental Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Pharmacy Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Healthcare Cover Letter Sample
- Medical Cover Letter Sample
- Physician Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Veterinary Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Doctor Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Phlebotomist Cover Letter Sample
Cover letter header
While it is important that your cover letter header should contain your name, email and phone contacts, being located at the top of your cover letter, it is the section that a pharmacy manager will read first. While this will be an initial scan, make sure that your email contains a sensible name from a recognized provider. You don’t want any doubts to arise in their minds at this early stage.
The header should be immediately visible, because you want the reader to subconsciously tick the “how do I get in touch with this person?” box as they read your impressive cover letter. It is also a section where you can choose a visually appealing format that complements your application and shows off a little of your personality.
The aim of the cover letter header: Include your contact details at the top, but avoid missteps to distract the hiring manager from the first sentences of your letter proper.
Cover letter greeting
As the majority of pharmacy clients will be regular visitors, recognizing the importance of addressing people in the correct way is vital for a pharmacy technician. While the cover letter greeting might seem like an insignificant detail, saying “To whom it may concern” when the pharmacy manager’s name is written clearly on the job description is a faux pas on the level of calling a regular pharmacy client a generic “madam” or “sir.”
In an industry where personal relationships are critical, recognizing the power of the name and knowing how to address others is key to starting off conversations. Starting with a less formal “hi” will not endear you to a total stranger and spelling their name incorrectly in the cover letter greeting will definitely cause alarm bells to ring about your attention to detail.
The cover letter example uses “Dear Mr. Hardwick” as the greeting, but if you do not know the name of the hiring manager, “Dear Welldome Pharmacy team” is infinitely preferable to the far more formal (and frankly cold) “To whom it may concern.”
The aim of the cover letter greeting / salutation: Start the cover letter off on a personal and yet suitable formal footing – call someone by their name if possible.
Names matter – in your cover letter and your interview
Have you ever stood in a crowded room and felt your ears prick up when you heard someone mention your name from across the room? Research shows that our brains light up when we hear our name, so if you want to elicit a positive response to begin your pharmacy technician cover letter, use the correct surname.
Never (ever) however attempt to use a first name during an interview, unless the hiring manager specifically says: “You can call me Steve.” Calling them “Mr. Taylor” after that would seem a little strange, but using their surname liberally through an interview to get their attention before a particularly important point is a great way of turning their attention away from your unfortunate choice of tie or hair accessory.
Cover letter introduction
While you might be immensely proud of your PTCB certification and devour the latest pharmacy news at the breakfast table every morning, the cover letter introduction needs to convey a far more powerful and personal message that will compel a hiring manager to want to read further.
You need to be able to share something that no other candidate can, whetting the appetite of the hiring manager so that they want to invite you for an interview from the very first line.
Because you have so much information to pack into a cover letter, every sentence should make the pharmacy manager think: “Wow, I look forward to them telling me more about that.” As it is the start of your job search sales pitch, the introduction of your cover letter would be expected to include a compelling fact, unique achievement or personal insight. Anything less and a hiring manager may well not bother to read the rest.
The intro that we offer in our basic cover letter sample above offers an illustration:
“Maintaining 99.8% dispensing accuracy and 0.05% stock shrinkage is not easy when you are looking to improve on your 97% client satisfaction rating, but my seven years as a pharmacy technician taught me a few valuable lessons in where my priorities lie.”
Quantify your achievements with numbers, make sure that you include the metrics of the role that will be under the spotlight in your future job, and let them know just how many years’ experience you have.
The aim of the cover letter introduction: Start your story on a powerful and relevant note and leave the pharmacy manager wanting to find out more.
Dear Mrs. Wannakind,
Maintaining 99.8% dispensing accuracy and 0.05% stock shrinkage is not easy when you are looking to improve on your 97% client satisfaction rating, but my seven years as a pharmacy technician taught me a few valuable lessons in where my priorities lie.
Choose a matching style for your application documents
It is true to say that it is not only your writing that will help your cover letter and resume to stand out from the pharmacy crowd. Picking a matching template from our collection ensures that your cover letter and resume will be seen as part of the same message. They are inseparable job search tools, so rather than a blank (and boring) word template, make them stand out with impactful graphics and a splash of color. You want the hiring manager to remember the design of your resume and think: “Oh yes, that cover letter is Anne’s.”
Cover letter middle part (body)
The cover letter middle part of a pharmacy technician cover letter contains the bulk of your application story. You can expand on what you consider really matters, use bullet points to make your achievements really stand out and choose the language, keywords and action verbs to highlight your personality.
There should be all facts and no filler. The reader can sense when you are describing responsibilities rather than outlining accomplishments, so ask yourself whether every sentence (and word) is truly adding to your narrative.
As with the introduction, the cover letter middle part might seem a little disjointed in that there is not enough space to do your accomplishments justice, but if you arouse the curiosity of the pharmacy manager enough times, then it will have served its purpose.
When you are describing an example, using the compact STAR method is a great way of communicating your impact in a concise way. Outline the Situation and Task that was set, share the Action that you took and the Result that was achieved. Make sure that it is relevant to the role in question; nothing will annoy a hiring manager more than an applicant who doesn’t know what they are getting themselves into.
Note how our cover letter sample illustrates the STAR method:
“My pharmacy manager was spending two hours a day with Medicare administration, so I set out to streamline our processes, introducing an element of automated software, which provided her with an extra hour a day to dispense medicines and serve 15% more clients.”
Every pharmacy manager wants less time doing admin and more time doing pharmacy.
The aim of the body of the cover letter: Outline what it is like for a pharmacist to work alongside you. How will pharmacy clients feel when they walk out of the door? Where does your value as a pharmacy technician lie?
