cover letter for communication skills

6 Communications Cover Letter Examples

Communications professionals excel at conveying messages clearly and effectively, bridging gaps and fostering understanding. Similarly, your cover letter is your chance to communicate your professional journey, skills, and passion in a way that resonates with recruiters. In this guide, we'll delve into the best cover letter examples for Communications professionals, helping you to articulate your unique story in a compelling manner.

Cover Letter Examples

Cover letter guidelines, communications cover letter example, communications director cover letter example, director of communications cover letter example, communications manager cover letter example, communications specialist cover letter example, communications consultant cover letter example, how to format a communications cover letter, cover letter header, what to focus on with your cover letter header:, cover letter header examples for communications, cover letter greeting, get your cover letter greeting right:, cover letter greeting examples for communications, cover letter introduction, what to focus on with your cover letter intro:, cover letter intro examples for communications, cover letter body, what to focus on with your cover letter body:, cover letter body examples for communications, cover letter closing, what to focus on with your cover letter closing:, cover letter closing paragraph examples for communications, pair your cover letter with a foundational resume, cover letter writing tips for communicationss, showcase your communication skills, highlight relevant experiences, understand your audience, include a call to action, proofread thoroughly, cover letter mistakes to avoid as a communications, failure to showcase communication skills, not tailoring the cover letter to the specific role, overlooking the importance of storytelling, not showing enthusiasm for the role, ignoring the need for a call to action, cover letter faqs for communicationss.

The best way to start a Communications cover letter is with a strong, engaging opening that immediately grabs the reader's attention. This could be a brief anecdote about a relevant experience, a compelling fact about your skills or achievements, or a bold statement about your passion for the field. Be sure to tailor your introduction to the specific role and company you're applying to, demonstrating your knowledge of their work and how you can contribute. Remember, the goal is to make a memorable first impression and encourage the reader to continue reading.

Communications professionals should end a cover letter by summarizing their interest in the role and their qualifications. It's important to reiterate how their skills and experiences align with the job requirements. They should also express enthusiasm for the opportunity to contribute to the company's communication efforts. For example, they could say, "I am excited about the opportunity to bring my strategic communications skills to your team and help drive your brand's message. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of discussing my qualifications further." Finally, they should end with a professional closing like "Sincerely" or "Best regards," followed by their name. It's also a good idea to include their contact information below their name for easy reference.

A Communications cover letter should ideally be about one page long. This length is enough to succinctly present your skills, experiences, and your interest in the role without overwhelming the hiring manager with too much information. In terms of word count, aim for 300-500 words. Remember, the goal is to provide a snapshot of your qualifications and how they align with the job requirements. As a communications professional, your ability to convey information clearly and concisely is key, and your cover letter is a great place to demonstrate this skill.

Writing a cover letter with no experience in Communications can seem challenging, but it's all about showcasing your transferable skills, passion for the industry, and eagerness to learn. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it: 1. Start with a Professional Greeting: Address the hiring manager by name if possible. If not, use a professional greeting like "Dear Hiring Manager." 2. Open Strong: Begin with a compelling opening paragraph that explains why you're interested in the role and the company. Show enthusiasm for the industry and the opportunity to start your career in Communications. 3. Highlight Transferable Skills: Even if you don't have direct experience, you likely have skills that are relevant to a Communications role. These could include writing, public speaking, project management, or social media skills. Use specific examples to demonstrate these skills. For example, if you managed a project for a college club, explain how you communicated with team members and stakeholders. 4. Show Your Knowledge: Research the company and the industry and demonstrate this knowledge in your cover letter. This shows that you're proactive and genuinely interested in the field. 5. Education and Training: If you've studied Communications or a related field, be sure to mention this. Include any relevant coursework or projects. If you've attended any workshops or completed any online courses in Communications, include these as well. 6. Show Your Passion: Employers want to hire people who are passionate about their work. Show your passion for Communications by talking about why you're interested in the field and how you plan to contribute to it. 7. Close Professionally: Thank the hiring manager for their time and express your interest in discussing the role further in an interview. 8. Proofread: Make sure your cover letter is free of errors. This is especially important for a Communications role, as it demonstrates your attention to detail and communication skills. Remember, everyone starts somewhere. Even without direct experience, your enthusiasm, transferable skills, and willingness to learn can make you a strong candidate for a Communications role.

