brown university cover letter examples

Education and Student Services

Resumes, cover letters and interviews.

• Career Advising

Creating and updating your application materials should be an ongoing, iterative process.

Applying can take a lot of time and energy, but the more you prepare, the more confident you'll be when it's time to hit the " submit " button. Where should you start? Build a strong portfolio foundation using the resources below, and when you're ready to start applying, our office is happy to support your search and do a final review of your materials.

A cover letter allows you to express interest, differentiate yourself from other applicants, and add a layer of context to your resume. When two applicants' resumes are similar in education and experience, a well-written cover letter may be the differentiating factor. If optional, it is always our recommendation to submit a cover letter to demonstrate your willingness to go above and beyond.

While there are many cover letter samples available online, including those in the links below, our formatting suggestions are as follows. We recommend aiming for a succinctly-written, 3/4 page letter that provides specific context to how your experiences have prepared you for the role's responsibilities.

Consider de-gendering your greeting if no formal title is available (e.g. Dr. or Professor), instead writing 'Dear ___," (first name)

Paragraph 1

A hiring manager should be able to quickly learn why you're interested in the role with specific ties to the role's responsibilities. For example, "I am excited at the prospect of joining ___ (organization name) because its ___ (e.g. health-equity-focused) mission aligns with my academic preparation, work experiences, and long-term professional goals. The role's responsibilities of ___, ___, and ___ also align with my background."

Paragraph 2

Demonstrate how you've prepared yourself for the position academically, connecting specific examples of skills you've learned with how they could be applied to this role.

Paragraph 3

Explain how you've prepared yourself via work, research, and/or extracurricular activities, again providing specific contextual examples.

Short closing line thanking the hiring manager for their continued consideration. Avoid overt expectations of an interview. Example: "I would be delighted to further discuss my interests in this role; I can be reached at ___ (email) or ___ (phone). Thank you for your consideration." Add a scanned signature to make your cover letter more personal.

Most common cover letter feedback

Incorporate more curiosity as you provide context to your experiences, as you want to demonstrate your willingness to expand on your foundations in the job vs. just highlighting expertise from prior experiences. This demonstrates willingness to learn/grow in the position.

Cover Letter Resources

• Center for Career Exploration
• LinkedIn Learning

Similar to a cover letter, your resume tells a story about where you learned – and applied – new skills in a much more templated format. There are many resources below to highlight the differences between a resume (typically one page for most job applications) and a CV (no page limit and with more details about research experience/publications for PhD, postdoctoral, faculty, and research positions).

Big Interview

Brown SPH students and alumni have free premium access to Big Interview's best-in-class AI interview and resume feedback tools. Once your profile is created using the button below, scan your resume ; feedback is maximized if you copy/paste the job description!

Access Big Interview

Resume and CV Resources

• Brown's Standard Resume Template (download)
• Center for Career Exploration: Resumes and Cover Letters
• Researchers at Brown (CV) Format
• Managing Your Career: Mid-Career (LinkedIn Learning)
• What a Mid-Career CV Looks Like (LinkedIn Stories)
• How to Write a Mid-Level Career Resume (Indeed)

Interview formats vary widely from organization to organization. The resources below can help you to prepare for behavioral interviews, one-way video interviews, consulting case interviews, and multi-stage in-person interviews. Interviewing well is both an art and a science, so you want to be prepared without being too rehearsed.

Brown SPH students and alumni have free premium access to Big Interview's best-in-class AI interview and resume feedback tools. Use your @brown.edu email address to register.

Interview Resources

• Big Interview: How to Land an Informational Interview
• Consulting Interviews: CaseCoach
• LinkedIn: Instant AI Feedback
• LinkedIn Learning: Expert Tips
• LinkedIn Learning: Video Interviews
• LinkedIn Learning: Informational Interviewing

Students: to access LinkedIn Learning, please visit brown.edu/linkedinlearning .

There are many resources available to support your salary negotiation process. We encourage you to make an informed decision about your salary requirements by researching your job title, location, and cost of living using commercially available tools.

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Idealist (Nonprofits)

You might also consider using non-traditional methods for determining a potential salary's competitiveness. Colorado and New York City, for example, require salary ranges to be posted in job descriptions. Search for a similar position in those locations – and account for cost of living adjustments to your potential job's location – to help set your salary expectations.

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Resume / Cover Letter

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Regardless of the direction you’re headed, having a resume and cover letter will be an important part of your application process.

Why are these documents important?

• They are your chance to  make a positive first impression . You will be judged on the quality of your documents and paying attention to detail matters.
• They  tell your story  by demonstrating your skills, experiences, and accomplishments.
• They can help you  get to the next step  in the hiring process, such as obtaining an interview. Although you don’t need to communicate everything, plan to share enough so the reader clearly knows what you have to offer.

Use the resources below as a guideline to create your first resume and cover letter or tailor the ones you already have.

Career Videos

Chat gpt for job search: job description and resumes ; this content is restricted to certain users. please login or sign up to see if you are eligible to view this content., career resources.

Explore our curated selection of job and internship platforms, each handpicked to suit your professional needs.

Consulting Insights: Resumes for Consulting

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Video: Storytelling through interviews, cover letters and personal statements

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Improve your storytelling skills for multiple job search methods

Video: Rewording your resume

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Use language skills to update your resume and impress the recruiter

Healthcare Consulting Resume Sample

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Cover Letter Sample

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Resume Samples Book

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• 01 Occupation Description
• 02 Employment Trends
• 03 Top Employers
• 04 Education Levels
• 05 Annual Earnings
• 06 Technical Skills
• 07 Core Competencies
• 08 Job Titles

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