After gaining my associate degree in Pharmacy Technology at Loreto College, my PTCB certification followed soon after, but it was during my first job after college that I realized just how important the client service aspect was in the role. You might run a brilliant process, but if you don’t make the pharmacy clients feel welcomed and comforted, they won’t come back. We increased daily traffic by 180% over the seven years at NeoPharm.
I am proficient in distributing prescriptions, verifying insurance, maintaining adequate stock inventories, labelling medicines, and using the various automated systems in a pharmacy setting. Without everything working seamlessly in the background, you have no chance at customer satisfaction, so when you have a busy day, it is always a balancing act.
For example, my pharmacy manager was spending two hours a day with Medicare administration, so I set out to streamline our processes, introducing an element of automated software, which provided her with an extra hour a day to dispense medicines. We served 15% more clients as a result.
I have moved to Nashville to be closer to my elderly mother. As she has been a customer of your pharmacy for many years, I am well aware of your high standards of service. I would seek to delight every client as if I were serving her.
Selecting the most appropriate action verbs can elevate how your cover letter messages are perceived.
“How” you did something can be highlighted with one word: an action verb. English verbs are full of myriad subtlety and nuance, yet job seekers tend to use the same 10-15 over and over again. This can be mind-numbingly repetitive for any pharmacy manager who is reading their 44th pharmacy technician cover letter, so you may consider changing up which verb you use to describe your accomplishments.
Our “ 300+ action verbs for your job search” blog explores the impact of these verbs in fifteen different scenarios. If your cover letter is looking a little tired, it is well worth a read.
How to finish a pharmacy technician cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
Now that the pharmacy manager is having heart palpitations at the thought of inviting you to an interview, you have one last chance to finish your pharmacy technician cover letter with a final flourish and a (justified) call to action. You want that interview, after all, and frankly you deserve it.
A little repetition at the end of the letter is no bad thing to ram home an argument, or you may decide to share one last tantalizing story. No matter what the content of your final words, make sure that you politely and respectfully mention that you are looking forward to discussing all of the above at an interview. Don’t let your tone stray into being presumptuous or arrogant, but it would seem strange if you didn’t show a little ambition (as you can see in the pharmacy technician cover letter example above).
“Sincerely” or “Best regards” are standard ways of finishing off the cover letter signature and the professional and personable application is complete. Now just wait for that phone to ring.
The aim of this section: Whether you wish to finish on a flourish or reiterate a key argument, leave a confident impression by asking for an interview and gently hinting that you definitely deserve it.
I hope to have the opportunity of an interview to understand more about your operation and share a little more about how I might make a difference.
Sincerely,
Judd Mead
Never be apologetic in any job search correspondence
You might think that being self-deprecating is an admirable trait in an individual, and while this might be true while telling a story during an interview, when you only have a limited number of words to play with in a cover letter, being in any way apologetic will not come across well.
Any version of “I am sure that there are more qualified applicants out there, but I will work twice as hard” should never cross your mind. Be proud of your achievements and let them speak for themselves.
Writing psychology and mistakes to avoid
There are certain things that every pharmacy manager will be looking for in the cover letter of a pharmacy technician, and there are definitely common mistakes that many applicants will make as they are excitedly finishing off their letter.
Don’t rush through these last considerations and double check whether you have made any of these mistakes. There may be a fine line between securing an interview and losing out to a rival applicant, so take your time to consider exactly how your writing will be received.
Here are four qualities that you might find in our pharmacy technician cover letter sample:
- Customer care: Your customers are walking into your pharmacy in the hope that you will help them to feel better. They are in need of your undivided care and attention and any pharmacy technician cover letter that doesn’t put clients at the very heart is not a letter that is going to get its writer invited to an interview.
- Obsession with detail: In all medical occupations, the little details can mean the difference between life and death. While the words detail-oriented should be banned from any piece of job search writing, it is a far better idea to share an example of a situation where an obsession with detail made a difference to clients and colleagues.
- Process orientation: Everything in a busy pharmacy needs to work like clockwork and there are tried and tested processes for every task. Every employer will have slightly different ways of doing things, so showing that you can follow a process without resorting to “what you used to do” is critical to a smooth operation.
- Patience: Many of the clients that come into the pharmacy will be senior citizens. Many will be worried about their health, some may be lonely, and others may be a little confused. Being process-driven and efficient is important but being “present” and patient with clients is also important. Everyone has a choice of which pharmacy to visit. Make sure that you are a reason for them to choose your pharmacy.
Three mistakes to avoid in your cover letter
- Generic copy & paste. A hiring manager can smell a copy/pasted sentence from a mile off. The cover letters that will stand out to them will be relevant and 100% written with a specific role in mind. Don’t be lazy – tailor it for the role.
- Grammar and spelling errors. While you might be excited by the content of the letter, don’t forget to spend a decent amount of time proofreading the letter. Websites such as Grammarly are useful, or maybe ask your partner to read it through?
- Poor formatting and visual style. Getting the fonts, line spacing and balance of white space to text is critical. Choosing the right template in terms of the visual style can also make a decisive difference. Think your choices through carefully
Key takeaways
- Tell a story that includes both process obsession and customer-centricity.
- Show the hiring manager how you will make their pharmacy hum with efficiency.
- Use effective word choices to showcase your personality and your achievements.
- Create a structure that gives a logical flow to your pharmacy technician job history.
- Use cover letter examples to save time and focus on your personal story!
Writing your pharmacy technician cover letter can be easy. Choose one of our ready-made and carefully-researched cover letter templates and simply start writing.
