
Is a Cover Letter Necessary in 2023? Do I Need a Cover Letter?
Asking yourself "Do I need a cover letter?" We surveyed 200 hiring decision-makers to find out if cover letters are still important in 2023.
Whether you’re an entry-level candidate or an experienced professional, you need a UX designer cover letter that converts and drives traffic. Here’s how to do it right.
You think writing a cover letter is easy-peasy lemon-squeezy?
Well… it’s more like:
Difficult difficult lemon difficult.
But only if you don’t know the rules!
This UX designer cover letter guide will teach you how to obtain the aesthetic-usability effect, and you’ll be researching, designing, testing and prototyping in no time.
In this guide:
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If you're looking for a different cover letter example, see these:
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Let’s start with two great cover letter examples for UX designers:
First, let’s meet Timothy—he knows his stuff well since he worked as a UX designer for more than 7 years.
The job calls for a candidate with working knowledge of CSS, HTML and JavaScript, as well as someone who has experience designing responsive websites with cross-browser functionality and has mentoring abilities.
Now, Timothy has less than 7 seconds to impress the recruiter, so let’s see how well he does:
Timothy Svendsen
UX Designer
507-887-4332
Timothy.Svendsen@yahoo.com
Sherman Oaks, June 20, 2021
Kimberly Merrill
Head of Web Development
Alligatoo
4149 Liberty Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Dear Kimberly,
This letter is to express my interest in the job posted on your website for an experienced UX Designer. I have more than 7 years of experience designing, coding and implementing websites, as well as mobile apps, for a variety of clients. I am prepared to leverage my considerable user research and collaborative skills as well as technical knowledge for a challenging position, and I am confident that I can make a positive contribution to your company.
My core duties at Tekeda Designs included working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary environment to create responsive interfaces for large scale applications and websites. I was responsible for conceptualizing, design, and developing marketing pages and custom features of our one of our biggest client’s e-commerce website and directly contributed to over 100% increase in revenue. I also mentored a team of 15 cross-functional interns.
Working for Alligatoo would be a dream come true, as I truly admire your company’s innovation and staying power in such a competitive industry. I’d like to further my skills and knowledge in UX development, and I believe I will be able to offer new ideas to help Alligatoo grow and surpass all goals and objectives.
I'm very interested in discussing Alligatoo’s requirements for a UX designer who can train, mentor and guide other UX associates, and manage large-scale projects. Could we please schedule a meeting?
Best Regards,
Timothy Svendsen
507-887-4332
Timothy.Svendsen@yahoo.com
Perfect.
Tim has high chances of getting a phone call from Kimberly.
So fingers crossed.
But you’re probably wondering: “What if I don’t have that much experience?”
If you’re writing an entry-level UX designer cover letter, you can still leverage your past experience to land your first UX developer position.
Meet Saundra, Timothy’s younger friend.
Saundra has just graduated from college and is eager to take on a job as a UX designer in the real world.
She uses her university experience to show off her skills and drive:
Saundra Kirkpatrick
UX Designer
714-498-8441
SaundraDKirkpatrick@armyspy.com
Camden, June 14, 2021
Curtis Thurman
Head of Design and Technology
Redyes
3130 Briarwood Drive
Camden, NJ 08102
Dear Mr. Thurman,
I would like to apply for the position of entry-level UX designer as advertised on LinkedIn. As a recent Computer Science graduate, I have solid knowledge of a variety of operating systems, software development tools, and coding languages.
During my time at the university I have taken part in an internship program, where I designed and implemented web-based user interface using HTML, CSS, jQuery, where I created 25+ web pages and mobile apps for different clients. Moreover, as part of a team of 10 other top students, I was responsible for building a new student portal, which changed the way students enroll in classes, pay for classes, manage financial aid and access student records. The new interface decreased site load time by 63%. As the president of the University Web Development Club, I was responsible for holding weekly meetings as well as organizing 2 major job fairs for senior students. I truly believe that my technical skills and knowledge along with my project management experience and the ability to learn new concepts quickly and to tackle hard tasks will make me an excellent addition to your organization.
It would be a great pleasure to work for such a fantastic company like Redyes, as I really admire that you focus all your work around integrity and sustainability.
I'm thrilled at the opportunity to show off my expertise and leadership skills as part of Redyes’ expert team, and I would like to further discuss my qualifications with you. When would be a good time to schedule a meeting or call?
Sincerely,
Saundra Kirkpatrick
714-498-8441
SaundraDKirkpatrick@armyspy.com
What a great presentation of skills and talents!
Now that we’ve seen two great examples for user experience designer positions, we can move on to learning exactly what to include in your cover letter.
Here’s how to write a UX designer cover letter that’s 508 compliant:
What’s the most important user experience design principle?
Readability.
A web page that’s readable converts.
And that’s exactly the same approach you have to take when formatting your cover letter.
