How to Write a Letter of Interest in 2021 [Examples + Template]

It’s one of the worst feelings in the world.

You spent Weeks When you perfect your resume and create the perfect cover letter, you can finally submit your application for your dream job.

However, when you scan the company’s careers page, panic comes over you. The position you wanted to apply for is no longer open. It’s gone. And when you stare at your laptop screen in shock, you can’t help but believe that you will never be able to join your dream company.

What should you do in this situation? You can’t just pause your job search until the company opens the job again. How do you show interest in joining a company if the position you are looking for is currently not available?

One of the most effective ways to grab a hiring manager’s attention and get your foot in the door is to write a letter of interest to the company.

Sending a letter of interest is a great way to introduce yourself to a company and it shows that you are ready to take the initiative to be proactive. This can keep you in the know when the company starts recruiting for the job you asked for. If hiring managers are particularly impressed, they can even create a position just for you.

In other cases, sending a letter of interest can lead to a coffee chat or briefing with the hiring manager of the team you want to work for.

Writing a letter of interest sounds like an easy way to get a foot in the door of a company, but it just picks up a hiring manager’s interest and triggers a response when it actually gets through.

For this purpose, we recommend following a formula called Problem Agitate Solution. It is modeled after an old copywriting framework and has helped a job seeker increase her response rate to cover letters from 0% to 55%. We’ll work it out below.

How do I write a letter of interest

To force a hiring manager to read your letter, respond to it, and consider you for a job, you need to include four key elements in your letter of interest:

1. Hook the hiring manager on with evidence that you understand their problem.

Hiring managers doesn’t hire people just to be nice. They hire people to help them run their team better. To get a hiring manager’s attention right away, demonstrate how to understand the problems she is trying to solve, like the following snag:

“As a two-year veteran of blogging in the marketing technology industry with companies like Return Path and SlideBatch, I know how difficult it is to write well. I also know how difficult it is to be found on Google.”

By describing a similar experience that you had in your current or previous job, you can identify with her on a deep level, which leads her to read the rest of the letter.

The hardest part of this step is discovering the hiring manager’s problems. One way to find out is to list the job responsibilities and ask yourself why these tasks are important to your team. If you keep analyzing until you reach a dead end, that’s where you will usually find their needs.

2. Move the problem around to remind the hiring manager that he needs a solution.

How can you make a hiring manager understand how valuable a solution can be? They remind them how painful their problems are. And for her to visualize her dreaded problem as vividly as possible, you need to be just like the following example:

“According to HubSpot’s careers page, you’re not hiring right now, but rather someone in the future who can not only target an audience with clear, concise, and compelling blog posts, but also optimize for search engines while you meet every deadline.” You rely on me. “

When she realizes how much pain she is actually in, she will have more urgency to resolve it. And that will get them to respond to you because you may be their fastest route to a solution.

3. Use an example of your skills and experience to prove that you are the solution.

If you are truly the solution to their problems, then you need to prove to the hiring manager how you’ve used your skills to solve similar color points in previous experiences. Then you should describe how you can use this knowledge to solve your current problems. Take a look at the following example:

“Last year, I was the best performing blogger on Return Path, posting weekly posts averaging 7,500 views, 1,000 social shares, and 35 new blog subscribers. The year before, I developed and implemented a new keyword strategy at SlideBatch – The Organic Pageviews for our Visual Marketing 101 blog series increased by 15%.

I’ve read HubSpot’s blog every day since I started my content marketing career, and I’m inbound, content, and email marketing certified. Hence, I firmly believe that if I work on HubSpot’s blog team one day, I will be able to take the first steps.

Whether I want to uncover high-chance keywords or blog posts to support and develop your team’s new pillar cluster model, I am confident that my skills and experience can help your team achieve their goals. “

By quantifying your accomplishments and examining the company’s weaknesses, you prove your worth. However, if you just list your skills and work experience, you’re just proving to the hiring manager that you made no impact.

4. Certainly request to go to the next step.

At the end of your letter, show your interest in exploring upcoming opportunities, or ask them to keep you informed when an opportunity arises, such as the following call to action:

“I would like to hear about upcoming roles on your team or to be considered for a position at a later date. My résumé is attached and my contact details are in my email signature below. Thank you for your time! It was a pleasure connect to. “

These calls to action are critical because they tell her how to get the ball rolling. If you don’t tell the hiring manager what to do next, nothing will happen.

Example of a letter of interest

All in all, a successful letter of interest looks like this:

Letter of Interest template

Hi [Hiring Manager’s First Name],

As a [X]-Year [Your Profession] Veteran in the [Space You Work In] Industry [Most Prominent Companies You’ve Worked For]I know how hard it is [Pain Point #1]. I also know how difficult it is [Pain Point #2].

According to [Company] Careers page, you are not currently hiring, but in the future if you are looking for someone who can not only do it [Solution for Pain Point #1], but also [Solution for Pain Point #2], You can count on me.

Latest [Specific Timeframe], at the [Current or Old Company]I was the best performance [Your Profession], [List Your Responsibilities and Describe the Impact You Made]. The [Specific Timeframe] before at [Current or Old Company], I [List Your Responsibilities and Describe the Impact You Made].

[Show Hiring Manager that You’re a Voracious Learner and You Regularly Keep Up with Company News]I firmly believe that if I worked on it, I would be able to get started right away [Company] Team someday.

Would it be me [What the Team is Working on Now]I am confident that my skills and experience can help your team achieve their goals.

I would like to hear about upcoming roles on your team or be considered for a role later. My résumé is attached and my contact details are listed in my email signature below. Thanks for your time. It was a pleasure to connect!

With best regards,

[Your Name]

Selected resource: 5 templates for professional cover letters

Download these templates for free

Steps to Take Before Submitting your Letter of Interest

After you’ve finished writing your letter of interest, you need to make sure that the company actually opens it. Before sending your letter, it is ideal if someone on the team knows who you are in person.

To do this, ask your contacts or alumni who work in the company to introduce you to the team’s HR manager. If you can’t, you can add the hiring manager on LinkedIn, tell her why you want to connect, and send her your letter of interest.

When you get your foot in the door, you can ultimately stand out from the crowd of job seekers who are all sending you the same “Hire Me” pitch.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2018 and has been updated for accuracy and completeness.