Cover letters don’t have to be a chore, and your kid doesn’t need previous work experience to shine — we have proof! At BETA Camp, our students pick up skills and experiences that help them stand out and earn top-shelf opportunities without existing job history.

Our team has checked over 1,000 cover letters (and counting!) to help teens get into the colleges of their choice. 

We've seen it all and know what it takes to uncover the essential elements of a cover letter and disband the mystery for your kid. We’re here to help you uncover the essential elements of a cover letter and disband the mystery for your kid.

Plus, we'll provide examples, templates, and formatting tips your kid can use today to get a headstart on the job hunt. 

These tips and tricks will help your kid craft a cover letter they'll be proud of and give them confidence as they start their career. 

How to write a cover letter when you don’t have work experience

First things first: what is a cover letter? 

✔️ What it is: A chance to display relevant soft and hard skills (more on those shortly) and tie experiences to specific elements of a job opportunity. In short, it’s a place to shape the narrative for why you’re the ideal candidate for a role.

❌ What it’s not: Three paragraphs of loosely thrown together facts and generic sentiments copy-pasted from application to application, lacking research and specifics.

Of course, high school students typically will not have an abundance of work experience under their belt to use when writing their cover letters. But they can still create a narrative that shows their ability to excel in the role they’re applying for. 

In fact, a cover letter is really the best opportunity for your kid to shine a light on the experiences and skill sets they’ve gained outside of the working world.

The way to do this is by spotlighting the skills that your kid has learned via their experiences — these can be hard skills or soft skills:

Hard skills will look like: 

• Experience with project management software such as ClickUp or Asana 
• Budgeting experience in Excel or Google Sheets
• Hubspot marketing or sales certifications
• Coding abilities in Python or Java
• Design experience through Photoshop or Canva

These are skills gained from hands-on practice and application. In other words, they’re skills that relate to specific pain points and functions within a job. 

For example, if your kid builds a business at BETA Camp, they might pick up a number of hard skills through their experience, such as using budgeting software to manage their finances or working with Canva to design their logo. 

Soft skills are more along the lines of: 

• Problem-solving
• Attention to Detail
• Communication
• Leadership
• Time Management
• Adaptability

These are skills rooted in traits, attitudes, and mindsets applied in independent learning environments, friend groups, and group projects. These skills affect how you work and operate on a team. You may naturally learn soft skills from experiences that shape your outlook, but you can also choose to focus on developing certain soft skills depending on your needs.

For example, if your kid took a photography class, they likely picked up attention to detail. Or, if they took a debate class, they’re probably comfortable communicating their ideas and opinions. 

So even if your kid doesn’t have concrete work experience, they can still feature their skills on their cover letter:

🎨 Class projects are excellent opportunities for your kid to point to specific instances they used a soft or hard skill. If they’re taking advanced classes, they can leverage their forward-thinking and dedicated work ethic.

🏀 Sports can highlight a kid’s adaptability, their ability to be a team player, or their problem-solving skills in fast paced environments. 

🎭 Participating in clubs shows your kid’s leadership and time management skills, underlining how they balanced responsibilities between school, extracurricular activities, and home. 

The BIG mistake most high schoolers make that will lose them the best opportunities

A cover letter can show your kid is the most ideal candidate imaginable, but all of that could fall flat without one crucial step: Research. 🔎

Your kid needs to know the name of the person they’re sending their cover letter to (no “Dear Hiring Manager,” please!), the company’s mission, the specifics of the role they're applying for, and anything else they can find to demonstrate that they understand the position and align with the company mission.  

Your kid can find this information through the hiring manager's LinkedIn profile and the company’s social media and website. 

Writing an intriguing intro and a persuasive closing statement (more on those later) depends on how much your kid understands the company and person they’re contacting.

They may not be the most experienced candidate — but they can be the most knowledgeable.

Cover Letter Template for High Schoolers

‍

Cover Letter Template (Text Format)

Today’s Date]

[Your Name]

123 Your Address

Your City, State xxxxx

Your.name@gmail.com

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

[Hiring Managers Name]

456 Company Address

Company City, State xxxxx

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

Hiring.manager@gmail.com

Dear [Mr./Mrs./Ms./] [Hiring Managers last name],

My name is [Your Name], and I am a graduating senior at [Your School] passionate about [Position/Area of Interest]. Your posting for the position of [Position] on [Job Search platform] grabbed my attention. My academic and career goals align with [specifics from job description], and I am confident that I have the right skills for the job.

Alongside my experience in [specific area of interest] such as [relevant course/class/club], I served as [relevant position] at my school and strived to bring my best to the table every day. These activities led to some of my proudest accomplishments, including:

• Accomplishment #1
• Accomplishment #2
• Accomplishment #3

[Company name] is [specific fact about company mission], making it the ideal place to have an impact and [specific result tied to position]. My drive and willingness to learn have a proven track record of positive results, and I’d love to bring that energy to your team.

I’ve attached my resume, which outlines my relevant skills and experiences. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about my qualifications. I’d love to get a call on the calendar to discuss your company's needs in further detail.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Your.name@gmail.com

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

How to write a cover letter that will get you the job (+examples)

There are several key sections of a well-rounded cover letter that will grab a hiring manager’s attention and earn responses. Here’s how to master them all:

Header

A professional header should include the following: 

• Your name and contact information (home address, phone, email, etc.)
• The hiring manager's name and contact information

This information should sit in the top left corner for ease of reference and follow a consistent structure: 

Good:

[Your Name]

123 Your Address

Your City, State xxxxx

Your.name@gmail.com

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

Bad:

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

112 Street

Chicago, Illinois xxxxx

Alex Smith

Alex.smith@gmail.com 

Margaret Jones

456 Company Address

Company City, State xxxxx

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

Margaret.Jones@gmail.com

The above section varies the order of information, so it’s difficult to find the information you’re looking for.

