how to write an application letter for a office assistant

Office Assistant cover letter examples

Try the CV builder 

You’ve got an impressive array of administrative and transferable skills that make you the ideal candidate for an office assistant.

Now you’ve got to put your communication skills to the test and write an engaging and persuasive cover letter that will grab the recruiter’s attention.

Below, we’ve put together our expert advice to guide you through the writing process, complete with some office assistant cover letter examples.

CV templates 

Office Assistant cover letter example 1

Build your CV now 

Office Assistant cover letter example 2

Office Assistant cover letter example 3

The example cover letters here should give you a good general idea on how your Office Assistant cover letter should be formatted and written.

The rest of this guide gives more specific guidance on how to create your own cover letter in this format, and even includes some templates you can copy and paste.

How to write a Office Assistant cover letter

Here’s how to write your own winning Office Assistant cover letter

Write your cover letter in the body of an email/message

When writing your Office Assistant cover letter, it’s best to type the content into the body of your email (or the job site messaging system) and not to attach the cover letter as a separate document.

This ensures that your cover letter gets seen as soon as a recruiter or employer opens your message.

If you attach the cover letter as a document, you’re making the reader go through an unnecessary step of opening the document before reading it.

If it’s in the body of the message itself, it will be seen instantly, which hugely increases the chances of it being read.

Start with a friendly greeting

To kick your cover letter off, start with a friendly greeting to build rapport with the recruiter instantly.

Your greeting should be personable but professional. Not too casual, but not too formal either

Go with something like…

• Hi [insert recruiter name]
• Hi [insert department/team name]

Avoid old-fashioned greetings like “Dear sir/madam ” unless applying to very formal companies.

How to find the contact’s name?

Addressing the recruitment contact by name is an excellent way to start building a strong relationship. If it is not listed in the job advert, try these methods to find it.

• Check out the company website and look at their  About page. If you see a hiring manager, HR person or internal recruiter, use their name. You could also try to figure out who would be your manager in the role and use their name.
• Head to LinkedIn , search for the company and scan through the list of employees. Most professionals are on LinkedIn these days, so this is a good bet.

Identify the role you are applying for

Now that you have warmed the recruiter up with a friendly greeting, firstly you need to let them know which role you are applying for.

Sometimes a recruitment consultant will be juggling 10 or 10 vacancies, so it’s important to specify which one you are applying to.

Give us much detail as possible (team/department, role title etc.) and paste in the reference number if you have one.

Here are some examples you can use.

• I am interested in applying for the role of Office Assistant with your company.
• I would like to apply for the role of Sales assistant (Ref: 40f57393)
• I would like to express my interest in the customer service vacancy within your retail department
• I saw your advert for an IT project manager on Reed and would like to apply for the role.

See also: CV examples – how to write a CV – CV profiles

Highlight your suitability

The sole objective of your cover letter is to motivate recruiters into to opening your CV. And you achieve this by quickly explaining your suitability to the roles you are applying for.

Take a look at the job descriptions you are applying to, and make note of the most important skills and qualifications being asked for.

Then, when crafting your cover letter, make your suitability the central focus.

Explain why you are the best qualified candidate, and why you are so well suited to carry out the job.

This will give recruiters all the encouragement they need to open your CV and consider you for the job.

Keep it short and sharp

It is best to keep your cover letter brief if you want to ensure you hold the attention of busy recruiters and hiring managers. A lengthy cover letter will probably not get read in full, so keep yours to around 3-6 sentences and save the real detail for your CV.

Remember the purpose of your cover letter is to quickly get recruiters to notice you and encourage them to open your CV, so it only needs to include the highlights of your experience.

Sign off professionally

To round of your cover letter, add a professional signature to the bottom, giving recruiters your vital contact information.

This not only gives various means of contacting you, it also looks really professional and shows that you know how to communicate in the workplace.

Include the following points;

• A friendly sign off – e.g. “Warm regards”
• Your full name
• Phone number (one you can answer quickly)
• Email address
• Profession title
• Professional social network – e.g. LinkedIn

Here is an example signature;

Warm regards,

Gerald Baker Senior Accountant 07887500404 [email protected] LinkedIn

Quick tip : To save yourself from having to write your signature every time you send a job application email, you can save it within your email drafts, or on a separate document that you could copy in.

