How to Write Relocation Cover Letter |Template

Do you need to write a relocation cover letter? Relocating to a new city, state, or country for a job or for other personal reasons is one of the many challenges job seekers face. However, this might be an exciting experience for some people, nevertheless, you will need financial and mental ability to make such a big jump.

If you are reading this, then we assume you have landed a job that requires you to move and you have taken the big decision and you are just looking to write a relocation letter to make the big move.

First, to impress your potential employer and prove that you have the abilities needed for your position, consider you regardless of where you live.

Further in this article, we will explain what a relocation letter is as well as guide you on how to write a relocation letter that works whether you are relocating for a job or for other personal reasons.

What is a Relocation Cover Letter?

A relocation cover letter is usually a one-page document summary to let your potential employer know you plan to move to their area for a job. As stated earlier, it is a summary of your qualifications that lets your potential employer know you are the best candidate for the position.

While your resume contains the detailed version of your qualifications, your resume letter if well written, can cause your potential employer to read your resume regardless of your current location.

Why Write a Relocation Cover Letter?

Why do you need to write a relocation cover letter? 

While on the journey of your job search, you might find that your dream job requires that you will relocate, a relocation cover letter serves to show your potential employer that you are the best candidate for the position and that you are ready to move for the job.

There are tons of reasons to move for a job in another state or country. According to this survey, 44% of people search for jobs in other countries for better pay and perks.

Family and other personal reasons follow this. Also, 17% of people consider the cost of living and career advancement as the top factor in their decision to move for a job.

While you get the relocation cover letter template, check out How to Write an Entry Level Cover Letter| Sample Templates.

Is a Relocation Cover Letter Important?

If you are asking if it is compulsory to write a relocation cover letter for a job in another country, then the answer is yes, unless you are not willing to take the job.

Basically, a relocation cover serves two primary purposes:

• Inform – to inform your potential or new employee about the terms of the relocation.

• Motivate: to motivate your potential or new employee to trust that you are the perfect candidate for the position and further show that you have positive feelings and are excited about your new position and relocation.

What Should Be in Relocation Cover Letter?

Like an internship cover letter, a relocation cover letter has some basic requirements or content that should be found. A relocation cover letter must communicate the legal details of your transfer and have the potential to inspire excitement in the mind of your potential employer.

It must be formal and communicate the exact terms of your new position. This includes specifying your expected start dates and other essential pertinent details.

Furthermore, the remaining part of your relocation cover letter should show your agreement to move, your enthusiasm, and your excitement for your relocation and position.

What Should You Know Before Writing a Relocation Cover Letter?

Writing a relocation cover letter and other cover letters might seem an easy task. However, you have to understand that yours is not the only cover letter to be read.

There are tons of other people submitting third, and the trick to getting yours read and your CV/resume and be considered for your relocation, you have to implement the following tips in this section.

Below is a list of what you should know before writing a relocation cover letter that stands out.

1. Don’t duplicate your resume on your relocation cover letter

If your potential employer needed you to rehash your resume on your cover letter, ten there wouldn’t be a need to attach your resume to your cover letter. Your cover letter must be more than restating the things on your resume.

Your cover letter is the first impression your potential employer has of you. It is your way to promote yourself before your potential employer moves to your resume. 

You should describe your ambitions, enthusiasm for your new job, and relocation on your cover letter.

Here are a few ways to do that – the important functions of your cover letter

• It relates your skills and experiences to the job description and required qualifications.
• It expresses why you love to have the position in question
• While on this, ensure you comment on the company’s key leadership or mission. This shows that you have researched about the company.
• Finish with a call for action (CTA). This invites your potential employee to follow up with as regards the opportunity.

2. Say more using fewer words on your relocation cover letter

By all means, economize your words as employers usually have tons of documents and other applications to go through with such a short attention span.

The best way to ensure you achieve this is by dedicating a particular paragraph to an important discussion. You can divide your relocation cover letter into a three-paragraph format and begin the first with an attention-grabbing introduction expressing your enthusiasm and excitement about the company, your position, and relocation and your willingness to do so.

This paragraph could communicate your top skills, attributes, and accomplishments as well as explain why and how you are qualified for the role.

Finally, communicate ways you can add value to the company and start the immediate next step by saying you would like to follow up on the opportunity with a call or an interview.

3. Sell yourself on your relocation cover letter

Although it is encouraged that you communicate your best skills and accomplishments on your cover letter, be careful so that you don’t sound too proud and end up communicating skills and accomplishments you cannot prove.

You can sell your best skills by mentioning projects you have worked on that qualify you as the ideal candidate for the position.

4. Address the hiring manager or the person to read

One of the gravest mistakes people make in writing their cover letter is addressing it to ‘To Who it May Concern’ or ‘Dear Employer.’

Address your relocation cover letter to the hiring manager. In the case of any confusion and when there is no name or position to address to, contact the company or organization and ask for the name or title to address to.

5. Keywords are important on your relocation cover letter

Keywords are not only more important for web content but also for your cover letters. Having known this, it is important to use keywords of your position or job description in your cover letter.

