internal manager cover letter

How to Write a Cover Letter for an Internal Position

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What is a cover letter for an internal position?

• How to create a cover letter for an in-house position
• Cover letter for an internal position template
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When applying for an internal job at your current company, you should create a cover letter to accompany your resume. A cover letter distinguishes you as a strong candidate for a promotion. It should outline your experience, qualifications and interest in the new role. In this article, you’ll learn how to write a cover letter for an internal position and provide a template and an example to help you write your own.

A cover letter for an internal position is a written statement that accompanies your application for a new role within your current organization. Similar to a standard cover letter, this type of message should discuss your professional accomplishments and your work experience to establish you as a strong candidate for the promotion.

How to create a cover letter for an internal position

Follow these steps to create a cover letter for an internal position:

1. Follow a standard cover letter length

Cover letters should average 250-350 words that span three to four paragraphs. If you submit a paper application, ensure that your cover letter is less than a page long using 12-point font. A shorter cover letter may not take full advantage of the potential that this introductory message offers, while a longer letter may need a more simplified narrative.

2. Begin the cover letter with the most important information

Start your cover letter by listing your contact information. State the date that you are submitting your application, and then list your company’s contact information, including the hiring manager’s name. Use a professional salutation like “Dear” before writing the body of the letter.

3. Write about your experience as a story or narrative for the hiring manager

Discuss your previous professional experience and the new skills and qualifications you developed in your current role. Even if you are already familiar with the hiring manager or you have discussed your experience in your initial interview, include this information in your cover letter as a reminder and to show your serious interest in the position as well as your readiness. Incorporate these elements into a narrative that explains why you are qualified for the promotion and how your experience will enable you to contribute in a unique way. 

4. Discuss how you have improved your qualifications and skills in your current role

Use examples to discuss how you have learned and advanced in your current role. Consider mentioning training programs you have completed, certifications you have earned or objectives you have achieved. Mentioning the ways you have improved allows you to position yourself as an employee who can continually impact the company in a positive way.

5. Mention specific contributions and accomplishments you’ve made in your current role

Add data and figures to quantify the contributions you have made to the company. Consider mentioning additional revenue you generated or cost-saving initiatives you established. Adding these specifics helps the hiring team understand the value you have added to the company and assess what you could provide in the new role.

6. Thank the hiring manager for considering your application

Conclude your cover letter by thanking the hiring manager for their consideration. Prompt them to take the next step in the process, which may be interviewing you or having a formal discussion about the job opening. Finish the letter with a formal closing like “Sincerely” before adding your signature.

Internal position cover letter template

Use this internal position cover letter template to write your cover letter:

Your Name Your Address | Your City, State, and ZIP Code | Your Phone Number | Your Email Address

Today’s Date

Hiring Manager’s Name Business Name Business Address Business City, State, and ZIP Code

Salutation,

The first paragraph should begin with a statement of your interest in the open position. Briefly summarize your career goals and unique qualifications.

The second paragraph should discuss your qualifications for the job opening. Mention accomplishments and specific figures and data when possible.

The third paragraph should expand on areas where you have improved since joining the company. Connect your achievements and skills to the job opening.

The final paragraph should include a reminder of your interest and a prompt to take the next step in the hiring process. End by expressing gratitude.

Formal Closing, Your Signature

Internal position cover letter example

Consider this cover letter a model for how to tell the story of your qualifications, goals and contributions. Use this example to help you write your cover letter for an internal position:

Hannah Lee 123 Main Way | New York, NY 11110 | 555-555-5555 | [email protected]

July 1, 2019

Pat Smith ABC Business 123 Business Pkwy New York, NY 11101

Dear Ms. Smith,

I am writing to apply formally for the Assistant Sales Manager position in the Sales and Marketing department. I was excited to learn about this newly created role, as I am eager to apply my leadership skills and extensive experience to a management role within the company.

When I joined ABC Business three years ago as an Account Coordinator, I brought five years of experience in the sales field. Since then, I have gained experience managing sales teams and devising strategies, even leading my current team to exceed our quarterly goal by 15%. My initiatives have also increased team-wide efficiency by 10%, further adding to increased revenue for the sales department.

In my three years in this Account Coordinator position, I have developed strong communication, problem-solving and management skills. I believe these skills, combined with my past experience and deep knowledge of the company, would allow me to contribute substantially to the Assistant Sales Manager role and the sales department’s objectives.

