cover letter for no experience without experience

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How to Write a Cover Letter With No Experience (+Examples)

You don’t have 2 years of experience, but you know you can do the job given the chance. Learn how to write a cover letter with no experience and prove it to your next boss.

Applying for a job without experience may make you feel like you don't belong in the job market. This is especially true when the employer requests a cover letter to accompany your application.

However, you may not realize that you already possess the relevant skills and achievements. They just need to be brought to the surface. You’re about to learn how to do just that.

In this guide, you’ll get:

• Two sample cover letters with no experience in the field.
• Steps for how to write a cover letter with no experience in any industry or job with several no-experience cover letter templates you can copy and adjust.

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Do you want to see specific cover letter examples right away? There you go:

• Recent Graduate Cover Letter Example
• Internship Cover Letter Example
• Entry-Level Cover Letter Example
• Freelance Writer Cover Letter Example
• Non-Profit Cover Letter Example
• Cashier Cover Letter
• Cook Cover Letter
• Social Work Cover Letter

You can always visit our Cover Letter Examples page where all of them are available.

We extracted data from over 500,000 documents created in our product and discovered that*:

- Cascade, Cubic, Primo, and Classic are the most popular cover letter templates for our users. - On average, our users create 2.36 documents in our builder. - Most of our users report having over 10 years of experience. Only 2.63% of users show they have zero expereince.    * The data comes from the last 12 months (August 2023-August 2024)

Before you dive into the instructions for your no-experience cover letter, let’s dispel your doubts about writing it first.

Should You Write a Cover Letter for a Job With No Experience?

Absolutely, yes. A cover letter in your situation is even more important than for a person with some years of experience. That is because you create more space for instances of unpaid employment, academic achievements, and transferable skills that you can draw from to create a relevant application .

Expert Hint : Transferable skills are the ones you use in every job, like data analysis or interpersonal skills. You could learn them in school, while volunteering, or at a job you had.

Let’s see some examples now to prove that theory.

Two Cover Letter Examples With No Experience in the Field

Meet Michelle. She’s only started studying Healthcare Administration and wishes to get a clinic receptionist job. Given no prior experience in the medical field, it could be hard to get it, but she’ll use her transferable skills from other jobs to highlight the most desired skills she found in the job description. 

Example #1:  Cover Letter With No Experience

Example #1: Cover Letter With No Experience —Text version

Michelle Wynes

Receptionist

4884 Holden Street

Marion, IL 62959

linkedin.com/in/michellezwynes

Chelsey Ratcliff

Office Manager

Morton Medical Clinic

2804 Davis Court

Dear Ms. Ratcliff,

I'm excited to apply for the receptionist position at Morton Medical Clinic. Though I'm an entry-level applicant, I'm passionate about doing a good job and received multiple compliments from my manager at Ruby Tuesday for efficiency, collaboration, and writing skills.

I'm very interested in beginning a career in the medical field, as I'm attending online classes for an associates degree in healthcare administration. I believe I'll make an excellent receptionist thanks to that passion, plus the following accomplishments:

• Answered 10+ phone calls from customers daily.
• Wrote daily reports of shifts using MS Office Suite.
• Collaborated with 30+ team members to sustain a facility-wide online review score of 96%.

I'm excited to show you how my efficiency and cheerful attitude can help provide a positive experience for patients at the Morton Clinic. Could we set up a time to discuss your needs?

Best Regards,

Michelle Wynes, Receptionist

[email protected]

773-914-7965

Now check out Sharon’s story. She’s a recent graduate and a Registered Medical Assistant looking for an internship. Because she doesn’t have experience, she’ll use her academic history and  transferable skills , like technical writing, to back up the relevancy of her application.

