How to Write a Cover Letter with No Experience in 5 Steps

Oh no.

You have to write a cover letter with no experience.

What can you say?

Why would they hire you?

You’re right to be afraid.

There are millions of experienced job applicants. And they’ve got the same job search sites you do.

But take heart. With a little guidance, you can have a no experience cover letter that gets you noticed like Elle Woods.

In this article, you’ll get:

• Two sample cover letters with no experience in the field.
• Several entry-level cover letter templates you can copy and adjust.
• Steps to write the perfect cover letter with no experience for any industry or job.
• How to write a cover letter for a job with no experience in that field.

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Let’s start with two great cover letter examples:

1. Sample Cover Letter with No Experience in the Field

Meet Michelle.

She’s nervous as a kitten on a freeway.

She’s been looking for a job for weeks. So far all she’s got to show for it is spam.

The hard part?

She knows the right job exists. But how can she find it in this digital jungle?

Her first step is knowing how to write a cover letter for a job with no experience.

The hiring manager will notice this receptionist cover letter with no experience sample:

Example #1: Receptionist Cover letter with No Experience

Looking for something else? Have a look at these cover letter writing guides:

• Non Profit Cover Letter
• Entry Level Cover Letter
• Customer Service Cover Letter Sample
• Sales Associate Cover Letter Sample
• Social Work Cover Letter Sample
• Research Assistant Cover Letter Sample
• Administrative Assistant Cover Letter Sample
• Internship Cover Letter Sample

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our CV Cover Letter Examples.

Text version

Wow.

With that sample administrative assistant cover letter with no experience, Michelle won’t be entry-level long!

She showed a strong work ethic and other transferable skills.

Need another sample?

On the same day, Sharon Beckstead found an entry-level job she wants.

It’s for a medical assistant internship. 

This sample cover letter for an internship with no experience will get her in the game.

Example #2: Cover Letter with no Experience Sample

Text version

See how it works?

That letter pinpoints the skills the clinic wants.

Sharon will shatter the glass ceiling with that sample medical assistant cover letter for an internship with no experience.

But—she’ll need a CV, and so will you. See our guide: How to Write an Entry-Level CV: Sample & Guide and First Time CV With No Experience

2. How to Write a Cover Letter with No Experience

Ready to write a cover letter for a job with no experience in that field?

You need a cover letter worthy of your diamond-in-the-rough status.

Here’s how to write a cover letter with no experience:

1. Use the Best Cover Letter With No Experience Format

You have to wow the hiring team from thing 1.

The format of your cover letter must show you’re like a rocket, ready to blast off.

Here’s how your cover letter should look like:

• Write a three-paragraph cover letter.
• 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 CV.

Expert Hint: Want to get a job “just to tide you over ‘til you find something in your field?” Aargh, don’t! 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.

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

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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

2. Add Contact Info to the Heading of Your Cover Letter

How should you start a cover letter with no experience (but willing to learn)?

By proving you can get it right off the bat.

So format your cover letter heading like a business letter.

See this cover letter sample:

Cover Letter with No Experience Template: Heading

Use identical formatting for your CV heading to make it match.

Expert Hint: Do you really need “2 years of experience?” No! In most cases, HR managers often say that because it’s in their job description template! If you can prove you’ve used the skills, you’ll often get the interview without experience. Knowing that gives you a boost over other entry-level applicants who don’t even try.

3. Call Out the Hiring Manager and Job

This is crucial:

You need to get attention like young Luke Skywalker in a cover letter with no experience.

And—

Do it fast or they’ll decide they need someone “experienced.”

To make your mark, use the hiring manager’s name in the address of your cover letter.

Do it like this template:

Cover Letter with No Experience Sample: Paragraph #1

How soon can you start?

That sample cover letter with no experience makes your point without a lot of salesy-flash.

But—

There’s more than one way to start a cover letter.

You can lead off 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.

4. List Skills & Accomplishments

“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—

1. Find out what skills they want.
2. Show when you used them, even in a small way.

That goes in the second paragraph of your cover letter with no experience.

Example Cover Letter With No Experience #2

Those achievements can be school accomplishments. They can be small. You don’t have to shake the world.

But they need to show you’re at square 1, and not somewhere in the car park.

Expert Hint: According to an NCES study, the employment rate for people who finish high school is 72%. Better still are university students at 79%, and university 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 organisation craves.

5. Ask for that Interview

Why didn’t you get the job?

You didn’t ask.

Yes, it’s hard to ask. Everyone hates begging.

But here’s the thing—

You aren’t begging.

Like Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny, make your case first.

Then use the final paragraph of your cover letter to request the verdict.

Here’s a sample cover letter with no experience ending that works:

Sample Cover Letter with no Experience: Call to Action

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Key Points

Here's what you need to remember when writing a cover letter with no experience in the field:

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

If the job ad requires it, send your cover letter and CV via email. Here is what you what you should write in the email.

Haven't written your CV yet? Check out these guides:

• University Application CV
• University Graduate CV
• High School Graduate CV
• High School Student CV
• Student CV
• Nursing Student CV
• Teen CV CV
• Graduate School CV
• Internship CV

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!

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