Are you looking for tips and tools to help your job applications stand out. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding over the past few years. After all, creating a visually can be an effective way to set yourself apart from other job candidates. cover letter template But a resume is just one part of the job application package. Another equally important part is the cover letter. A creative cover letter is a great document to bring with you to an interview and to publish on your portfolio site. This guide will show you how to design a creative cover letter, along with some cover letter writing tips from career experts. How to create a cover letter template Just like companies have brands, you can also develop your own personal brand. A professional design in your cover letter, resume, social media pages and portfolio site will help you seem more legitimate to employers. But coming up with a completely new cover letter design for each position is time consuming. Using a template will give you a framework for each unique application. Here are some essential cover letter design tips to keep in mind. For cover letter writing tips from career experts, 1. Give your cover letter template a decorative border This is a simple way to add some creativity to your cover letter, while still maintaining a more traditional design. An easy and eye-catching approach is to use a background image for your border. For example, this cover letter template uses an image of a map for the border. If you would like your border to be see-through, simply adjust the opacity of the rectangle. cover letter template Add a custom header that illustrates your personal brand What cover letter template do you want to make on readers of your cover letter. Similar to how you can use an image as a border, you can also create an image header. Too much going on will distract from your header text—and the text is the most important part. Use a column layout to divide your cover letter into sections Typically, when you write a cover letter you will include your contact information in the header or footer. But a visual cover letter offers you the opportunity to use a different page layout. For example, you could put your contact information in a spinal column at the side of the page. To do this, simply divide your page into columns: Take a look at how columns are cover letter template in the page layout for this cover letter template: 4. Include a personal logo to make your cover letter more memorable Creating your own logo might seem like a big task. Your logo design could be as simple as a writing your name in a specific font, or combining your initial with an icon or shape. Take some time to draft a few mock ups of your logo. What shapes and font style reflect your personality. Which designs are the most eye-catching and easy to use in other places. Use icons to illustrate information like your experience, skills, or passions are simplified vector graphics used to represent concepts. Highlight your contact information using a bold footer While a bright, bold header will help grab the attention of readers, a footer will help make sure your cover letter ends on an impressive note. A bold footer can also help highlight key information—like your contact information and availability. Round out your cover letter design with an image An image can add that final touch to your cover letter design. You can use an image to fill up empty space and to reinforce themes in your cover letter. But when in doubt, a stock photo can work too—. That could mean using an to give your image a unique border shape, or using an image with a transparent background. For example, look at how seamlessly the image at the bottom of this cover letter is incorporated into the design: 8. Add your signature to your cover letter template At this point, you may have noticed something that a lot of these cover letters have in common: they include a signature. Personal design touches will help your cover letter be more memorable. Take a look at how this cover letter template incorporates a signature in the footer: 9. Use up to three different font styles but no more than that. By bolding certain headers and using a different color for other, the design has variation while still being cohesive: 10. For example, you can use borders in unusual ways. A simple border used in a surprising way can make your cover letter design more interesting. For example, instead of using a border around the edges of your page, you could use a border around one section, like the header. Cover letter template a look at how this cover letter template uses a strip of purple along the spinal column and crosses it with a border around the header: Some expert tips for writing your cover letter While design will help grab the attention of readers, your text is what will actually sell them on your qualifications. We asked some career experts what their top tips are for writing cover letters. Tie your story to what the company cares about. Read their About Us page. Try to figure out what they value this is not hard — a lot of companies share their core values somewhere on their site. Pick which of those core values resonate most with you. Then, tailor your letter to those values. That is: how have you demonstrated that value in your career so far. S: Not customizing your cover letter for each job application is probably the biggest you can make as an applicant. What is your focus and why do you want the role. Empathy…understand the role your prospective employer is hiring for and what good and bad very important to have why cover letter template might not fit ways you fit in. But before you race off to start your design, here are a few best practices to keep in mind. Design your cover letter for standard letter paper Make sure that the size dimensions of your cover letter template fit standard printer paper. Standard letter paper is 8. You can also check out this guide to learn. Set bleed marks for your printer If you want to get your cover letter printed professional, you may want to set bleed marks in your design. If your cover letter design has a solid background color, or colors and images that touch the edge of the page, you should set bleed marks to indicate where the edge of the page is. More design guides to power your career growth:.
