HR assistant, recent graduate cover letter example
A new graduate with a six-month HR internship and the aPHR certification applies for an HR assistant job at a manufacturer.
Dear Ms. Foster,
I am applying for the Human Resources Assistant position at Contoso Manufacturing. In May I graduated from Bellows University with a bachelor's degree in human resource management, and in August I earned the Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR) certification from HRCI. During a six-month HR internship, I supported hiring, onboarding and recordkeeping, and I would like to bring that experience to your team.
As an intern at Fabrikam Health, I scheduled more than 120 interviews across three departments, sent offer letters prepared by the recruiters and coordinated background checks. I assembled new hire packets and led the paperwork portion of biweekly orientation for groups of 8 to 15 employees, making sure every required form was complete before the first shift. I also audited 300 personnel files against a checklist and found 41 missing documents, which helped the HR manager fix our filing process.
Your posting mentions that you are moving to a new HR information system. At Fabrikam I entered new hire and job change data in Workday every day, and I built an Excel tracker that showed managers where each new hire stood in onboarding. I learn new systems quickly, and I like making processes easier for employees.
I understand that HR work depends on trust. I keep employee information confidential, I double-check details before anything goes into a file and I follow up when I say I will.
Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can support your HR team and your employees.
Sincerely,
Priya Nair
(248) 555-0137
priya.nair@example.com
Experienced HR generalist cover letter example
A SHRM-CP certified generalist who runs HR alone at a 280-employee distribution center applies to a growing logistics company.
Dear Mr. Douglas,
With seven years of human resources experience and the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) credential, I am applying for the HR Generalist position at Northwind Logistics. As the only HR generalist at a 280-employee distribution center, I handle hiring, employee relations, leave, benefits and compliance, and I would like to bring that range to your growing team.
At Coho Distribution, I partnered with operations leaders to cut first-year turnover among warehouse associates from 48 percent to 31 percent over two years. We rewrote job previews so candidates knew what the work involved, added a 30-day check-in for every new hire and trained supervisors to hold weekly one-on-ones. I also run open enrollment each year, answer benefits questions and work with our broker to resolve claim issues.
Employee relations is a large part of my day. I have investigated more than 60 complaints, from attendance disputes to harassment allegations, documented each finding and recommended actions that leadership adopted. I administer FMLA and other leave requests, track deadlines and coordinate return-to-work plans with managers.
When we moved from paper files to BambooHR, I led the project. I cleaned and imported data for every employee, built onboarding workflows and trained 25 supervisors to approve time off in the system. Paperwork time for each new hire fell from about two hours to 30 minutes.
I would welcome the chance to talk about how I can help Northwind build a stable workforce as you open your second site. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Michelle Ortiz
(469) 555-0182
michelle.ortiz@example.com
Agency recruiter moving in-house cover letter example
A staffing agency recruiter who fills healthcare roles applies for an in-house talent acquisition job at a health system.
Dear Ms. Wallace,
I am applying for the Talent Acquisition Specialist position at Lucerne Health. For four years I have worked as a recruiter at Fabrikam Staffing, where I fill clinical and administrative roles for hospitals and clinics. I would like to bring that pace and my candidate network to one organization and help build a team I can watch grow.
Last year I filled 62 positions, including medical assistants, patient access representatives and billing specialists, with an average time to fill of 24 days. I write job postings, screen resumes, run phone interviews and prepare hiring managers for each interview with a short candidate summary and suggested questions. Ninety percent of my placements were still in their roles after six months.
Working with many clients has taught me to listen for what a hiring manager really needs. When one clinic kept turning down candidates, I sat in on two interviews and learned that Spanish fluency mattered more than the posting said. I updated the posting and the screening questions, and we filled both open roles within three weeks.
An in-house recruiter also represents the employer's reputation. I give every candidate a timely update, even when the answer is no, and I treat interviews as a chance for candidates to evaluate us as much as we evaluate them. I use iCIMS and Greenhouse and source candidates on LinkedIn every day.
Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can help Lucerne Health hire and keep great people.
Sincerely,
Andre Mitchell
(404) 555-0123
andre.mitchell@example.com
Opening lines you can adapt
I am applying for the Human Resources Assistant position at Contoso Manufacturing, and I bring a new degree in human resource management, the aPHR certification and six months of hands-on HR internship experience.
In two years, I helped cut first-year turnover at a 280-employee distribution center from 48 percent to 31 percent, and I would like to bring that focus on retention to Northwind Logistics.
Your posting asks for an HR generalist who can handle employee relations, leave administration and open enrollment on their own, which is what I have done for the past seven years.
Dana Brooks, your benefits manager, suggested I apply for the HR Coordinator opening after we met at our local SHRM chapter meeting last month.
Good HR work is often invisible: a smooth first day, a paycheck that is right and a complaint handled fairly. That is the work I enjoy most.
After four years filling healthcare roles for a staffing agency, I am ready to bring my recruiting speed and candidate network to an in-house talent acquisition team.
Closing lines
I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can support your managers and employees. I am available for an interview any weekday.
Thank you for considering my application. I am happy to share examples of onboarding checklists or reports I have built, with confidential details removed.
I would like to learn more about your HR priorities for the coming year. You can reach me at (469) 555-0182 or michelle.ortiz@example.com.
I can start within three weeks and look forward to the chance to help your team hire, develop and keep great people.
More on structure: how to start a cover letter and how to end one.
Tips for an HR cover letter
Lead with a people result that has a number
HR leaders look for impact. Turnover, time to fill, offer acceptance rate, training completion or onboarding time all make strong examples, as long as you can explain how you got the result.
Name your certification and who issued it
Write the full credential and issuer, such as SHRM-CP from SHRM or PHR from HRCI. If you are studying for an exam, give your test date rather than listing the credential as earned.
List the HR systems you know
Workday, ADP, BambooHR, UKG and applicant tracking systems such as iCIMS or Greenhouse all work differently. Naming the one in the posting tells the hiring manager you will need less training.
Show you understand compliance without giving legal opinions
Mention experience with leave administration, new hire paperwork, investigations or policy updates. Describe what you did and who you worked with, such as legal counsel, rather than claiming to interpret the law yourself.
Prove you can keep a confidence
Trust is central to HR. A sentence about how you handle confidential records or sensitive conversations reassures the reader, but never share real details from an investigation or employee file.
Mistakes to avoid
- Saying you "love working with people" without any example of hiring, onboarding, employee relations or another real HR task.
- Sharing details from a real investigation, termination or employee file, even without names. It signals poor judgment about confidentiality.
- Listing a certification you have not earned yet, or leaving out the issuing body so the reader cannot tell which credential you hold.
- Writing only about administrative tasks when the posting asks for a business partner who can advise managers and solve problems.
- Sending a generic letter that never names the company, its industry or the size of the workforce you would support.