How to write an excellent humanities scientist cover letter
Humanities scientists dive deep into the details of our social history and evolution as a species, analyzing human behavior for the purpose of better understanding us as a whole. Earning a job as a humanities scientist will require you to write an excellent cover letter conveying your top skills and qualifications for the role.
In this guide, we cover 5 essential steps for writing a cover letter as a humanities scientist including formatting, writing tips, and more. Keep reading to learn how to:
- Craft a visually appealing header and headline on your cover letter
- Tailor your humanities scientist cover letter to each employer
- Convey your top qualities as a humanities scientist in your introduction
- Describe your skills and achievements as a humanities scientist
- Complete your humanities scientist cover letter persuasively
1. Craft a visually appealing header and headline on your cover letter
To start your humanities scientist cover letter, the first key step to take is to create your cover letter header and cover letter headline.
These elements serve the crucial purpose of giving your cover letter visual structure and appeal. Without a well-formatted header and headline, your cover letter can easily end up looking like one big block of text that an employer will struggle to visually navigate.
Your header is placed at the top of the page, either in the top-left or top-center, and should include:
- Your name and professional title
- Your professional contact information (only include contact information that you regularly check so that correspondence from employers is not lost or forgotten)
- The name of the company you are applying to
- The address of the company you are applying to
Here is an example of a well-formatted humanities scientist cover letter
Jane Doe, PhD., Humanities Scientist
(123) 456-7890 | janedoe@email.com | linkedin.com/in/jane-doe
To: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Humanities Department
1234 Street Address
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Next, you must create your cover letter headline. Think of this as a title to your cover letter that serves to grab the employer’s attention and compel them to continue reading.
Good headlines will contain active language and keywords that are specific to the position you are applying for.
Here is an example of a great headline from a humanities scientist cover letter
My Award-Winning Approach to Humanities Science & the Benefits it Offers to Your Institution
2. Tailor your humanities scientist cover letter to each employer
When writing a humanities scientist cover letter, you want to appeal to the human interest of the employer. To do so, you must tailor your letter to be specific to them and their needs.
Tailoring a cover letter is accomplished by first reading up on the employer and their company, looking for essential information such as company values, current projects or business partnerships, and other details you can directly reference in your letter.
Additionally, you should work to uncover who at the company is in charge of hiring and interviewing job applicants. Once you have discovered this, create a personalized greeting that addresses them by name.
Here are 3 examples of personalized humanities scientist cover letter greetings
- Dear Mr. Reginald Smith,
- Dear Head Humanities Scientist Reginald Smith,
- Dear Hiring Manager Kate Winslow,
3. Convey your top qualities as a humanities scientist in your introduction
With the employer’s attention now firmly on your cover letter thanks to your expertly written headline and personalized greeting, you can dive into writing your introduction.
A cover letter introduction should be short and sweet, highlighting the top reasons why you are the most qualified candidate for the role. This information should include:
- Your professional experience as a humanities scientist
- Your specialized areas of expertise
- A mutual acquaintance (when possible) — naming a mutual acquaintance helps you to establish a connection with the employer right away, as well as provide a trusted professional reference
Here is an example of a well-written humanities scientist cover letter introduction
Dear Head Humanities Scientist Reginald Smith,
I am a humanities scientist with 4+ years of experience researching the relationship between socio-economics and politics. As an award-winning researcher at my previous institution, I can bring a high level of expertise to your humanities department, particularly when it comes to conducting social experiments and projects. My former employer, Mr. Jack Harolds, is a former colleague of yours and sent along a professional recommendation for me for this position.
4. Describe your skills and achievements as a humanities scientist
Now that you have thoroughly introduced yourself to the employer, you will now move into describing your top skills and achievements in the field of humanities science.
As you describe these qualifications, you should strive to include information that is highly relevant and contextual to properly convey to the employer the professional value you have to offer.
Furthermore, you should include quantifiable details and data points whenever possible.
Here are 6 humanities scientist skills to describe in your cover letter
- Conducting and analyzing research
- Performing social surveys and experiments
- Specialized areas of expertise (sociology, politics, archaeology, etc.)
- Human psychology and behavior analysis
- Recordkeeping and organizational skills
- Report writing and research documentation
Here is an example of how to describe an accomplishment in a humanities scientist cover letter
As a humanities scientist at [Former Employer], I led a major project in collaboration with a local museum focused on the linguistic history of a highly diverse community. Using the research from this project, my team and I gained funding to build and establish a multi-lingual community center that improved the community’s language accessibility rating by more than 50%.
5. Conclude your humanities scientist cover letter persuasively
The final step in writing your humanities scientist cover letter is to conclude with a persuasive closing statement. Your goal is to convince the employer to not just contact you but to contact you as promptly as possible about the position.
In your conclusion, you should state:
- An enthusiastic sentence saying you are looking forward to hearing from them
- How and when you can best be contacted
- The best method for contacting you
- When you plan to follow up
- A formal sign-off
Here is an example of a persuasive conclusion from a humanities scientist cover letter
My thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to review my application and cover letter. I eagerly await your response and hope to hear from you by next Tuesday, at which time I will follow up regarding this position. The best way to reach me is by calling (123) 456-7890 on any weekday between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kind Regards,
[Applicant Name]
If you have ever wondered how a cover letter differs from a resume, this article will tell you everything about the key differences between the two.