Zooming In on Cover Letter Anatomy

In case you've forgotten or never learned the parts of a job letter, review these building blocks.

Contact information

Your address, telephone number, e-mail address,

and URL (Internet World Wide Web address) appear first on the letter. You can place your address in the middle or on either side of the page. Just make sure that your Web address is on a line of its own.

You have a choice about where to place your name. You can either place it (preferably in larger letters) above your address, or you can type it below your signature. Don't put it in both places — it's a waste.

Computer-friendly cover letters place the telephone number, e-mail address, and Web address on separate lines below your residential address for better scanning. You can also separate two items on the same line.

Date line and inside address

Place the date two lines below your contact information and place the inside address two lines below the date. Aligned with the left side of the page, enter the name of the person to whom you're writing (with Mr. or Ms. designation), followed on the next line by the company name, followed on the next lines by the address. If you know the position the receiver of your letter holds, include that information on the same line as the receiver's name or on the following line.

On the right side of the page, aligned with the inside address information, you can include a line labeled RE: to highlight the reason for correspondence.