I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this Assistant Sales Manager position with you in person. Thank you in advance for your consideration, and I look forward to talking with you further.

Sincerely, Hannah Lee

Internal Position cover letter examples

Are you hoping to secure a new position within your existing company?

An internal move can be the perfect solution if you love the company but you want to progress in your career or try your hand at a different department.

Either way, you need to submit a persuasive application, and we’ve created the following guide, complete with several internal position cover letter examples to help you do just that.

CV templates 

Internal Position cover letter example 1

Internal Position cover letter example 2

Internal Position cover letter example 3

The example cover letters here should give you a good general idea on how your Internal Position cover letter should be formatted and written.

The rest of this guide gives more specific guidance on how to create your own cover letter in this format, and even includes some templates you can copy and paste.

How to write an Internal Position cover letter

Here’s how you can write your own eye-catching cover letter, broken down into simple steps.

Write your cover letter in the body of an email/message

When writing your Internal Position cover letter, it’s best to type the content into the body of your email (or the job site messaging system) and not to attach the cover letter as a separate document.

This ensures that your cover letter gets seen as soon as a recruiter or employer opens your message.

If you attach the cover letter as a document, you’re making the reader go through an unnecessary step of opening the document before reading it.

If it’s in the body of the message itself, it will be seen instantly, which hugely increases the chances of it being read.

Start with a friendly greeting

Start you cover letter with a greeting that is professional but friendly.

This will build rapport with the recruiter whilst showing your professionalism.

• Hi, hope you’re well
• Hi [insert recruiter name]
• Hi [insert department/team name]

Avoid overly formal greetings like “Dear sir/madam ” unless applying to very traditional companies.

How to find the contact’s name?

Addressing the recruitment contact by name is an excellent way to start building a strong relationship. If it is not listed in the job advert, try these methods to find it.

• Check out the company website and look at their  About page. If you see a hiring manager, HR person or internal recruiter, use their name. You could also try to figure out who would be your manager in the role and use their name.
• Head to LinkedIn , search for the company and scan through the list of employees. Most professionals are on LinkedIn these days, so this is a good bet.

Identify the role you are applying for

Once you have opened the cover letter with a warm greeting, you need to explain which role you are interested in.

Sometimes a recruitment consultant could be managing over 10 vacancies, so it’s crucial to pinpoint exactly which one you are interested in.

Highlight the department/area if possible and look for any reference numbers you can quote.

These are some examples you can add..

• I am interested in applying for the role of *Internal Position* with your company.
• I would like to apply for the role of Sales assistant (Ref: 40f57393)
• I would like to express my interest in the customer service vacancy within your retail department
• I saw your advert for an IT project manager on Reed and would like to apply for the role.

See also: CV examples – how to write a CV – CV profiles

Highlight your suitability

The sole objective of your cover letter is to motivate recruiters into to opening your CV. And you achieve this by quickly explaining your suitability to the roles you are applying for.

Take a look at the job descriptions you are applying to, and make note of the most important skills and qualifications being asked for.

Then, when crafting your cover letter, make your suitability the central focus.

Explain why you are the best qualified candidate, and why you are so well suited to carry out the job.

This will give recruiters all the encouragement they need to open your CV and consider you for the job.

Keep it short and sharp

When sending a job application to a recruiter or hiring manager, it is important to remember that they will normally be very busy and pushed for time.

Therefore, you need to get you message across to them quickly (in a matter of seconds ideally). So, keep your cover letter short and to-the-point. A long waffling cover letter will overwhelm recruiters when they are running through hundreds of emails in there inbox, but a concise one will get their attention.

So, keep your cover letter to just a few sentences long, and save the extensive detail for your CV.

Sign off professionally

To round of your CV, you should sign off with a professional signature.

This will give your cover letter a slick appearance and also give the recruiter all of the necessary contact information they need to get in touch with you.

The information to add should include:

• A friendly sign off – e.g. “Kindest regards”
• Your full name
• Phone number (one you can answer quickly)
• Email address
• Profession title
• Professional social network –  e.g. LinkedIn

Here is an example signature;

Warm regards,

Jill North IT Project Manager 078837437373 [email protected] LinkedIn

Quick tip: To save yourself from having to write your signature every time you send a job application, you can save it within your email drafts, or on a separate documents that you could copy in.