Example #2:  No-Experience Cover Letter

Example #2: No-Experience Cover Letter —Text version

Sharon Beckstead

Medical Assistant

802-688-1353

[email protected]

linkedin.com/in/sharonzbeckstead

James Whited

Clinic Director

Darben Sutton Medical Clinic

1752 Stone Lane

White River Junction, Vermont 05001

Dear Mr. Whited,

I'm writing to apply for the medical assistant internship position at Darben Sutton Medical Clinic. I'm Registered Medical Assistant and a recent graduate of NHU, with a passion for helping nurses, patients, and doctors to ensure the highest quality care and efficiency.

Your job posting says you need someone skilled in medical coding, clinical procedures, and billing. I maintained a 4.0 GPA in all those coursework areas, with 5 commendations from instructors for attention to detail.

I'd love to talk with you about how my skills in time management and collaboration can support the Darben Sutton Medical Clinic's needs and goals.

Sharon Beckstead, Medical Assistant

PS—I'm also happy to explain how my 100% score in business and technical writing can translate to zero-error documentation at your clinic.

It’s a good moment to remind you that a cover letter only accompanies your resume. So, in case you don’t have it yet, here are our two guides for How to Write an Entry-Level Resume   and First Time Resume With No Experience that can help you out. If the job ad requires it, send your cover letter and resume via email. Here is what you what you should write in the email .

Now read along to find out step by step how to write a cover letter with no experience. You’ll see templates right next to the instructions.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here .

How to Write a Cover Letter With No Experience Step-by-Step

Here are 8 steps for how to write a cover letter with no experience:

1. Study the Job Description and Research the Company

First, before you get down to writing, find and note down all the information possible about the skills, qualities, and qualifications needed and wanted for the job. You’ll later use them to build your cover letter around them. Look for them in the job posting. 

Make sure you also review the company’s website and social media to learn about the culture and values you’re hiring into. You can use that to refer to the same goals and prove alignment.

Expert Hint : Want to get a job “just to survive until you find something in your field?” A study by the Strada Institute shows you’ll still be in that dead-end job 10 years later. Your degree will be useless by then, and you’ll have to hit the reset button. Stick it out and stay in your field, even if it’s hard at first. You can always change tracks later with a career change resume and cover letter.

2. List Your and the Hiring Manager's Contact Details

A cover letter for candidates without experience is like any other business letter. It needs a properly formatted cover letter header . 

This is the template you can always use to get it right:

[Your Name]

[Hiring Manager’s Name]

3. Address Your Reader

Here, you can’t be generic. Sending a generic cover letter breaks all the important rules:

• It’s not tailored to the company.
• It is not personalized to the hiring manager.
• It tells them you are lazy and not so interested.

So, to make your mark, stay formal and respectful in the address of your cover letter . Here are some good examples you can use:

Formal salutation

• Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]
• Dear [First Name] [Last Name]

Using the job title

• Dear Hiring Manager
• Dear Hiring Committee
• Dear Hiring Team

Company-specific job titles

• Dear Recruiter
• Dear Recruitment Coordinator
• Dear Talent Acquisition Specialist

Choosing one will depend on you finding out as much information as possible about the person recruiting and the person hiring.

4. Write an Effective Opening

In a cover letter with no experience, you need to get attention faster, than Usain Bolt finished his best sprint. And the good news is that there is more than one way to do that right in the opening. You can lead off your cover letter with:

• A referral that’ll matter to the hiring manager
• Something about the firm that excites you
• A huge accomplishment from school

But don’t break your neck to be creative. In a pinch, just give a few hard facts that show you’ll work hard. That’s an A-1 strategy. 

Here’s a template that may come in handy:

Dear Mr./Ms. [ Last Name ],

I am excited to apply for the [ Job Title ] position at [ Company Name ]. Though an entry-level applicant, I am eager to bring my [ A Few Skills, Qualities, Or Achievements That Fit The Skills They Want ] and contribute to your team’s success.

5. Show Your Relevant Skills and Achievements

“Hire me.” Said nobody who ever got a job. Unless, of course, they gave a reason that made sense to the manager. So how can you do that? It’s actually pretty easy! 