What to include in your Office Assistant cover letter

Your Office Assistant cover letter will be unique to your situation, but there are certain content guidelines you should stick to for best results.

To attract and entice recruiters, stick with the following key subjects in your cover letter – adapting them to fit your profession and target jobs.

• Your professional experience – Employers will be keen to know if your experience is suitable for the job you are applying to, so provide a good summary of it in your cover letter.
• Your qualifications and education – Highlight your most relevant and high-level of qualification, especially if they are essential to the job.
• The positive impact you have made – Employers love to hear about the benefits you can bring to them, so shout about anything impressive you have done, such as saving money or improving processes.
• Your reasons for leaving – Use a few words of your cover letter to explain why you are leaving your current job and ensure you avoid any negative reasons.
• Your availability – Let recruiters know when you can start a new job . Are you immediately available, or do you have a month notice period?

Office Assistant cover letter templates

Copy and paste these Office Assistant cover letter templates to get a head start on your own.

Hello Debbie

I am writing to express my keen interest in the Junior Office Assistant vacancy at Green Giraffe, as advertised on Indeed. As an adaptable and detail-oriented individual with a strong work ethic, I am eager to contribute my skills and enthusiasm to drive your business operations.

Though I am at the beginning of my career, I have acquired foundational knowledge of office procedures, administrative tasks, and preparing meeting materials/agendas through a three-month internship at The Primary First Trust.

I have excellent communication skills, which allow me to professionally interact with colleagues and customers and has resulted in me in aiding the implementation of a filing system that lowered document retrieval time by 30%. Moreover, I played a role in achieving a 95% client response rate within 24 hours and assisted in the completion of five admin projects one day ahead of schedule on average.

Thank you for considering my application. I have attached my CV for your review and can be immediately available for an interview at your request.

Kind regards

Kirsty Brandich

Good day Helen

I am excited to apply for the Office Assistant role at HFC Ltd. With a 6-year successful track record of providing first-class administrative support and exceptional organisational capabilities, I am confident that I can contribute to the smooth functioning of your company.

Throughout my career as an Office Assistant at Imerys Minerals, I have used my skills to carry out clerical tasks, coordinate schedules and projects, and assure seamless office functions. I am proficient in responding to phone calls in a professional manner, managing emails, and maintaining accurate files. My strong attention to detail and ability to multitask have enabled me to thrive in fast-paced office environments, where I cut costs by 15% through strategic vendor negotiations and inventory control.

I pride myself in maintaining a spotless record in handling sensitive and confidential information to guarantee data security/compliance, while expanding my skillset through office-related training programmes, workshops, and seminars.

My CV further outlines my other achievements for your review. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for an interview, as I am immediately available.

Sheila Weaver

Good afternoon, Eva

I hope you are well. I am writing to you in connection to the available Senior Office Assistant role at Southern Tyre Ltd, as advertised on ZipRecruiter.

During my 10-year career working for Aspect Flooring as an Office Assistant, I have applied my skills in handling complex clerical duties, collaborating with team members in overseeing various office operations, tracking expenses, and supervising junior staff. I always communicate with clients, colleagues, and different departments via email or by phone in a courteous and professional manner. I effectively coordinate schedules, conduct research, and prepare reports for senior executives.

My strategic planning and problem-solving abilities have allowed me to simultaneously manage projects, where I showcased a proven record of implementing workflows which increased overall office productivity by 25%, boosting information sharing among staff by 40% through developing a new internal communication system. In addition, I recommended strategies that led to a 15% reduction in meeting duration and improved time allocation for core tasks.

I appreciate you reviewing my application and can be available for an interview at your convenience.

Jennifer Sheppard

Writing a strong attention-grabbing cover letter is a vital step in landing a good Office Assistant job.

Use the tips, strategies and examples above to get more responses from you job applications and start lining job interview up.

Good luck with your job search!