What to include in your Internal Position cover letter

Your Internal Position cover letter will be unique to your situation, but there are certain content guidelines you should stick to for best results.

To attract and entice recruiters, stick with the following key subjects in your cover letter – adapting them to fit your profession and target jobs.

• Your professional experience – Employers will be keen to know if your experience is suitable for the job you are applying to, so provide a good summary of it in your cover letter.
• Your qualifications and education – Highlight your most relevant and high-level of qualification, especially if they are essential to the job.
• The positive impact you have made – Employers love to hear about the benefits you can bring to them, so shout about anything impressive you have done, such as saving money or improving processes.
• Your reasons for leaving – Use a few words of your cover letter to explain why you are leaving your current job and ensure you avoid any negative reasons.
• Your availability – Let recruiters know when you can start a new job . Are you immediately available, or do you have a month notice period?

Internal Position cover letter templates

Copy and paste these Internal Position cover letter templates to get a head start on your own.

I hope you’re well.

I am delighted to submit my application for the open position of Finance Manager. With 7 years of experience overseeing the finance strategy development as Assistant Finance Manager, combined with my recent master’s in business administration, I am confident in my ability to excel in this elevated role.

Throughout my tenure at CFT Construction, I have successfully led the financial planning and analysis for our residential development unit, demonstrating expertise in advanced financial modelling and budgeting. My implementation of a streamlined financial reporting system in 2021 improved accuracy by 20%, while a new budgeting process reduced variance by 15% within the first year. I effectively guided the multinational management team through their EOY financial analysis as well as spearheading new training initiatives which excellent results, which I would continue in this more senior role.

I am deeply committed to ensuring the growth and sustainability of the company and believe that my specialised operational knowledge would make me a great asset in this role. I am available for an interview at your earliest convenience.

All the best,

Jordan Teller ¦ 07777777777 ¦ [email protected]

I am thrilled to apply for the position of Executive Secretary. With my 15+ years of service as an Administrative Secretary within the company and my NVQ Level 4 diploma in Business and Administration, I am confident that I can continue providing excellent secretarial support in this new role.

Having provided unwavering support to management professionals in both the healthcare and marketing industries during my career, I possess a diverse skill set, including project management, diary coordination, and expert transcription and proofreading abilities. Within Lead Marketing, I have contributed significantly, streamlining client follow-up systems, resulting in a remarkable 20% improvement in response time. Additionally, my implementation of an expense tracking system for the senior management team led to a remarkable 38% reduction in overspending.

As a dedicated and detail-oriented professional, I am eager to further contribute to the success of Lead Marketing in the capacity of Executive Secretary. I would love to discuss my vision for this role further in an interview when you have availability.

Thomas Stanley ¦ 07777777777 ¦ [email protected]

I am excited to submit my application for the new role of Senior Fashion Buyer at our company, where I believe my proven track record, diverse skill set, and passion for fashion will make a significant impact.

With over 16 years of experience as a Fashion Buyer in the purchasing team, I have garnered extensive expertise in conducting market research, analysing sales trends, and sourcing products from vendors across Europe and the USA. My ability to curate merchandise assortments that align with the latest fashion trends and consumer preferences has consistently driven sales and profitability, as exemplified by the 15% sales increase and 12% reduction in online markdowns achieved through data-driven product selection. Additionally, my proficiency in supplier management and negotiation has fostered strong working relationships which has been recognised by my training contract with the customer service team.

I am eager to further discuss my accomplishments and strategic vision for Marks & Spencer’s as a Senior Fashion Buyer. I am available for interview at any time.

Sunni Carter ¦ 07777777777 ¦ [email protected]

Writing an impressive cover letter is a crucial step in landing that Internal Position, so taking the time to perfect it is well worth while.

By following the tips and examples above you will be able to create an eye-catching cover letter that will wow recruiters and ensure your CV gets read – leading to more job interviews for you.

Good luck with your job search!

How To Create A Cover Letter For An Internal Position

In This Guide:

Cover letter for internal position template, setting the tone, connect your experiences and skills.

Show Gratitude (It's Not About Me, Me, Me)

You've worked hard, put your time in, but now you're looking for something more.

Your dedication and patience have paid off because now you found a new position that you know that you're qualified for.

And best of all: It's inside the company that you're working at.

After seeing how hard you work, your manager may have tapped you on the shoulder for a promotion. Your leadership skills make you the ideal candidate for a management position, and now you need your cover letter to reflect that.