Introduction

A solid introduction explains who you are, why you’re applying to the position, and how you found the position. It should also demonstrate enthusiasm for the role and the company. 

Good:

Dear Margaret Jones,

My name is Alex Smith, and I’m a senior student at Garden Grove High School passionate about improving edtech for K-12 students. Your posting for the position of Research Assistant on LinkedIn grabbed my attention. My academic and career goals align with contributing to comprehensive instructional design, and I am confident that I have the right skills for the job.

This applicant clearly researched the hiring manager and read the job description fully, allowing them to express genuine interest for the role.

Bad:

Dear Hiring Manager, 

I’m writing to inquire after the Research Assistant position because education is interesting to me. My name is Alex, and I think I’m a good fit for the role. My background supports the required skills and I’d like to learn more. 

In the above example, it’s clear the applicant didn’t do their research and may be “praying and spraying” applications, signaling a lack of investment. Their apathy comes through the text.

Body text

The primary body of a cover letter is where you hone in on specific skills you’ve acquired and projects you’ve completed, and connect them to aspects of the job description.

Good:

Alongside my experience in content development, such as developing lesson plans for pupils in my tutoring group, I served as the go-to for research advice at my school and strived to bring my best to the table every day. These activities led to some of my proudest accomplishments, including:

• Helping a classmate refine their research strategies and get their grades up, plus helping them find a love for learning
• Developing a well-received research system for myself and classmates that led us to winning top-marks for our assignments 
• Spreading awareness for banned books and championing for expanded libraries, leading to the school board reevaluating their consensus

EdTech Excellers is serious about transforming formative education, making it the ideal place to have an impact and bring the joy of learning to students. My drive and willingness to learn have a proven track record of positive results, and I’d love to bring that energy to your team.

This applicant tells a clear story about where their passion is, how they’ve leveraged that passion so far, and why they’re applying to this specific position. 

Bad:

From my time as a tutor and while working on research projects with friends, I’ve developed relevant skills in multiple projects throughout my academic career, such as:

• Teamwork
• Communication
• Project management

Your company has a great mission, making it the ideal place to have an impact and apply myself. I’d love to bring my passion for learning to your team.

These bullets are likely copy-pasted from a job description, and the information seems disconnected. They don’t paint a clear picture of why these skills make this applicant an ideal fit for the job, and lack credibility.

Conclusion

A conclusion should contain your thanks to the hiring manager, references to any attached documents, and a call to action, as below:

Good:

I’ve attached my resume, which outlines my relevant skills and experiences. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about my qualifications. I’d love to get a call on the calendar to discuss your company's needs in further detail. 

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Sincerely,

Alex

Alex.smith@gmail.com

(xxx) xxx-xxxx

This conclusion reaffirms the applicant's confidence and outlines clear next steps, alongside a formal but warm sign off. 

Bad:

I’m sure you're busy but I’m glad to answer any questions about my resume. Please reach out if needed. Thank you so much.

This gives off an aloof yet insecure tone and lacks professionalism. It also lacks a sign off. A conclusion needs to hold up the rest of the cover letter and leave a clear call to action that a hiring manager can follow through on. 

Personalizing the cover letter template

Our template — and pretty much most templates you’ll find — are meant to be jumping off points, not finish lines. If the fill in the blanks don’t match your needs, it’s okay to customize them to better suit your situation, background, and voice. 

As long as you keep the structure of the cover letter close to our recommendations, you can mold the body text to best meet your needs without worries. No need to stress!  

Formatting Tips

You want this cover letter looking clean, polished, and professional. Here are the basic bells and whistles you’ll want to use: 

Fonts: Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman

Font Size: 10-12 point

Length: One page, four paragraphs or fewer

Spacing: Single-spaced with an additional space between each section

Margins: One inch

Alignment: Left

Naming convention: First Name-Last Name-Cover-Letter, saved as a PDF for compatibility

Formatting is just as important as what the cover letter says. It’s a chance to further display yourself as a professional and is a glimpse into how you’ll communicate and conduct yourself as a team member. 

How to connect the job description to the cover letter

Making a cover letter as relevant to the position as possible means reading through the job description more than once. Pay attention to the details — find the clear connections between your experience and the job responsibilities. 

For example, if the job description says something like:

➡️ “Must be comfortable interacting with customers.” 

Or

➡️ “Should be comfortable handling support tickets.”

You can reference a time you served someone through community work, fundraising, or even selling Girl Scout cookies or popcorn through Boy Scouts door-to-door. 

Don’t be afraid to get creative, but be careful not to fabricate or exaggerate. You can draw these connections without stepping outside of the facts. 

You can also include keywords from the job description to rank higher in hiring software. That means if the description mentions a certain software or skill, you can write your cover letter with those in mind and be sure to mention them.

If these tips provide your kid with a helpful leg up to stand out from the sea of more experienced applicants, starting their own business at BETA Camp equips them with a neon sign on top of that. 

They can blaze a path to their next opportunity with a real-world project in their pocket. 🔥