Build my resume

• Build a better resume in minutes
• Resume examples
• 2,000+ examples that work in 2024
• Resume templates
• Free templates for all levels
• Cover letters
• Cover letter generator
• It's like magic, we promise
• Cover letter examples
• Free downloads in Word & Docs

5 Office Assistant Cover Letter Examples Made for 2024 

• Office Assistant Cover Letter
• Office Assistant Cover Letter by Experience
• Office Assistant Cover Letter by Role
• Write Your Office Assistant Cover Letter

As an office assistant, you do everything from answering customers’ phone calls to taking down notes and ensuring their safe delivery. You probably also handle copies, scans, digital documents, and appointment calendars.

When writing a cover letter , how do you pack in all the value you bring, make it shine, and complement your office assistant resume ? How can you demonstrate to recruiters that you have the right skills for the job?

Don’t worry! We’ve helped plenty of people reach their preferred roles in the office environment with our 5 office assistant cover letter examples and free cover letter generator , which you can also use to build momentum.

Office Assistant Cover Letter Example

USE THIS TEMPLATE

Copy this text for your office assistant cover letter!

123 Fictional Avenue New York City, NY 10001 (123) 456-7890

October 20, 2023

James Smith JPMorgan Chase & Co. 123 Fictional Lane New York City, NY 10001

Dear Mr. Smith:

Fuelled by an enduring admiration for JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s relentless dedication to operational excellence and customer satisfaction, I am thrilled at the prospect of becoming your new office assistant. Not only am I driven by your pursuit of unparalleled proficiency, but I also bring a potent mix of organizational agility and cutting-edge tech savviness, ready to unleash these strengths to revolutionize your office operations.

In my quest to supercharge office productivity at New York’s bustling brokerage powerhouse, Instinet, I harnessed the power of the Microsoft Office Suite to restructure an overwhelming 2,378 crucial documents. This adrenaline-fueled overhaul catapulted document accessibility by a mind-blowing 46%. Not stopping there, my creative exploit of automated spreadsheet solutions turbo-charged report completion speed by an impressive 37%, turning productivity up to eleven.

When I dove headfirst into the high-velocity world of management consulting at Oliver Wyman, I proved adept at navigating the labyrinth of scheduling conflicts. Armed with a tactical arsenal of Google Calendar strategies, I successfully defused a 26% reduction in scheduling clashes while simultaneously amplifying meeting punctuality by 19%.

Entrusted with document management at the creative dynamo, Ogilvy, I engineered a unified documentation system that shattered previous limitations. Its effective implementation sliced document retrieval times by 33% and spurred a 17% productivity surge within the team, pushing the boundaries of what was thought possible.

Gripped by an understanding of the high stakes in the fast-paced JPMorgan Chase & Co. environment, I am exhilarated at injecting my all-out passion into upholding the globally renowned standard of excellence you have cultivated. With a pulse racing in anticipation, I am eager to step into the role of your office assistant. Thank you for considering my application. I am excited to discuss further how our synergy can inject a fresh, dynamic pulse into the JPMorgan Chase & Co. team.

Sofia Kowalski

Enclosures: Resume Application 2 letters of recommendation Academic transcript

Why this cover letter works

• Amplify these stories using numbers and familiarity with relevant tools to achieve a 17% surge in productivity, and 33% rise in document retrieval speed).

Pair Your Cover Letter with a Matching Office Assistant Resume

or download as PDF

Level up your cover letter game

Relax! We’ll do the heavy lifting to write your cover letter in seconds.

 Office Assistant No Experience Cover Letter Example

Microsoft Word

Google Docs

Block Format

Copy this text for your office assistant no experience cover letter!

123 Fictional Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90001 (123) 456-7890

Emma Johnson Warner Bros. Entertainment 123 Fictional Lane Los Angeles, CA 90001

Dear Ms. Johnson:

Amid a thrilling college project in supply chain management, a eureka moment sufficed when I realized the crucial role that mailroom services play in connecting people and businesses throughout Los Angeles. Brimming with enthusiasm, I am eager to electrify the mailroom clerk role at Warner Bros. Entertainment with my dynamic skills, thus fostering seamless communication and delivery.