You just have to find out what skills they want and show when you’ve used them, even in a small way. Those achievements can be school accomplishments. You don’t have to shake the world. But they must show you’re at square 1 and not somewhere in the parking lot. That goes in the second paragraph of your cover letter with no experience.

See a template that can get you there:

Throughout my academic journey, I have grown a strong work ethic and a passion for a career in the [ Your Field ] field, as I am [ Fact That Fits You To The Job ]. I will make an excellent [ Job Title ] thanks to that passion, plus the following accomplishments:

• [ Achievement #1 That Used A Skill They Need ]
• [ Achievement #2 That Used A Skill They Need ]
• [ Achievement #3 That Used A Skill They Need ]

Expert Hint : According to an NCES study , the employment rate for people who finish high school is 72%. Better still are college students at 79% and college grads at 86%. Think your education doesn’t matter in a cover letter with no experience? Think again, but you must use it to show skills the organization craves.

6. Explain Why You Are the Perfect Fit for the Job and the Company

Remember the values and goals you read about in step 1? Now, it’s time to use that knowledge. In the last body paragraph, explain why you want to work for this company specifically by leveraging what you’ve learned about them. That’s your chance to build even better engagement with the reader. And, of course, a stronger case for your application.

Check out a universal template that will help you with that:

I am particularly drawn to [ Specific Aspect Of The Job You’re Pursuing ], as I believe that [ Your Relevant Skills Or Qualities ] closely align with [ Requirements And Values ] of [ Company Name ].

7. Close and Sign Off Professionally

Your closing paragraph should reinstate your enthusiasm for the role and interest in applying. Is there a better way to do this than requesting an actual interview? Ask for one in your closing paragraph, and the only thing left for you to do is end it with a polite sign-off and your name underneath.

Here’s a template for you to close your cover letter without experience:

I am excited to show you how my [ 2 Skills They Need ] can help [ Company Goal ] for [ Company Name ]. Could we set up a time to discuss your needs?

[ Full Name ]

And here are some more examples of polite sign-offs:

• Best regards
• Kind regards
• Respectfully

8. Format Your Cover Letter Properly

Now that you’re done with the writing part, take care of the looks. The format of your cover letter must show you’re like a rocket, ready to blast off. And here’s what your cover letter should look like :

• Fit your text into three paragraphs.
• Set margins at 1 inch.
• Left-align the parts of your cover letter and single-space your text.
• Make your cover letter with no experience less than a full page.
• Use the same attractive cover letter font in your resume.

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Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You’re the perfect candidate and we’ll prove it. Just pick one of 21 resume templates and get started now .

Things you need to remember when writing a cover letter with no experience in the field:

• Use the 3-paragraph cover letter format.
• Start your no-experience cover letter with the supervisor’s name.
• Mention the job in the first paragraph of your cover letter with no experience, and explain why you want it.
• Show entry-level achievements in the second paragraph.
• To end your cover letter with no experience, request an interview.

Do you have questions about writing a cover letter with no experience? Check out the full guide on writing cover letters . Need more templates? Check out these free MS Word Cover Letter Templates . Let’s chat in the comments below. And thanks for reading! 

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines , ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets . Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Having published over 200 career-advice articles, Tom Gerencer is a career expert who covers the whole array of job-seeking topics for people at all career stages, from interns to C-suite members. His insights, commentary, and articles reach over a million readers every month. With inside knowledge of key industry players and in-depth research, Tom helps job seekers with advice across all professions and career stages.

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Sample Cover Letter With No Experience in Field (And How to Write Yours)

By Biron Clark

Published: November 10, 2023

Cover Letters | Recent Grads

Biron Clark

Writer & Career Coach

Writing an articulate cover letter is challenging for all job seekers. But if you have little or no work experience in a field, the stakes are higher. It’s more challenging to prove your value when you don’t have a series of professional accomplishments to back up your assertions. On the bright side, you probably have more to offer an employer than you realize. You just have to package your strengths the right way.