Related Cover Letters for Communicationss

Public relations cover letter.

Content Manager Cover Letter

Social Media Manager Cover Letter

Brand Manager Cover Letter

Digital Marketing Specialist Cover Letter

Marketing Manager Cover Letter

Communications Cover Letter

Communications Director Cover Letter

Director of communications cover letter, communications manager cover letter, communications specialist cover letter, communications consultant cover letter, related resumes for communicationss, communications resume example.

Try our AI-Powered Resume Builder

Protect your data

This site uses cookies and related technologies for site operation, and analytics as described in our Privacy Policy . You may choose to consent to our use of these technologies, reject non-essential technologies, or further manage your preferences.

• Resume and Cover Letter
• 11 Best Communication Skills...

11 Best Communication Skills for Your Resume (With Examples)

11 min read · Updated on February 13, 2024

Are you properly conveying communication skills in your resume?

When it comes to employment skills, few are more important than the ability to effectively communicate with others. No matter your profession, chances are that you'll need some level of communication skill to interact with co-workers, managers, subordinates, and customers. As a result, employers who are evaluating potential hires always want to see evidence of communication skills in a resume.

But which communication skills should you include in your resume to make the best possible impression on employers?

In this post, we'll explain why you need to highlight these skills in your resume, examine 11 of the top communication skills, and offer tips to help you demonstrate those abilities. We'll also provide examples that show you how to include this critical information.

Why should you include communication skills in your resume?

While your hard skills - specific, measurable, job-related abilities - typically form the core of any job description's required qualifications, soft skills cannot be overlooked in your resume. In fact, those interpersonal abilities can play a significant role in any hiring decision that involves two otherwise equally competent candidates. If you're competing for a job against someone with equivalent technical capabilities and experience, that difference in soft skills may determine who gets hired.

When you include communication skills in your resume, you're letting an employer know that you have interpersonal abilities that can make you a valuable member of their team. That's an important consideration for any employer, of course. Companies want new hires who can do more than just fulfill their duties; they want team players who fit well within their organization.

Related post : The Essential Steps of Your Communication Process

Types of communication skills

It's important to understand what we mean when we talk about communication skills. For our purposes, we can categorize these skills into three distinct types:

Verbal skills . These communication skills include everything from conveying information or persuading others to public speaking and dealing with customer complaints.

Written skills . Many jobs require the ability to write in a concise and informative manner. These skills can include everything from informal emails to professional briefs, client presentations, and detailed reports for superiors.

Interpersonal skills . The third type of communication skill involves all those abilities that you use to interact with others. They can include things like empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution.

  What are the top 11 communication skills employers want to see?

Below are 11 of the top communication skills for resumes. As you might expect, there are many others that you might want to consider as well. However, these 11 skills are among the most sought-after that employers are looking for in job candidates.

1.     Active listening

Active listening is a prized communication skill. This ability goes well beyond simply hearing what others say, and instead involves the ability to actively understand their message. People with these skills can connect with others, build trust, and participate in collaborative problem-solving efforts.

Active listening includes a host of other skills, including the ability to ask probing questions, provide nonverbal and verbal cues that show that you're paying attention, and paraphrase what you're hearing to confirm your understanding of the message.

Related post : What are the Types of Listening Skills? 8 Types Explained

2.     Empathy

Empathy is a vital interpersonal trait and one of the most important leadership communication skills. People with empathy tend to be more curious and open-minded, have a keener sense of self-awareness, and are less likely to be hostage to their own natural biases and preconceptions. They value other people's perspectives and are willing to entertain ideas that challenge their beliefs.

