Write your Cover Letter in Plain English

Writing a good cover letter requires that you know how to sell yourself. You must make an employer want to know more about you—but how can you do that if you use language that’s full of jargon and impossible to comprehend? Use the principles of Plain English to write a cover letter that is easy to read and understand.

Plain English is a style of written communication that focuses on the needs of the reader, with simple sentence construction and word choices. Follow these guidelines to write a cover letter in Plain English.

Avoid Jargon

The hiring manager who reads your cover letter might be up-to-date with all the technical language used in your field, but if you’re applying to a large company that’s unlikely. Using highly technical language will simply make it impossible for them to understand what you can offer to the company. Whenever possible, describe your skills and achievements in every-day language.

Use Active Language

Active language uses a Subject-Verb-Object sentence construction—

“In my previous position I (subject) implemented (verb) a sales program that increased revenue (object) by 15%.”

Passive language reverses this order—

“Increased revenue of 15% was the result of the sales program I implemented in my previous position.”

Active language is easier to read and understand, uses fewer words, and gives your writing a dynamic tone that is very attractive to an employer.

Keep your Sentences Short and Simple

Long sentences are often boring or difficult to understand. By the time the reader reaches the end of the sentence, they might have forgotten what the beginning was about. A good rule of thumb is to make most of your sentences between 15 and 20 words long. If your sentences are regularly longer than 30 words, consider whether they can be broken up into two shorter sentences.

Consider the following example, written using overly complex sentence construction:

“I am available to be interviewed at your earliest convenience. If there exist any points on which you feel additional explanation is necessary prior to an interview I would be glad to give you such information via telephone.”

Instead, simply say

“I am available for an interview immediately. Please contact me if you have any questions.”

This example highlights one of the biggest benefits of writing a cover letter in Plain English. Using fewer words to describe each point means you can fit more relevant information into your letter.

Still Stuck? Try our Cover Letter Creator. 

Also, please review our Cover Letter section for free examples and tips.  If you need more help, please consider using a Career Counselor.