Here’s how to properly format a cover letter:
Use these guidelines and you’re golden.
Now, let’s talk in detail about how to write a cover letter.
To make your cover letter look professional, include a proper cover letter heading that includes the following:
[ Your Name]
[ Your Job Title ] (Optional)
[ Home Address ] (Optional)
[ Telephone Number ]
[ Email Address ]
[ LinkedIn Profile ]
[ City ] (Optional) + [ Date of Writing ]
[ Hiring Manager’s Name ]
[ Hiring Manager’s Job Title ]
[ Company Name ]
[ Company Street Address ]
[ City, State, Zip Code ]
Place your header in the top-left corner and make sure it matches your resume heading.
Pretty straightforward, right?
But here’s the hard part—as you can see, the second part of your heading needs the exact details of the recruiting manager.
But don’t stress over it just yet. There’s a few things that you can do to find that out:
Expert Hint: If you’re emailing your cover letter, you don’t need a header.
Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.
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.
First things first—start you cover letter with a polite salutation.
And by polite we don’t mean using “Dir Sir or Madam”—that’s just so 1880s.
The best way to grab their attention on the first note is using their name.
Here are a few examples:
Using a name will make the letter personal—thus, more appealing.
Expert Hint: It’s okay to use the first name of the hiring manager if you’re 100% sure the company culture is less formal. If not, be professional and always address with the use of the last name—studies show that 35% of the most common resume mistakes are unprofessionally written emails.
Now, if you still don’t know how to address your cover letter, you can always use: “Dear Hiring Manager”—according to research, this is the most preferred cover letter greeting.
But make sure your cover letter doesn’t look generic and spammy. So if you’re not addressing it to a specific person, personalize it otherwise—you’ll find out more about how to do that just below.
Okay—time to move on.
Your opening paragraph should include a brief introduction and a statement about which position you are interested in.
Like this:
Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name]:
When I discovered that you’re looking for [Position Name] at [Target Company Name], I was most excited. As a UX professional with [X]+ years of experience, and considerable skills in [Coding Languages/Project Management/other relevant skills you have], I believe I would be a great fit for your organization.
See that?
An opening like that will improve your bounce rate remarkably.
Get your contents optimized by highlighting your achievements and making sure they really stand out.
To do that, revisit the job advertisement and look for the most relevant requirements. Those will be one of the first things listed or mentioned more than once.
So if you’re replying to an ad that’s calling for a UX developer with knowledge of HTML5, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, SharePoint and experience in developing Open Web Studio (OWS) modules in DNN—that’s exactly what you have to put in your second paragraph.
Here’s a template for you to use:
As a [Previous Position Title] at [Name of Your Most Recent Company], I have acquired sizable experience in [refer to the requirements of the job], resulting in [First achievement/statistic]. I also have managed to [Second award/achievement/statistic], which allowed the company to [secure a result]. After I implemented [an improvement], the company was able to [result/achievement for the company]. I believe I have the experience necessary to help [Target Company Name] achieve [the goals or values important to the employer].
Expert Hint: Using exact phrases and keywords straight from the job advertisement will not only make your application targeted, but it will also help you craft an ATS resume and cover letter that will impress ATSs and human readers alike.
Finding a job is not just about finding a job.
As someone who’s ready to make the next career move, you’re also looking for a place where you can grow and feel important as part of the team.
The employer is also not looking for someone who only knows his/her stuff.
There are TONS of people working in the same industry, who know exactly what you know.
The real questions is—
Do you fit the organization’s culture?
This paragraph is your time to show them you did your user research and… to boost their ego a bit.
Here’s how to go about it:
I particularly admire [Company Name]’s take on [Give an Example of Something About the Company That Impresses You]. The beliefs and mission statement of your company seem to match perfectly with my own values. It would be an honor for me to be counted among your employees as the next [Target Position Name] at [Company Name].
Now this will take THEIR user experience to the next level.
When writing a cover letter, you’re actually going for interaction.
Without a CTA button, how are you supposed to convert visitors to your webpage to a customer?
So—
End your cover letter with a strong call to action.
Like this:
Can we set up a call or a meeting to discuss how my [Skill/Experience] can help [Target Company Name] keep delivering world-class solutions?
Best Regards,
[Digital Copy of Your Handwritten Signature]
[Your Full Name]
[Phone Number]
[Email Address]
And that’s how it’s done!
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Keep this in mind when you’re writing your UX designer cover letter:
Asking yourself "Do I need a cover letter?" We surveyed 200 hiring decision-makers to find out if cover letters are still important in 2023.
Looking for killer cover letter templates to take your job search to another level? Search no more. The best free cover letter templates are a few scrolls away from you.
You don’t have the dreaded 2 years of experience, but you know you can do the job given the chance. Prove it to your next boss with these cover letter examples with no experience.