In this article, you’re going to learn how to write a cover letter for a job with no experience in that field. And we’ll look at a full sample after going through the steps.

Let’s get started…

How to Write a Cover Letter With No Experience

1. the main purpose of your cover letter with no experience.

The purpose of a cover letter is to complement your resume and convince more employers to interview you. You may refer to your resume when writing a cover letter for a job application, but you must expand upon points made in the resume when writing the cover letter.

The cover letter should breathe life into the points made in the resume, and create a compelling—or even emotional—narrative around your career hopes and aspirations . It’s your chance to tell your story and show that you have the passion and the drive to come into a job and make a difference.

And at the end, it should ASK for the interview. We’ll talk about that coming up. Let’s get started by going through how to write a cover letter with no experience, step-by-step…

2. Cover Letter Contact Information

When beginning a cover letter for a job application, start with your contact details in the top left-hand corner of the page. Include your name, city of residence, phone number, and email address. (To preserve your privacy, do not include your physical address). You should also include your LinkedIn URL. Next, write the name of the company you’re applying to, and its city of residence.

3. Your Salutation

Ideally, you address your reader by name in your salutation. Internet sleuthing may reveal the name of the hiring manager. If you can’t find a name, you have two options: call the organization and ask to learn more about the position, or write “Dear ” or “Dear Hiring Manager.”

This isn’t ideal, though. You should really only be sending a cover letter if you know the hiring manager’s name and have some specific information about the position. So if you know nothing specific about the hiring manager or job, and the company hasn’t asked for a cover letter specifically, then you probably don’t need to send it .

4. Cover Letter Introduction

Use this section of your cover letter to introduce yourself and share your enthusiasm and why you applied for the position .

Start with your name and provide some background on your strengths. Always identify the position you’re seeking and how you learned about it. If someone at the company told you about the job, then mention that person’s name (only after asking their permission, though). Aim for one to two sentences in your Introduction—keep it short, sweet, and precise.

Example Cover Letter Introduction with No Experience in the Field:

“Hello, my name is Grace Addington, and I’m a goal- and detail-oriented civil engineering graduate from Petaluma College. I was excited to learn about the Junior Engineer internship at Bay Area Rapid Transportation through my former classmate Katie Heinz.”

5. Body Paragraphs

Here comes the most critical part of writing a cover letter with no experience. The purpose of your body paragraphs (one to two brief paragraphs, tops) is to prove that you’re the best candidate for the position. Seeing as how you have little or no previous professional work experience to fall back on, you’ll want to place emphasis on soft skills —attributes of a personal nature that say a lot about your work ethic and ability to work in sync with others. Or, if you have job-related skills (AKA hard skills) from another type of role, point out how those skills will help you transition into this next job and succeed quickly.

That’s what hiring managers are looking for! So while it’s great to write about soft skills and put together a cover letter talking about how you’re willing to learn their job… it’s much better to point out any hands-on experience that you have. So if you’re able, always highlight that first and foremost.

For example, if you had an internship, worked in an unrelated field, did a few academic projects while studying, gave a presentation, etc., those are still valuable pieces to put on your resume AND in your cover letter.

Your resume likely already consists of part-time jobs or school activities or memberships in school associations that maybe aren’t 100% related to the job you’re going after.

Look closer, though—you’ve probably garnered skills in these experiences that can carry over to the job you’re applying for. Below are two examples of cover letter body paragraphs that hone in on two key phrases noted in a job advertisement as requirements: “strong interpersonal skills” and “positive work ethic.” You should be able to figure out pretty quickly which example hits the mark.

Let’s look at two sample paragraphs now from cover letters with no experience in a field:

“I am Twig & Twine’s ideal office manager. As my resume states, I served as an RA at my dorm. I know how to manage an array of things.”

