Click here to directly go to the complete executive assistant cover letter sample.
Being average just doesn’t cut it in today’s job market.
Just like how sending a thoughtless cover letter won’t do you any good.
Given the fact that only 44% of job applicants send in a cover letter with their resumes when 87% of employers read cover letters, writing a perfect cover letter can be beneficial for bagging an executive assistant job.
So how can you ensure that your cover letter hits the mark and delivers its purpose?
For starters, your executive assistant cover letter must be focused on your achievements as opposed to your skills.
Your executive assistant resume is already focused on your skills.
Let the cover letter cover things for you which are not already showcased in your resume, for instance how your achievements can add value to the company and so on.
As an executive assistant, your chief responsibility will be to manage schedules, emails, phone calls, and prepare documents.
Basically, an executive assistant streamlines the schedule and workflow of executives to make it systematic and organized.
Here are the topics that are covered in this blog:
- What should an executive cover letter include?
- What are the don’ts of an executive assistant cover letter?
- How much does an executive assistant make?
Executive Assistant Cover Letter Example
Dos of a Cover Letter for Executive Assistant
To write an impactful executive assistant cover letter, here are some pointers that candidates must follow to get the best out of their cover letter:
Correct Contact Section
The heading of your cover letter must consist of your full name, the job title (executive assistant), and a list of correct contact information.
You must mention:
- A reachable phone number
- A professional email address
- Your current location (city and state)
- And a link to your LinkedIn profile or any other online portfolio
Take a look at the following sample of an appropriate cover letter header with contact information:
Appropriate Salutation
Right when you start writing your executive assistant cover letter, you need to use a proper salutation and personalize the cover letter.
This serves as your first impression on the recruiters which obviously, is important.
To personalize the cover letter, you must research the company and find out the name of the hiring manager to directly address your executive assistant cover letter to him/her.
This will not only impress the employer but will also show your sincere keenness and interest in working for the company.
Coming to the salutation, it’s best to use “Ms.” rather than “Mrs.” or “Miss” when addressing a female hiring manager.
If the hiring manager has a professional title like “Dr.” or “Prof.”, you can use those instead.
Highlight Achievements or Qualifications
As stated earlier, your executive assistant cover letter must focus more on your achievements rather than your skills.
However, that doesn’t mean that you should turn your cover letter into an endless blabber, boasting about your accomplishments.
You need to highlight your achievements strategically, in a way that demonstrates your capabilities and potential as an executive assistant.
Don’t forget to always keep the company in the loop and include them in your story.
If you are a fresher with no experience, focus on your academic achievements, qualifications, training, volunteer work, and so on.
Include Industry-related Keywords
In the body of your executive assistant cover letter, it is essential to include industry-related keywords for ensuring compliance with the ATS (Applicant Tracking Software).
Majority of the employers now use the ATS to scan cover letters and resumes for picking out the most suitable applications.
You can find industry-related keywords for the position of an executive assistant with some research and especially from the job listing of the company.
Some of the common keywords related to an executive assistant are:
Travel Planning | Calendaring |
Itinerary Management | Travel Arrangements |
Report Generation | Proofreading |
Office Administration | Time Management |
Suitable Closure for Cover Letter
How you close your executive assistant cover letter is equally important as how you begin your letter.
Ensure that your cover letter ending is concentrated on kindling a positive response from the employer, like a call to action.
Express your anticipation for an interview to further discuss your potential and suitability for the role.
Lastly, wrap up your cover letter with a professional salutation such as:
- Sincerely
- With regards
- Respectfully
- Thanking you and so on
Don’ts of an Executive Assistant Cover Letter
A sloopy cover letter can actually cost you an interview and a potential employment opportunity.
To ensure that your executive assistant cover letter meets its purpose, be on the lookout for:
Grammatical Errors
Given that one of the primary duties of an executive assistant is to proofread documents and draft emails etc, you cannot risk having grammatical mistakes in your executive assistant cover letter.
Multiple grammatical errors or even a minor typo can kill your chances of getting shortlisted.
Attention to detail is another aspect of a good executive assistant and therefore, you must proofread your cover letter and ensure to not have any spelling mistakes or errors.
Incorrect Contact Person or Company Name
As much as it is beneficial to personalize and address the cover letter to the hiring manager, getting the name of the concerned person wrong, can wreck your chances of employment.
