Cover Letter for Executive Positions with Examples and Tips

In every successful enterprise, the presence of executive personnel is as essential as the front-line workers, their jobs entail critical decision-making that will directly impact the prosperity of the company. In addition to the commonly heard CEOs, a robust enterprise comprises several other executive titles, such as the following: 

• Chief Executive Officer - As someone that manages the other executives, the CEO is the leader of the company whose vision will affect the future of the company. Their responsibilities include critical decision-making, resource management, and operational oversight.
• Chief Financial Officer - The CFO is in charge of a company’s finance. Being the bookkeeper of the company, their job entails budgeting, accounting, forecasting, and many other duties related to the fiscal and financial aspects of the operation.
• Chief Technology Officer - CTOs are essential to the operation of a company. By supervising the technical and operational teams, CTOs’ presence is correlated to the productivity and operation of the company. Their vision and technical expertise will help the company to better integrate up-to-date technologies to help reach the company’s objective.
• Executive Director - Although the responsibilities of an executive director are, in many ways, similar to that of a CEO, an executive director directly responds to the board of directors instead. In contrast to CEOs, executive directors cannot operate without permission from the board of directors, as their goals are to ensure that the development of the company aligns with the board’s decision.

Companies use the candidates’ executive cover letters to evaluate other characteristics besides the candidate’s professional skills and experience. Since executives are at the heart of a company’s operation, a good executive cover letter is extremely important for the way it demonstrates the candidate’s communication skills which is a crucial indicator of their abilities to lead and collaborate.

The following two executive cover letter examples are good references for those who are looking for material for their own cover letters. While the first cover letter is for executive director positions, the second one is a cover letter for CEOs.

📃 Executive Cover Letter Example 1

📃 Executive Cover Letter Example 2

As a candidate for executive positions, you should have extensive materials that your cover letter can include. This only makes the format of your executive cover letter even more important since it helps organisze your extensive experience in a clear and concise way.

Here are our takeaways for applicants who are looking for the best way to compose their executive cover letters:

1. Address the Hiring Manager

At the beginning of your executive cover letter, make sure you address the hiring manager by their title and pronoun correctly and professionally. Avoid generic openings, such as “To whom it may concern”, as they are no longer considered professional.

2. Engage the Reader with a Self-introduction and Opening

You can take inspiration from your personal stories or previous experience to write a self-introduction at the beginning of your executive cover letter that will initiate your first impression to the reader.

3. Outline Your Skills and Qualifications

Fill up the following paragraphs with the relevant skills and experience that you hope to share with the hiring board. This part of your executive cover letter is quintessential as it gives structure and crucial information to your resume.

4. End Your Executive Cover Letter with an Invitation

Closing your letter with a call to action for further discussion concludes your executive cover letter with an inviting end.

5. Sign-Off in a Professional Manner

Incorporate professional sign-offs such as “Sincerely Yours”, “With Gratitude”, and “Best Regards” are standard sign-offs that candidates can include to compose a professional executive cover letter.

Apart from the format of your executive cover letter, the content of the letter is equally crucial. Therefore, we have concluded the following takeaways that candidates should pay attention to when they are composing an executive cover letter.

✅ Catch Attention Immediately

To stand out from dozens of highly qualified applications, the opening of your executive cover letter should serve as a hook to catch the reader's attention right away by highlighting the value that you would offer to the company and why they need you onboard.

✅ Avoid Repetition

Your executive cover letter should complement the information that is already in your resume or other documents. Therefore, it should provide an additional story and structure to your application instead of regurgitating the same information.

✅ Consider What the Company Need

At the executive level, all candidates are highly qualified individuals. The company, therefore, are especially looking for hires that address its needs. Tailoring your executive cover letter to the needs of the company and their expectation can appear to be more convincing that you are the right person for the job.

✅ Present Achievements Using Bullet Points

Instead of telling it in a story, list your achievements in bullet points to catch your readers’ attention. Be aware of the relevance of the enlisted achievements in your executive cover letter. Proven statistics on the outcome of that achievement can also help the reader understand your accomplishments better.

✅ Proofread Your Executive Cover Letter

Your attention to detail is an important trait that the hiring manager would take into their consideration. If your executive cover letter contains careless mistakes, it will negatively affect the reader’s perception of your professionalism.

--- Originally written by Jun Mao ---