“You’re looking for a candidate with strong interpersonal skills and a positive work ethic. While serving as an RA at Porter College’s main dormitory, I planned monthly social events for over 200 students, settled two to five student disputes per week, and mentored a select group of students in Composition. The experience taught me, rather quickly, how to efficiently multi-task, and how to effectively settle conflicts of all types in a calm, level-headed manner. I feel confident stating that I can bring these talents to Twig & Twine’s office manager position.”

The second example takes the duties that likely appeared in the RA position on the resume and then digs deep, illustrating how the tackling of those duties turned into accomplishments, and led the applicant to grow the crucial skills needed for the office manager position.

One last thing about body paragraphs—remember to frame your message around the employer’s needs, and not yours. Focus on what you can bring to the job, and how your talents will translate into success for the company. That’s important in any cover letter, and becomes even more crucial in a cover letter with no previous work experience.

6. Concluding Your Cover Letter

End your cover letter by reiterating why you’re the best candidate and express your interest once again in the position. And ask them for the interview! It’s surprising but most job seekers don’t do this, and it’s been shown to improve your chances of getting a call to come in for an interview!

So conclude your cover letter by thanking the reader for the time they took to review your application, and tell them you’d like to find a time to meet for an interview to see if it might be a good fit to work together. To close, sign off formally. Try “Respectfully yours” or “Sincerely.”

7. Proofread Everything

Before sending out your new cover letter, read it out loud to catch errors quickly. Ask a trustworthy person to read it as well. Nothing stops you from getting interviews faster than an obvious typo or error in your cover letter or resume, and you only have to check once, but make sure you’re checking it thoroughly!

8. Save it as a PDF

Once the content is finalized, save it as a PDF and title it “ Cover Letter” to prevent confusion. Voila! You’re done. If you follow the tips above, you’ll have a great cover letter with no experience so you can get interviews and job offers in this new field!

Sample Cover Letter With No Experience in Field:

Next, let’s look at a full sample of a cover letter that explains why you’d fit well in a role ( and why you chose to apply for this type of role ):

Dear Name, I’m writing to you regarding the Sales Associate job posting, which I believe reports to you. I can offer 5+ years of experience working directly with customers over the phone and in person, primarily in customer support. Although I haven’t worked directly in sales, my customer support experience has helped me build skills in communication, persuasion, and problem-solving, which I believe will translate well into selling software subscriptions for your firm. I’m motivated to transition into sales to continue challenging myself and growing in my career, and I’ve always enjoyed a challenge, which I think working in sales will provide me. I’ve attached my resume for your review. If any of the above sounds interesting, I’d welcome the chance to talk on the phone this week. Thanks for considering my note today. Best regards, Your Name

This cover letter is upfront and clear that you have no experience in the field of sales, but shows that you’re willing to learn and excited to learn this new job. That’s essential!

You don’t JUST want to say you’re willing to learn, though. You want to PROVE that you’ll be able to learn. That’s why this letter also mentions the experience you have that is most similar. In the case of the example above, it’s the customer service experience and communication skills.

While this person may not have sold anything to customers, they still interacted with customers directly, which will be seen as a plus.

One other thing you should always point out if possible: Experience working in the same industry. So if you’ve never done sales, but you did customer support in the exact same industry as the employer, that’s a huge plus… because it means you’ll have less learning needed on the job!

Other Articles That May Help You:

• 3 more tips for writing a cover letter that stands out.
• General tips for how to get a job with no experience.
• How to write the perfect resume “Summary” section with no experience.

About the Author

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This really helped me

Thanks for this! Really helpful for me as a new graduate and non native English speaker. I’ve started using the steps here and am planning on sending a lot of applications this week to see how it works.

Thank you for the examples. I hav ea little bit of experience so I’m not writing the cover letter with absolutely no work experience but this still is helpful and seems to work for me.

One hiring manager told me that the reason they chose to call me was my cover letter.

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