How To Write A Cover Letter For A Government Job (With Examples)

When you’re applying for jobs, you shouldn’t write one cover letter to send out with all your applications: You need to tailor your letter to the particular job you’re applying for.

This article will explain how to write and tailor your cover letter for government positions. We’ll also provide a template and an example government job cover letter for you to use as a reference, as well as tips on how to add extra polish to your letter.

Key Takeaways

• The most important step in writing a cover letter for a government job is to research the job and organization you’re applying to.

• Tailoring your cover letter to the government job you’re applying to will help improve your chances of getting to the second round of application reviews.

• You should describe your qualifications as well as your passion for the position in your cover letter.

How to Write a Cover Letter for a Government Job

Consider the following guidelines when tailoring your cover letter for a government position:

• Research the agency. Every government agency has a different set of mission values and current programs.

  Aligning your mindset and goals with those of the agency in your cover letter will improve your chances of receiving an interview.

  Refrain from targeting your cover letter towards any particular agency program unless the job listing specifies that’s what you’ll be working on.

  It’s a good idea to express your interest in a particular program to show your passion, but you don’t want to narrow your cover letter’s scope in case the agency plans to assign you to a different task.

• Understand the entire job listing before applying. Missing even a single job requirement when applying for a government position can be disastrous.

  If you fulfill the majority of requirements stated in the job listing but miss a single one, your entire application may be thrown out.

• Be specific. Rather than vaguely describing your experience, make sure to use numbers and statistics to explain your achievements’ exact results.

• Be brief. Just as is the case in the private sector, hiring managers will spend very little time reading over your government job cover letter.

  Use succinct wording and make sure only to include highly relevant experiences, or you’ll risk the recruiter skimming over key information.

  If an individual referred you, either mention them briefly or attach an entirely separate reference letter.

  Your cover letter should not be any longer than a single page.

What to include in Your Government Job Cover Letter

Your cover letter should be composed of the following sections:

1. Header. You should start your cover letter with your contact information, the recipient’s information, and the current date.

   Your information should include your name, contact number, and email address.

   If you have the hiring manager’s name, you may be able to find their contact information through social media.

2. Introduction. Make sure to address the hiring manager with their appropriate title.

   If you’re unable to find the hiring manager’s name, then use a generic professional greeting such as “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Sir or Madam.”

   Next, state the government position you’re interested in and briefly explain why you’re qualified for the position. Quickly mention one or two job experiences in the past that are relevant to the agency and the role.

3. Professional experience. Give a brief overview of your qualifications, skills, and experiences as a professional.

   Ensure that every item you mention directly addresses the essential requirements and duties stated in the job listing.

   Remember, if the applicant tracking software doesn’t detect enough keyword matches between your cover letter and the job posting, your document will be dismissed before even being read by a human.

4. Conclusion. Thank the reader for their time and consideration and reiterate your interest in the position. Express your interest in a way that invites follow-up action on the part of the recruiter.

   For example,

   “I would love to discuss with you further how my lengthy experience and abilities could add value to the projects your agency is working on, such as the “Housing For All Initiative.”

Cover Letter Template and Examples for Government Job

To help you see what your cover letter should look like, we’ve included a template and example letter for you to refer to.

Cover Letter Template for Government Jobs

Refrain from simply substituting your details directly into the following template.

Instead, observe how the cover letter is structured and incorporates critical elements. Use this knowledge to draft your own document.

Cover Letter Example for Government Jobs

Why It’s Important to Tailor Your Cover Letter for Government Jobs

It’s essential to tweak your cover letter before applying to a government job for a few key reasons:

• Stringent minimum requirements. The requirements stated in job listings for private-sector jobs aren’t always absolute.

  Recruiters are given the discretion to hire impressive candidates who can compensate for any requirements they miss.

  Government jobs differ in this respect, as many criteria are set in stone. You need to emphasize that you meet these base requirements in your cover letter to ensure that your application isn’t automatically dismissed.

  For example, a GS-14 position may have a time-in-grade requirement that demands you’ve worked at a GS-13 level for a year.

• KSA keywords. When applying to a government job, applicant tracking software (ATS) will parse your application for the presence of certain knowledge, ability, and skill (KSA) keywords.

  Even if your cover letter or resume is well-written, it’ll never be read if ATS calculates that the document is a low percentage KSA match.

• Importance of eligibility. Rules and algorithms tightly govern the hiring process for government positions.

  If your cover letter mentions a high eligibility status, such as leave without pay (LWOP), the system will automatically place your application over others.

• Competition. Cover letters aren’t always required for government jobs. However, there are likely many candidates possessing similar qualifications or even internal references.

  Not only does a cover letter allow you to expand on your qualifications and cite experiences to support them, but it also gives you a chance to align your values with those of the agency.

  This personalized touch helps you stand out from the crowd.

  These benefits are especially prominent for government internship positions, as most applicant’s neglect to submit a cover letter for these roles.

Tips for Writing a Cover Letter for a Government Job

Here are a few tips for making your cover letter really shine:

• Show your enthusiasm. Hiring managers don’t just want to see how you’re qualified for the job, they want to see your passion for the position and company as well.

• Match your cover letter and resume headers. This shows readers that your documents go together when they’re in a big stack of applications. It also looks professional and polished.

• Include a call to action. Close your letter by explaining what you want to happen after the hiring manager reads your cover letter. This could be requesting to discuss the position further, offering to tell them more about your qualifications, or simply inviting them to contact you for more information.

• Thank the reader. Add a sentence to your closing paragraph thanking the reader for their time. This ends the letter on a positive note and furthers the good rapport you’re building.

• Proofread, proofread, proofread. Never submit a cover letter without checking it over for grammatical errors. If you can, have someone else look over your letter for typos or confusing sentences, but at the least, you should read it out loud to yourself and run it through a grammar check on your computer.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

Expert

Matt Warzel, CPRW, CIR

Matt Warzel a President of a resume writing firm (MJW Careers, LLC) with 15+ years of recruitment, outplacement, career coaching and resume writing experience. Matt is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR) with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing Focus) from John Carroll University.