3.     Conflict management and resolution

Conflict is an inevitable feature of human interaction - including in the workplace. If you have excellent conflict resolution skills, it's important to highlight them in your resume. Employers will be interested in knowing that you're capable of resolving interpersonal conflict in your work setting, since that can have a direct and positive impact on productivity and workplace harmony.

4.     Presentation skills

There are many jobs that require the ability to make presentations to superiors, customers, shareholders, or even coworkers. Good presentation skills enable you to compellingly convey information to others, persuade them to consider your point of view, or simply keep your target audience apprised of relevant developments.

5.     Writing skills

Effective writing skills are important in virtually every industry and a wide variety of roles. Obviously, many jobs will require simple writing tasks like composing emails, but there are a whole host of other writing abilities that employers may be looking for. These can include everything from legal briefs or technical writing to advertising copy, marketing presentations, contract creation, and more. Depending on the job you're seeking, including these important communication skills in your resume could be vital.

6.     Team building

The ability to build and work with teams is another important leadership communication skill for your resume. Whether you're interested in a managerial or executive role, this skill set is something that you'll need to succeed in that leadership position. Effective team builders know how to work with others to solve problems, are skilled in delegating work to competent subordinates, and know how to help team members reach their full potential.

Related post : 20 Key Leadership Competencies for Success (Plus Tips!)

7.     Motivation

Employers also appreciate candidates who possess useful motivational skills. While the ability to set goals, maintain a positive attitude, and rally others to achieve a shared objective is essential for leadership, it can also be an invaluable skill for anyone who works in a collaborative setting. By including these communication skills in your resume, you can ensure that employers recognize your ability to inspire others and drive productivity in the workplace.

Related post : 6 Qualities of Managers Who Practice Inspiring Leadership

8.     Openness to feedback

Hiring managers also want to see that you're capable of receiving feedback, whether it's constructive criticism or praise. These skills reflect a commitment to teamwork and continual improvement, both of which are highly prized by today's employers. It's a bonus if you're also adept at providing feedback to others. That desire to develop as an employee and help others to reach their full potential can make you an attractive candidate for many jobs.

9.     Honesty

You might not think of honesty as a communication skill, but it is. Whether you're an entry-level worker or a manager, it's important for others to know that they can trust your words. Of course, honesty encompasses more than just being truthful. It also includes character traits like trustworthiness, responsibility, accountability, and reliability. Honest people are seen as authentic and confident, traits that all good leaders possess.

10.  Emotional intelligence

As the workplace has grown more complex in recent years, hiring managers have placed greater emphasis on employees' emotional intelligence. That's a fancy term that simply describes your ability to manage your own emotions, understand your own interactions with others, and use that knowledge and insight to control stress, relate to others, communicate in a clear and effective way, and manage conflict.

People with high emotional intelligence often excel at interpersonal relations in the workplace and tend to be competent leaders. Their ability to recognize their own emotions and the feelings of others around them can help them to make more informed decisions. Including examples of your use of emotional intelligence can help to highlight those critical interpersonal communication skills in your resume.

11.  Negotiating

Negotiation skills are also highly prized in most industries, so make sure that you highlight these abilities in your resume too. Successful negotiators are adept at problem-solving, persuasive communication, and conflict resolution - skills that are useful in nearly every industry. Include an achievement in your professional experience section that highlights your negotiation skills, demonstrating how those abilities provided measurable value to a previous employer. 

Tips you can use to highlight these skills in your resume

Of course, being familiar with these different communication skills is just the first step. You also need to know how to highlight them in your resume. The following tips can help you with that process.

Match your skills to keywords in the job posting

Always make sure that you review the job posting to identify specific communication-related skills that are listed as job requirements. Wherever possible, use those exact terms in your resume as you describe various communication skills that you've used in previous jobs. That will help to ensure that your resume is found by an applicant tracking system when an employer conducts a search.

