When writing your product manager cover letter, demonstrate your ability to set product strategies that serve both customer needs and company goals. Express your interest in the hiring organization or its goods and services, and cite your relevant skills, such as resource allocation or stakeholder relations.
This guide will help you write a cover letter that gets you interviews for your next job as a product manager.
Product Manager Cover Letter Templates and Examples
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
How To Write a Product Manager Cover Letter
A good product manager cover letter usually has five sections, outlined below. When possible, connect each section to your defining skills and the organization’s hiring needs. The following advice and examples show what to include in your cover letter so it’s optimized for each job application.
1. Heading
At the top of the page, include your resume contact header, the date, and any basic contact details you have about your recipient. To set a clear focus, add the title product manager to your contact header. You can then modify your title to align with each job posting. For instance, you could use the title senior product manager if that’s closer to the role you’re after and still accurate to your experience.
(Note: Feel free to omit this section if you send your letter by email and your contact details are part of your email signature.)
Example
David Taylor
Product Manager | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | 123 Main St., New York, NY 12345
February 12, 2024
Celia Logan
Senior Hiring Manager
ABC Technologies
(987) 654-3210
[email protected]
2. Salutation
Whenever you can, address your recipient by name – it’s the quickest way to signal you’re sending a job-specific letter and not a boilerplate. If you can’t find the recipient’s name, use a variation of “Dear Hiring Manager” so your greeting is still tailored somewhat to each job opening.
Examples
Dear Mr. Smith,
Dear JDM Services Hiring Manager:
3. “Hook” or introduction
To catch the reader’s attention, start your letter with a quantified example of your success as a product manager and strategist. What’s a key way you’ve led product development to grow company revenue, penetrate markets, or meet new consumer needs? In the product manager cover letter example below, see how the “110%” figure stands out and gives an added layer of detail to the applicant’s first impression.
Example
During the last financial quarter, I met and exceeded all of my revenue targets by 110%. I achieved this through a combination of hard work and listening to customers’ requirements.
4. Body paragraph(s)
Use the main section of your letter to explain why this product manager job or employer interests you. For example, maybe it centers on solutions for medical facilities, a sector in which you have plenty of experience. Or the company has a philosophy around product innovation that aligns with your own.
Following this explanation, cite a few more of your key achievements or qualifications, possibly as bullet points.
Example
I see Oceanside Technical wants to increase its medical product line and push sales in the medical industry. The majority of the products that I worked with at Cutting Edge Technologies were aimed at the medical field, and I worked in custom designing solutions for hospitals.
I have three years of experience in product management, and in that time, I have:
- Collected data from over 200 clients to fuel new and innovative designs
- Expanded market share by representing the company at events and meetings
- Worked on six new product launches
- Increased revenue each quarter by remaining focused on the clients’ requirements
5. Call to action
Finally, request an interview for the position. Consider restating your ability to guide and develop successful products. To end your cover letter, use a simple closing like “Sincerely” or “Best regards” and then your name.
Example
I’d like to set up an interview to discuss how my experience and competencies make me a good fit for your team. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Best Regards,
William Harris
Product Manager Cover Letter Tips
1. Highlight your main strengths
As part of your body text, add a short list of bullet points to show your success in other key work areas for a product manager, like data analysis or cross-functional collaboration. Start each bullet point with a strong action verb. Specifically, use verbs that reflect the strategic nature of your role, like “Guided,” “Aligned,” “Coordinated,” or “Refocused.”
Example
Some of my principal accomplishments include:
- Efficiently gathering information from various teams, analyzing the data, and succinctly summarizing the findings to be shared with stakeholders and management
- Coordinated project strategy and execution of products from concept to launch, including a top-selling product that generated over $9 million since 2018
- Recruited and developed a high-performing team of 11 market consultants to fill product gaps and promote the product
2. Keep it concise
Limit your cover letter to one page, or around 250 words. Resist the urge to tell your whole career story, even if you have an extensive background as a product manager. Give just enough detail to pique hiring managers’ interest so they look closely at your resume.
3. Speak to the company's strategic goals
An effective cover letter doesn’t just give facts about your past, it also shows your excitement for the future. What direction is the hiring company headed? Does the job posting reveal its short- or long-term business goals? Speak to those goals and how you see yourself advancing them as a product manager, and you’ll give your cover letter the engaged and confident tone it needs to stand out.
Example
I see ABC Technologies is looking to expand its market share in the medical industry. I have over 16 years of experience overseeing the development of medical products from the initial idea conception to product delivery. In my current position at XYZ Design, I am directly involved in designing custom solutions for medical facilities, and I have a number of contacts in the industry.
Product Manager Text-Only Cover Letter Templates and Examples
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
William Harris
Product Manager | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | 22 Main St., Topeka, KS 09876
March 1, 2024
Brad Smith
Hiring Manager
JDM Services
(987) 654-3210
[email protected]
Dear Mr. Smith,
Leading cross-functional teams to execute product development resulting in a yearly revenue increase of $1.2 million through increased engagement is one of my greatest achievements as a product manager. I am eager to bring that same level of success to JDM Services.
With eight years of experience, I am drawn to JDM Services’ high standards, commitment to lifelong learning, and reputation for autonomy for employees.
Some of my principal accomplishments include:
- Efficiently gathering information from various teams, analyzing the data, and succinctly summarizing the findings to be shared with stakeholders and management
- Coordinated project strategy and execution of products from concept to launch, including a top-selling product that generated over $9 million since 2018
- Recruited and developed a high-performing team of 11 market consultants to fill product gaps and promote the product
I’d like to set up an interview to discuss how my experience and competencies make me a good fit for your team. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Best Regards,
William Harris
Product Manager Cover Letter Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really need a cover letter for my job search?-
Yes, in most cases. Job postings today usually require or allow you to send a cover letter along with your resume. While not every hiring manager reads or prioritizes them, a well-crafted letter can only help you stand out from other applicants. It will also help you clarify what points to emphasize during the interview.
How do I make my cover letter stand out?-
By explaining why the specific employer, product set, or job opening interests you. These details distinguish the cover letter from your resume and other application materials. They also set you apart from the many applicants who send a boilerplate letter.
What should my cover letter's design look like?-
Your resume's. Carry over all of that document’s basic format settings, like font style, line spacing, and page margins. When you style your cover letter like your resume, you make your application more cohesive and memorable.
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