Thus, it is important to make sure that the name and spelling of the hiring manager are correct.
If you have any acquaintances in the company, you can cross-check with them and ensure you address the hiring manager correctly.
Falsified Claims and Achievements
Now, the last thing that you’d want to do in your cover letter is to exaggerate or lie about your accomplishments.
Recruiters can very well cross-check your references and work background with your previous employers.
If they find out that your claims of achievements are untrue, your application will be straight away rejected and it will make for a very negative impression.
Even if you don’t get caught about your dishonesty, sooner or later you are likely to be caught when the employers notice that you are not half as good as you are on paper.
So, it makes sense to skip lying in your executive assistant cover letter and risk your chances of employment.
Long Paragraphs
Recruiters barely spend a minute or two going through a single application and if your cover letter is a long narration of your life story with bulky paragraphs, rest assured, the recruiters won’t bother reading your cover letter.
Therefore, space out your paragraphs after 2 to 3 sentences.
Salary Requirements
Mentioning your salary requirements and expectations in your executive assistant cover letter or resume is a big no-no.
Unless the employer has specified to do so, avoid writing about monetary compensation.
It’s always best to let the recruiters initiate the topic about salary packages rather than you talking about it beforehand.
Bad-mouthing Previous Employers
While it is advised to mention your reasons for leaving your previous employers, it is extremely unprofessional to write negatively about past employers.
If your reasons for switching jobs are due to a personal feud with the employer, it’s best to avoid going into details about it because your cover letter must be focused on your achievements and the company you are applying to.
Avoid any negative comments and stick to monetary reasons for leaving your previous company.
Personal Reasons
The whole point of writing a cover letter is to portray your experiences and skills in a good light to get shortlisted for the job.
Your executive assistant cover letter should not state your personal reasons like your move to a new city or your interest in getting the employee discount etc.
For instance, stating that you want to get hired because you are interested in the employee benefits or because you want to start a new life in a new city, will make your cover letter extremely unprofessional.
Even if these reasons are true to you, focus on writing about what you can bring to the table and your worth as a valuable employee.
If you are not sure how you can implement the stated do's and don'ts for your executive assistant cover letter, you can try Hiration's cover letter builder and even start your interview preparations.
Executive Assistant Salary
According to Payscale, the median salary of an executive assistant is $58,205 per year in the US.
However, the average wage can vary depending on your location, company, skills, and experience.
On a yearly average, an entry-level executive assistant can earn about $44,749 while professionals with 10+ years of experience can earn almost $62,395.
Some of the top companies offering highest salaries to executive assistants are:
- Paramount Pictures - $101,073 per year
- US Department of Veterans Affairs - $99,930 per year
- United Airlines - $98,787 per year
- Macquarie Group - $88,997 per year
- PayPal - $87,573 per year
Meanwhile, Boston, Washington, and New York are some of the highest paying cities in the US for executive assistant jobs.
Key Points from the Blog
- An executive assistant cover letter must be focused on your achievements as opposed to your skills
- The primary duty of an executive analyst is to streamline the schedule and workflow of executives to facilitate a systematic and organized work pace
- The heading of your executive assistant cover letter must consist of your full name, the job title (executive assistant), and a list of correct contact information
- Ensure to personalize your executive assistant cover letter by addressing it to the hiring manager
- Use the correct salutation like “Ms.” rather than “Mrs.” or “Miss” when addressing a female hiring manager
- If the hiring manager has a professional title like “Dr.” or “Prof.”, you can use those salutations instead
- If you are a fresher with no experience, focus on your academic achievements, qualifications, training, voluntary work, and so on while writing your executive assistant cover letter
- You must include industry-related keywords in your cover letter and wrap up the letter with a call to action
- Avoid grammatical errors and double-check the name of the hiring manager to make sure you have the right person’s name
- Be honest about your achievements in your cover letter and avoid mentioning personal reasons with bulky paragraphs
- Limit your cover letter to a page and avoid stating your salary expectations
- Do not include negative comments about your past employer in your executive assistant cover letter
Got more queries? Reach out to us at support@hiration.com. You can also use our AI-powered cover letter builder to ensure that your cover letter hits the mark.