Or maybe you have the drive and ambition to go further than the current position that you're in. You've seen a job opening in another department at your company, and you want to throw your hat in for the position.

Whether you're being promoted or looking for a job that better suits you, your cover letter needs to show that you will excel in the new position that you're applying for.

You have a major leg up on the rest of the competition because you already know the people, vision, and values of the company that you're applying for.

You have your foot in the door, and now all you need to do is pry it open a little more and step in.

We can help you with that.

In this article, you'll learn:

• How to set the tone for a cover letter for an internal position.
• How to connect your experiences and skills to the position that you're applying to.
• How to quantify your achievements at your current job.
• How to show gratitude to your current manager, team members, and the organization for which you work.

While I've got you here, if you're looking to create a cover letter which will wow any hiring manager, Enhancv has over 500 examples of professional cover letters to gain information from.

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Dwayne J. Nicole

Marketing Analyst

312-456-5555

[email protected]

Linkedin.com/in/dwayne-nicole

Chicago, April 18, 2022

Bryanna Bartlett

Senior Marketing Director

Northern Electric, Inc.

450 Pullman Road

Chicago, Illinois

Dear Mrs. Bartlett,

As a loyal employee of Northern Electric, I am excited to be interviewing for the position of Marketing Manager in the North-east region. I have worked under Shawn Tuttle for the last few years as a marketing analyst. Shawn has mentored me in the role of customer relationship management for the last three years, and I have grown leaps and bounds in my understanding of how to properly market and sell the products of Northern Electric. I am truly grateful that Shawn has recommended me for this promotion, and I also feel confident that I can excel in this role and help to provide future growth to the company.

I have been with the company for over 10 years, starting out on the sales team. I pride myself on my ability to learn quickly, and I have developed excellent communication skills, with both customers and team members. As well, I create a great rapport with the customers with whom I spoke, making sure that their needs were covered, which can be easily seen in my customer satisfaction which is 97%.

In the last three years working under Shawn, I've gained experience overseeing sales teams, and as a result of my work I have seen my sales team produce a 5% increase in profits this quarter. In fact, under my leadership, we saw sales of our new line of PLC computers grow by almost 10%. Throughout this time, one of the things that differentiated me from other marketing analyst team leaders was that I promoted a holistic view of customer relationships, utilizing Customer Relationship Management software. I gained a special understanding of how to turn inbound leads into clients, all the while prioritizing the needs of the clients.

I've read the job description for the marketing manager of the North-eastern region, and I believe I will excel in the position because I have already performed many of the requirements found within. I have filled leadership positions, and I excelled because I chose a servant leadership model, one in which I chose to lead from the front and take into consideration the needs of other team members.

Thank you for your time and consideration in reviewing my application. My supervisor will be happy to meet with you to shed light on any of the items that I mentioned in this cover letter. Please reach out to me if you need more information about my work experience and technical skills. I would be happy to help with anything that you need.

Dwayne Nicole

Writing a cover letter for an internal position is like reuniting with an old friend.

You are a known entity within your organization .

Good for you! That first step of networking is already out of the way!

It may be even better if you are applying for a new position within your organization which is overseen by your current manager.

And even if you don't have a relationship with your hiring manager, you will have made a name for yourself within the organization. They will know of you, even before you apply for the job.

But before you jump into writing your cover letter, the tone that you use for your letter is incredibly important. Check out the tips below to help craft a cover letter which hits the mark:

Keep The Tone Professional

One of the most important things to keep in mind when writing a cover letter is that it is a formal letter.

An article in the Atlantic states that a cover letter's main purpose, from when it was first introduced in the US in the 1930's, was "to paint a picture that might not easily emerge from the denser material that was, well, under cover."

What a cover letter does is show the hiring manager that you are the most capable, dependable person for the position.

If you want to show that you are the most capable person for the position, keep the tone fairly professional by using these methods:

Properly Format Your Cover Letter Header

By including a properly formatted cover letter header, you show you view this document as a formal, professional letter. Even if you are simply dropping the letter off in your manager's office, be sure to include information like:

• Personal information: your name, your email address, phone number,
• The date you are writing
• The hiring managers information: their name, position in the company, and the address of your company.

If you'd like to see more examples of how to format your cover letter header, check out this article on Enhancv which provides examples and solutions to create a properly formatted cover letter header.