A John Marshall High School project offered the perfect platform to refine my mail-sorting expertise. Like a maestro conducting a symphony, I orchestrated package organization and distribution. Harnessing the power of cutting-edge barcode scanning technology facilitated a 12% increase in efficiency.

On one occasion, I was assigned the essential task of managing the distribution of donated items. Employing a strategic labeling system, I outmaneuvered common missteps to record a 9% drop in delivery errors.

I also took charge of promotional materials distribution for the 24th Annual L.A. Cancer Challenge 5K Walk/Run, a Los Angeles-based fundraising event. I unleashed a powerhouse mail sorting and distribution strategy, rocketing distributions by 14% higher than in previous years.

Such experiences have armed me with the expertise and passion to create a profound impact on mailroom operations at Warner Bros. Entertainment. Let’s explore this exhilarating opportunity together. Thank you.

Alejandro Santos

• Consider, for example, a mailroom clerk role demanding proficiency in mail sorting and distribution. You could dedicate a section of your office assistant no experience cover letter to an instance where you helped distribute hard copies of promotional materials for a local event.

Medical Office Assistant Cover Letter Example

Copy this text for your medical office assistant cover letter!

123 Fictional Avenue Chicago, IL 60601 (123) 456-7890

Liam Williams Northwestern Medicine 123 Fictional Lane Chicago, IL 60601

Dear Mr. Williams:

From participating in pulsating health initiatives in the vibrant city of Chicago to navigating the challenges of a health informatics degree, I was captivated by the electric pulse of the healthcare industry. This experience ignited a fierce passion to seamlessly intertwine my encyclopedic knowledge with my zeal for compassionate patient care. I’m thrilled at the potential opportunity to channel this energy into Northwestern Medicine’s vibrant ecosystem as a medical office assistant.

My health IT role at Advocate Health Care allowed me to use my passion for health tech with clinical interactions. Across this thrilling ride, I managed patient records using A4medica, Electronic Health Record (EHR) software, propelling 98.4% accuracy in data input.

At Rush University Medical Center, I maintained medical records meticulously to ensure patient information was accurate and accessible. My proficiency in several EHR software like the racecars of healthcare – Epic and Cerner, fueled a 9% increase in retrieval efficiency. I have developed a deep understanding of the critical office management skills required in dynamic healthcare settings like Northwestern Medicine.

In the realm of medical office management, success demands the slick fusion of clinical understanding, IT expertise, and an unwavering commitment to patient service. At NorthShore University HealthSystem, a team under my leadership improved billing efficiency by 16%, powered purely by an intense understanding of medical coding and billing best practices.

My hands-on experience in Chicago’s healthcare landscape makes me ideally positioned to serve as a medical office assistant at Northwestern Medicine. I look forward to discussing how my skills can benefit your esteemed organization.

• You could use the reverse chronological order to highlight your skills gained and respective quantified impacts made in previous workplaces, starting from the most recent experience.

Post Office Clerk Assistant Cover Letter Example

Copy this for your post office clerk assistant cover letter!

123 Fictional Avenue Hilo, HI 96720 (123) 456-7890

November 10, 2024

Peter Andrews Hilo Post Office 123 Fictional Lane Hilo, HI 96720

Dear Mr. Andrews,

As an individual who aligns deeply with the Hilo Post Office’s mission to provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to all communities, I’m enthusiastic about contributing to a team so integral to sustaining this vital connection. My experience in administrative and customer service roles, combined with my passion for community engagement, will be beneficial in upholding the efficiency and reliability that the Hilo Post Office is known for.

One of my proudest achievements at Island Mailbox was modernizing our mailing operations. This initiative led to a notable 38% increase in mail processing speed and saved the company $22K annually by mitigating manual handling and augmenting productivity.

At MS Auto, I concentrated on refining customer service workflows. My involvement led to the invention of a novel tracking and response system that was adopted by our nine-person customer service team. This innovation trimmed response times by an average of two hours and propelled customer retention rates by 16% within a half-year span.

I’m proud to have also led a community initiative to assemble and dispatch 1,170+ care packages to service members abroad. Working alongside a devoted team of 22 volunteers, we successfully orchestrated this complex task over two months and raised more than $50,884 in donations.