Focus on measurable achievements

Don't just say that you have certain communication skills. Show that you have them by including them as achievements in your resume summary or professional experience section. Make sure that you describe how you used those skills to produce measurable value for your employer. Use real numbers to help the reader understand the type of value you can provide as a potential hire.

Always be brief and to the point

Brevity is important, since hiring managers often sift through dozens or even hundreds of resumes. Make sure that you highlight communication skills and other abilities as concisely as possible to optimize space in your resume. Remember also that your writing skills will be on full display as you create the resume, so you probably won't need to spend much time boasting about them.

Communication skills: resume examples you can use

As we noted, there are several ways that you can highlight communication skills in your resume. You can include mention of them in your resume summary, list several within your core competencies section, and highlight examples of their use in your professional experience section. Below are some examples to show you how this is done.

Communication skills in your resume summary

Detail-oriented Office Manager with 10 years of experience managing office operations and interdepartmental communications. Managed 21-person team responsible for accounts totaling $123 million a year. Researched, drafted, and implemented interoffice communication changes that reduced waste by 22%, expedited internal processing and increased departmental revenue by 19% in the first year.

Communication skills in your skills section

Including these communication skills in your core competencies, or skills, section is a simple matter. Pick the skills that most closely align with the job requirements, and list them in bullet point form alongside other key soft skills and your technical proficiencies. For example:

Copywriting

Email management

Media communications

Presentations

Team building

Training management

Office management

Organization

Time management

Decision-making

Communication skills in your work experience section

When it comes to including your communication skills in a work experience section, you again need to focus on notable achievements. Use real numbers that demonstrate value and create several bullet point accomplishment examples for each job listing in this section. You only need to include a couple of examples of how you used your communication skills, of course, since you'll likely also want to highlight other core job-related skills too. Here are some examples that show how to do this:

Reorganized office information flow to speed up client onboarding and account management, resulting in growth of 12% in client acquisition and an increase of 40% in retention

Created an innovative training program for new office transfers, focused on new skills and employee growth. Program resulted in 60% drop in employee attrition, contributing to a 13% increase in revenues in the first quarter of implementation

Negotiated resolution to client conflict that saved a $2 million project contract and led to a 30% expansion in business with the customer over the next two years

Related post : 47 Accomplishment Examples for Your Resume: Expert Picks

Achieve job search success by including communication skills in your resume

Much of your resume will be devoted to highlighting your job-related skills and experiences, but that's no reason to neglect these important soft skills. Conveying effective communication skills in your resume can be a terrific way to demonstrate that you're the best candidate for any job, and may be just what you need to differentiate yourself from your competition!

Are you still not sure if you've properly included your communication skills in your resume? Get a free resume review from our team of experts today!

Recommended reading:

Soft Skills Explained - and the Top 7 for Your Resume

What Are Skills? (With Examples and Tips on How to Improve Them)

These 14 Leadership Traits Can Fuel Your Career Success

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

Career Advice Newsletter

Our experts gather the best career & resume tips weekly. Delivered weekly, always free.

Thanks! Career advice is on its way.

Share this article:

Let's stay in touch.

Subscribe today to get job tips and career advice that will come in handy.

Your information is secure. Please read our privacy policy for more information.

• Search Search Please fill out this field.
• Career Planning
• Finding a Job
• Cover Letters

Communications Jobs Cover Letter Examples and Writing Tips

• What to Include in Your Cover Letter

What to Avoid When Writing a Cover Letter

How to format a cover letter, how to format an email cover letter, communications cover letter examples, more cover letter examples.

If you're applying for a communications job, a position that requires  excellent communication skills , it's especially important to write a compelling cover letter. 

Each cover letter you write for a communications role should showcase your abilities and experience. It also should be customized—yes, that means writing a new letter for each job application.

By creating a targeted cover letter, you'll be able to highlight your relevant skills and experiences as they relate to the specific position, as well as show your understanding of the company.

Here's what you need to know to write a cover letter that'll grab the attention of hiring managers. 