Keep The Body of The Letter Professional

Remember, a cover letter is a document that is addressed to a specific person, usually the hiring manager. Even if you know the hiring manager from your current position, try to keep informalities out of the writing.

Also, try to avoid negative comments about your current manager.

Use Your Cover Letter To Tell a Story

The dominant tone of your cover letter should be geared towards an exploration of your story , with an emphasis on what makes you exceptional, and the ideal candidate to fill this position.

It's hard to sell ourselves. Even those whose current role is in the sales and marketing field may have a difficult time with sharing about what makes us unique.

Many of us have been told from when we were little we shouldn't brag about ourselves.

But I'll tell you that when writing a cover letter, the most important thing you can do is share about your accomplishments, how you've grown as a leader and gained technical skills and abilities.

It's not bragging to explain where you excelled in your position.

Soft Skills Vs. Hard Skills

Soft skills.

Soft skills involve people skills, like communication, leadership, and any habits which make you work better in a team. When you are applying for a promotion, highlight the soft skills that you've gained through your current position, especially those that involve leadership.

Soft skills to promote in your cover letter include:

• Your ability to collaborate within teams
• Your public speaking ability
• Your ability to problem solve
• How you manage your time
• Leadership skills
• Your ability to adapt

Check out this article if you’d like find descriptive words to describe yourself:

The Best Words to Describe Yourself on a Resume

Hard Skills

Alternatively, hard skills are technical skills which you gain through years of experience working in your field, as well as skills that you've gained through school or other courses. If you're considering transferring to another department, highlight relevant technical skills which would make you the perfect fit for that department.

Although hard skills completely depend on the field within which you work, let's look at one example which can help you understand which hard skills to promote. If you are an IT security manager, some hard skills that you could promote include:

• Your knowledge of cloud computing
• How you visualize and create virtual images or maps
• Your experience with IT Security management software
• Your understanding of enterprise architecture management

Highlight Soft Skills For A Promotion

When you write a cover letter for a promotion, you should highlight your experience in a leadership role. Provide examples from your current job of when you've managed teams of colleagues.

Point to quantitative results that you've shown as a leader of a team. If you’ve seen a major sales profits increase while you were the team leader, mention that you were the one leading, encouraging, and facilitating the growth of your team members throughout the process.

Here are some examples which you can use for your cover letter:

• If you were the team lead for a sales team and you saw sales increase in one quarter 6%, highlight those results in your cover letter.
• If you introduced new software which allowed your team to better collaborate on projects, as well as introducing everyone to that software, mention the percentage of people that adopted the software into their regular, everyday work.

Promote Hard Skills for a Transfer

When you're moving laterally within a company, moving from one department to another, you should consider highlighting hard skills that you've learned in your current position, which are transferable to another department.

Transferring is typical within the IT industry, and many of the skills you gain in one position can be transferred to another department.

For example, if you were working in the IT field and you wanted to get to the cyber security field, there are a lot of skills that you may have gained along the way which could be promoted in a cover letter:

• Mention any courses that you've taken throughout your time working in the IT field. Specifically, if you've learned specialized cyber security software, mention the software by name.
• Highlight the role that you may have played in addressing the company's need for greater security of cloud computing programs.

Show Gratitude (It's Not About Me, Me, Me)

In your cover letter, try to give credit to where credit is due. If you're mentioning your current supervisor, highlight the ways in which they have played a major role in making you into the person you are today.

Every single person on this earth can owe their success to a select number of people in their life.

Show gratitude to those that have helped you.

Also, a cover letter is written to a specific person, and therefore, shows some gratitude to the person who is reading the cover letter. Thank the hiring manager for taking the time to read through your cover letter. Ask them if they need any more information from you.

If you're interested in learning more about how to end your cover letter, check out this article on how to end your cover letter .

• Keep the tone of your cover letter professional by including a properly formatted cover letter header.
• When transferring to a new position in your company, use hard technical skills that you've learned to prove your competency.
• When writing a cover letter for promotion, highlight the soft skills that you've learned, like communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Show gratitude to your current manager as well as the hiring manager whose reading the document.

Creating a cover letter from scratch isn’t easy. We totally get it! So why not let us help you? At Enhancv, we have a custom Cover Letter Builder which you can use to create the perfect cover letter for an internal position.

• Cover Letter Guides

How to Write Responding To Recruiter Email [Templates Included]

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