I’m confident that an interview would further demonstrate the potential positive impacts of my addition to your team. Thank you for considering my application. Don’t hesitate to contact me as soon as possible to arrange a meeting.

Enclosures: 2 letters of recommendation

• A tailored opening statement such as, “As an individual who aligns deeply with Hilo Post Office’s mission to provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to all communities, and to remain connected with and committed to the public we serve…” for instance, grabs the recruiter’s attention right off the bat and showcases your enthusiasm for the role. You bet that will work to your advantage.

Student Office Assistant Cover Letter Example

Copy this for your student office assistant cover letter!

123 Fictional Avenue Honolulu, HI 96801 (123) 456-7890

Lucas Scott Hawaii Pacific University 123 Fictional Lane Honolulu, HI 96801

Dear Mr. Scott:

My first encounter with Hawaii Pacific University was during a high school campus tour. The vibrant student life and the dynamic academic environment left a lasting impression on me. Today, I’m thrilled to express my interest in the student office assistant position at Hawaii Pacific University. With my administrative tasks experience and enthusiasm for supporting a bustling educational setting, I’m eager to contribute to the university’s operations and assist fellow students in navigating their academic journeys.

A critical part of my document clerk stint at Watanabe Ing was digitizing data books. I was instrumental in developing a virtual document system that streamlined office operations and saved over 16 manual hours per week.

While working as a barista at Morning Brew Kaka’ako, I further solidified my customer service capabilities by engaging with a varied customer base, including assisting over 58 Spanish-speaking patrons weekly. This exposure didn’t just hone my communicative nuances; it also played a pivotal role in elevating our customer service rating from 4.2 to an impressive 4.8 out of 5.

My involvement in a French senior project, which included collaborating on research and video production, culminated in our project receiving acclamation at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF) with a Best Student Film Award. This venture into team collaboration and event management has equipped me with a robust foundation to contribute to departmental events.

My enthusiasm to lend my organizational and communicative abilities to Hawaii Pacific University couldn’t be more significant. I am excited to dive into a dialogue about how my past adventures perfectly mesh with what your department is looking for. Thank you for considering my application; I look forward to hearing from you.

Aisha Rahman

Enclosures: Resume Transcript 2 letters of recommendation

• We propose breaking down your why-I-am-awesome narration into 4-5 equally sized (or almost) paragraphs. The font has to be clear and easy on the eyes. Times New Roman, Helvetica, Calibri, Arial, and Georgia are great choices. Finally, keep everything to a single page; otherwise, you overwhelm the hiring manager with text. The goal is to keep them squarely focused on your competencies without getting sidetracked or bored.

Related cover letter examples

• Office assistant resume
• Office manager
• Administrative assistant
• Executive assistant
• Legal assistant

How to Write and Edit Your Office Assistant Cover Letter

Each office is different, and each version of your cover letter should be different to reflect the high points! You want to highlight what makes you a uniquely good fit for your job role, not just what makes you a great assistant in any office.

Revisit the job description and look for overlapping points of all sizes. Do you have the exact phone-heavy multitasking abilities the requirements call for? Does your expert background in database management make you an incredible hire at that tech company?

Writing your cover letter’s greeting and intro

Start your office assistant cover letter off strong by addressing its recipient by name! Generic greetings like “Dear Sir/Madam” are so outdated and unimpressive, so it’s worth the research it takes to find who you’re writing to.

Keep those research tabs open. You also want to hook your reader’s attention with your opener, so cite a couple of office equipment skills or personal traits that align you with the job role. Be specific and take care to avoid repeating yourself.

Why do you want this job? What qualifies you? What part of the company vision do you share? Is it their commitment to a seamless customer experience or an emphasis on reducing office inventory waste?

Just don’t use an informal opener like this with no name, specific skills, or compelling hook:

Yeah your office seems great so I wanted to reach out and talk about why I should work there. i’ve got lots of office skills so let’s talk about them.

