Cover letter anatomy: header section

Cover letter anatomy: header section

First thing we should know when we create our cover letter is what information should be written on it. A cover letter, just like other formal letter, has 3 main sections; they are the header, the body, and footer. Each section has specific information we should put on. Now let’s start with the header section.

Header section of cover letter

On this section we put our name, address, phone number, or other contact information. Some people put an eye-catching graphic or tagline on header. No problem for that, but just make sure that it wont make a cheap impression or untidy. To make it tidy, formal, and easy to read, pay attention on layout and typography.

Cover Letter Header layout

There is a lot of layout combination (that works). Below is the example of some cover letter header combination. Pay attention on placement of each block.

Your name is the point of view. So by make it bigger and bolder, it will drive the reader’s eye to read it first. If you notice on all examples above, the name block has priority over other information such us the contact info and the letter also nicely separated. This will make the header more readable and clear.

A Left aligned header will make easier to read. A center aligned cover letter will make “serious” or “formal” impression, especially when using roman text such as “times new roman”. A right aligned cover letter give “unique” impression. Personally I prefer left aligned text for the sake of clarity. See also on line placement. You can use the layout style above as your cover letter header.