How To Write A Cold-contact Cover Letter

This is when you would write a cold-contact cover letter, to make contact with a company even though they might not be advertising for staff.

Read our article, which includes a useful example cold-contact cover letter, to see how to construct the perfect intro to your dream job.

So, what IS a cold-contact cover letter?

First off, it’s worth knowing there are several names for a cold-contact cover letter, including cold cover letter, blind cover letter, unsolicited cover letter, speculative letter, letter of interest, letter of enquiry, and prospecting cover letter. Phew!

Like a standard cover letter, you would send a cold-contact cover letter to an employer along with your CV. The difference is that you are writing to a ‘cold’ contact – ie a company that has not solicited your letter via a job advert or invitation to apply. Instead, you are approaching a company out of the blue to introduce yourself, outline your skills, and find out if they might be interested in meeting you with a view to giving you a job.

Why send a cold-contact cover letter?

There are many reasons for approaching a company that isn’t actively hiring or looking for anyone right now. You might be looking for a job, and having no luck so far. You might have a job and be desperate to leave. You might have a job and be quite happy, but you are thinking ahead to how you want your career to develop.

Approaching a company that isn’t advertising is the same as applying for a job that doesn’t exist. That might seem crazy but, in fact, it demonstrates that you’re not afraid of taking the initiative. It also shows you are optimistic, enthusiastic, innovative and prepared to take a risk. What employer wouldn’t value those qualities?

What’s the worst that could happen if you send a cold-contact cover letter?

Here are some possible outcomes of sending a cold-contact cover letter:

You get no response.
You get a response saying: thanks for your letter but we aren’t hiring at present.
You impress a prospective employer, and they remember your name next time they are hiring.
You impress a prospective employer so much that they invite you in for a chat and ultimately offer you a job.

As you see, the worst that can happen is that you get no response. So if you really like a company and want to work there, you have nothing to lose by approaching them first.

How to approach the task of writing a cold-contact letter

The very first thing, of course, is to have a company or companies in mind that you want to apply to.

If not, and you’re simply looking to get a dream job (or, to be honest, any job) then you need to have a look around and find your ideal place to work.

There is a famous saying:

“If you find a job you love, you’ll never work again.”

It’s worth keeping this in mind. There are people out there being paid to do jobs they truly love. Think of the professional at your local golf club, for example, or the nanny who loves being with children. Or the educator born to teach.

There’s no reason you shouldn’t be one of these lucky people.

Do a little research online and on social media to identify companies that could meet your passions or ambitions.

Do your research!

So, your initial research has helped you identify a potential company or companies that, at first glance, look like they fit the bill.

Now you need to dig a bit deeper and research the company you have identified, to ensure they have roles that you could fulfil. Look at their business, departments, hiring patterns and online reviews from people who have worked there.

A Google search for the role you want along with the company name might throw up an old advert for a similar job there (the internet rarely forgets!). The job advert might be old and the post has probably been filled, but now you know that the job exists.

Seek out their competitors, too, the latest trends in their sector and any relevant news as well. This will all help when crafting your cold-contact cover letter.

You’ll also need to identify who to address your application to. LinkedIn or the company website are good places to start. Companies House is also a good resource for directors’ names if you can’t find them elsewhere.