Make sure you use a name, connect with company values, and give examples of what makes you desirable, like this opener does:

From participating in health initiatives in the vibrant city of Chicago to navigating the challenges of a health informatics degree, I was captivated by the electric pulse of the healthcare industry. This experience ignited a fierce passion to seamlessly intertwine my encyclopedic knowledge with my zeal for compassionate patient care. I’m thrilled at the potential opportunity to channel this energy into Northwestern Medicine’s vibrant ecosystem as a medical office assistant.

Writing paragraphs for the body

Now that you’ve introduced yourself to whoever is in charge of hiring at the office, it’s time to expand on your hook: What are some of your crowning achievements so far as an office assistant?

Did you benefit your previous employer by keeping everything organized and cutting down office inventory costs? How did you improve customer experiences and boost your business’ reputation?

Those key examples of how you made a difference in your field can completely transform your cover letter. And those examples need numbers! Include quantifiable data for reinforcement, like dollar amounts for inventory costs or positive customer feedback percentages.

And make sure these all tie back into the job description ! Don’t promote your experience in a dental office to an architectural company if you can afford to stick with examples that relate directly to your dream role as an office assistant!

Example of a good body paragraph to reference:

A John Marshall High School project offered the perfect platform to refine my mail-sorting expertise. Like a maestro conducting a symphony, I orchestrated a new package organization and distribution system: Harnessing the power of cutting-edge barcode scanning technology facilitated a 12% increase in efficiency.

Closing and signing off your cover letter

Just as you’d never hang up on someone who calls the front desk, you don’t want to leave your cover letter without a conclusion! What were some of those amazing office assistant skills again, and how did they help you achieve greatness?

Align these traits organically with the company’s values, reaffirming that you want the job, and they want to hire you! Don’t forget a call to action, either. You want to hear back again so that you can discuss more details on how you’re ideal to help elevate the company’s office team.

Say “thank you” to the reader for their time, either in your closing paragraph or in your professional signoff. If you don’t use it as your signoff, make sure you use a professional concluding line and sign with your full, real name.

Don’t close your cover letter informally and vaguely, like this:

Yep so there my qualifications are. Your company values sound great. Make sure you call me soon so I can plan around when to start at your office.

Instead, be specific and passionate with your closer and connect with specifics about the company on a personal level:

Wow, that one’s a winner!

Gripped by an understanding of the high stakes in the fast-paced JPMorgan Chase & Co. environment, I am exhilarated at injecting my all-out passion into upholding the globally-renowned standard of excellence you have cultivated. With a heartbeat raging in anticipation, I am eager to step into the role of your next office assistant. Thank you for considering my application. I am excited to discuss furher how our synergy can inject a fresh, dynamic pulse into the JPMorgan Chase & Co. team.

Cover Letter Tips for an Office Assistant

• Office assistants keep processes running smoothly and ensure tasks are completed on time. Whenever you can showcase examples of your efficiency in the workplace, it’ll make your impact stand out. For instance, you could write about using the Microsoft Office Suite to reorganize 1,000 crucial documents to make end-of-year reporting 66% more efficient.
• The modern workplace uses tons of technology for daily tasks, and you’ll need applicable knowledge in those programs as an office assistant. Review the job description to see what software each company uses and emphasize achievements using it in your cover letter, such as how you used Google Calendar to organize schedules 77% more accurately.
• In emails or other business correspondence, you probably aim to keep them concise to ensure the primary details are understandable. Do the same with your cover letter, emphasizing the most relevant abilities that each company is seeking, such as phone etiquette or coordinating Zoom meetings.
• Many office assistants answer phone calls or manage correspondence with key business clients. Providing evidence that you performed well on those tasks, like achieving excellent customer satisfaction scores or helping boost client retention rates, will make your abilities shine.

Circle back by that job description again, but really dig into the company website and any of their social media accounts you can find. That’s where you’ll find invaluable details about their company culture, writing tone, and work environment. Find where you align and talk about it!

Keep that touch light! You don’t want to overdo the look of your cover letter with any strange fonts or colors. Recruiters don’t have much time to spare, so they need to be able to skim your work quickly. Think clean, modern, and highly readable.

If you have them, yep! Just write “Enclosures:” at the bottom of your office assistant cover letter and list whatever you’re including. This list could be comprised of academic awards, professional recommendation letters, and of course, your initial application and resume!