What to Include in Your Cover Letter

Start with an attention grabber.  Point to leadership roles and  advanced skills  right at the beginning of the cover letter to catch your reader's attention from the start. “I'm writing in response to the communications manager position you have advertised" doesn't say much. Instead, try something like, "My experience securing international press coverage for large healthcare clients makes me well suited for the communications manager position that has opened with XYZ Corporation.” This kind of statement grabs attention.

Use the company's  job description  to identify and call out your relevant skills.

Show that you’ve done your homework.  You should  research the company  you’re applying to and show them that you've done it by referring to their mission statement or other information you’ve discovered about them. You might say, “As assistant communications manager at ABC Company, I helped introduce the theme of global responsibility to our branding, inspired by how your executive leadership at XYZ Corporation has championed corporate philanthropic commitment to international relief efforts.” 

Use numbers when possible.  Offer  quantitative examples  to demonstrate your achievements. Employers love to see bottom line results. Did you increase your predecessor’s PR placements by 50%? Did you increase web traffic to your previous employer's website by 40%? Or, did you raise $1.5 million in donated funds for a nonprofit organization? Illustrate your accomplishments with numbers.

Be specific about your skills and strengths.  Illustrate your strengths with detailed descriptions. Don't describe yourself as a team player or people person since these terms are cliché and overused. Instead, go for detailed descriptions such as, "I'm a seasoned communicator with experience working on international PR campaigns to convey a cohesive brand across all marketing channels."

Follow that up with a concrete example such as, "When I worked on rebranding the marketing for our largest healthcare client, I coordinated communication throughout the client's international offices to create unified media materials."

Repeating your resume.  Your cover letter should enhance your resume, showcasing the high points and painting a richer picture of who you are.

While a resume is straightforward, a cover letter should have some flair and personal touches along with a tone that's warm and speaks directly to your reader.

Focusing on your own needs instead of the employer’s needs.  Cover letters are essentially marketing documents, and in writing one you should think of yourself as engaging in a needs-based sales tactic. What are the needs of the employer, and how can you fulfill those needs? 

Using the pronoun “I” too much.  Limiting the use of "I" to four or five instances in the entire cover letter is ideal. Your goal is to capture the employer’s serious interest by advertising what it is you can do for them, not by telling them what you want from them or what you're hoping to get from the experience.

When it comes to cover letters, there's a very specific style and format required. You'll want to be aware of these  guidelines for cover letters , including: 

• Length:  Stick to a page at most—a few paragraphs are all you need. 
• Fonts and font size: Go with a professional  font , in a standard, legible size. Stick to standard margins, too. 
• Follow general business letter guidelines:  Start with contact information if you're sending a printed out letter (or attaching a Word doc or PDF cover letter to your email).
• Proofread carefully:  Spelling someone's name incorrectly, having wonky formatting, or other small errors can discredit your application. 

For  emailed cover letters , include your contact information below your name in your  email signature . Your subject line for emails should be your name and the job title. Include a  salutation , followed by the body of the letter, and a polite close.

The body of the email should kickoff with details about why you're writing (mention specifics about the job title and where you saw it listed). Then describe your experience, achievements, qualifications, and what you'll be able to provide if hired. 

Take a look at these cover letter examples for communications-related jobs to get an idea of how to construct a professional cover letter that will effectively sell your credentials to a hiring manager.

• Communications for Higher Education
• Communications Director
• Editorial Assistant
• Entry Level Marketing
• Public Relations
• Social Media
• Writer/Freelance

Here are more  examples of cover letters for a variety of occupations, with templates to download.

Key Takeaways

FOLLOW THE RULES. There are set guidelines for writing a cover letter — make sure to keep them in mind as you write your letter. 

PERSONALIZE YOUR LETTER. If you send the same letter in with every application, you're not getting the most out of the space. Make your letter relevant to the company and role at hand. 

MAKE IT ABOUT THE COMPANY, NOT YOU. Yes, hiring managers want to get a sense of you, but their biggest priority is to hire someone who will advance the company's goals and bottom line.