A client recently wrote me that she was struggling with drafting a general closing for her cover letters. “I look forward to hearing from you” felt a bit presumptuous, and “When would be a good time to discuss the position?” a bit too pushy. “Thank you for your consideration” is nice, but too passive. She was searching for an ending sentiment with an “in-between” tone.
I told her my philosophy is that the cover letter is usually tied to one of two scenarios:
First, if you’re applying for a job through a job posting, it would definitely be advantageous to call and speak with someone on the phone to follow up, but in all reality, it’s hard to do that as they are trying to keep candidates at bay and sometimes ads are even blind. If you know the hiring company, I recommend clients skip trying to get HR on the phone and network into the company through one of their own connections to put in a good word. So in this scenario, I usually write, “Looking forward to hearing from you…” If you have a hiring manager’s name, I encourage my clients to add that they will call to follow up “later this week” or “next week,” whenever is most appropriate. “I will call your office in the near future to follow up” gives you a time buffer if you’re unsure.
But…. if you’re directly contacting an employer about an unadvertised opportunity and trying to tap into the “hidden job market” as everyone likes to say, then I believe you really should be stating that you will follow up with a phone call (or an email) a week later since you are proactively sending your resume and cover letter to them.