This is because most employers use resume-filtering software that scans for keywords and evaluates how related your resume, as well as your relocation cover letter, are to the skills and experiences required for the position.

If you are moving for a job, your relocation cover letter should contain keywords and key phrases in the job description.

Now that you know the things to make your relocation cover letter stand out, this will be followed up by a shortlist of things ‘dont’s.’ That is, you should never do things in your relocation cover letter.

The Don’ts of Writing a Relocation Cover Letter

While it is important to know the things to do or put in a relocation cover letter as well as all other kinds of a cover letter like a career change cover letter, it is also important you know the ‘don’ts’ of writing a relocation cover letter.

1. Don’t share too much

Basically, it is important to show that you have the right personality, however, be careful and ensure that it all boils down to your career and the position in the company.

2. Bragging too much

It is okay to brag but ensure you don’t overdo it. Your relocation cover letter is an avenue to put up your best skills backed up by the qualifications in your resume. It’s not a place to brag.

3. Be careful with demands

Generally, every employer is more interested in what values you can offer to the company. So, to ensure you put yourself in a good light, ensure you communicate these values and avoid making demands. Avoid citing salary demands in your cover letter and other demands.

4. Ignoring Instructions

Unless your relocation or job ad does not show how you are to submit your resume and cover letter, do not do it your way.

Some employers ask employees to attach both resume and cover letters as documents to the email. In contrast, some others prefer attaching resumes and writing a cover letter in the email’s body.

In the end, ensure you read through your cover letter for errors and make corrections before submitting it.

Now that you understand what a relocation cover letter is as well as what and not should be in a relocation cover letter, let’s get right into how to write a relocation cover letter.

How to Write Relocation Cover Letter

This section explains how to write a relocation cover letter. Ensure you follow the steps to write a relocation cover letter that works.

1. State Your Reasons for Relocating

Basically, your relocation letter must communicate the main reasons you are moving to a new place.

Your relocation cover letter must highlight exactly why you plan on moving someplace new. The more convincing your reasons are, the more persuasive your cover letter will be.

Typically, your relocation will be considered based on your real-life situation. Ensure your reason is convincing enough. This is because your application letter will not be considered if you do not have an actual reason enough to move and also if you do not plan to stay for long when you have moved.

The trick is to emphasize the word ‘permanent’ in your relocation cover letter.

2. Specify Your Relevant Experience

Your next paragraph can contain your relevant experiences with the job description and requirements. Write about the outcomes of your experiences and then show how they make you the best-qualified candidate for the position.

3. Show You’ve Done Your Research

You must not have already visited a city or country to apply to move to the country. However, you must have to do some research to know about the country, from the official language, cost of living and everything else that you will need to know about a new place you want to move to.

4. Writing Your Contact Details

The argument surrounding whether or not it is right to add your current address in your relocation letter has been long ongoing. However, we recommend that you do not include your current address unless you have been asked to.

Most times, people avoid using their current addresses for fear of being rejected by employers who might think they are far away.

Even better, if you are applying by email, your mailing address is not needed.

5. Specify the Ties You Have to the New Area

This is usually a strong addition to your relocation cover letter. This is because most employers fear that employees can move, work for some time only to find that they do not like their new relocation and get frustrated or decide to go back.

This will cause the company the trouble of reopening the position and going through new applications.

The trick here is to assure your potential employer that it will not happen. The best way to do this is to mention your ties to the new area.

6. Explain how you can interview

Generally, an interview is required, however, the issue with out-of-town jobs most times is that your potential employer is not sure how you would want to interview.

Most employers are used to the conventional or in-person interview process. So, it is up to you to let them know you can interview remotely. You do not expect them to know or suggest that to you.

You could say in your cover letter,

“I am available to interview by phone, FaceTime, Skype, or any other platform that is convenient for you…”

7. Say you are open for an in-person visit

Although not compulsory, this next step is why the example in the previous tip ended with an ellipsis.

Oftentimes, employers do not end their interviews on Skype. So, they want to know if you will be open to an in-person visit if the situation calls for it before you land the position.

It is important that you specify that you can because they may never ask. You can say,

“I’m open to traveling to (your desired destination) for an in-person meeting should there be mutual interest.”

Now, this could be tricky as you might want to mention who will pay for the travel. By all means, avoid talking about money or making demands on your relocation cover letter.

Not to worry, if there is a mutual interest, you will have more leverage to ask for travel expenses.

8. Specify a Timeframe

If you are relocating for a job, you must give the company a time frame of when you can start your job if selected for the position.

You could write ‘I am available to start immediately,’ if you are sure you can, if not, then give an exact date.

Also, you should specify if you can interview before you move or after. In most cases, interviewing remotely is usually the option. You need to specify that you can.

9. Summarise and proofread

Your relocation cover letter should end with a summary of your qualifications, an iteration of why you are relocating as well as how excited and enthusiastic you are about the role and about moving.

Then, you can end with closers like “Regards” or “Sincerely” and then sign your name underneath along with any credentials.

Relocation Cover Letter Template

[Date] [Employer] [Address]

Re: [Job position you’re applying for]

Dear [hiring manager],

[Express your excitement for the position that you are relocating for and the reasons you are] [Why the position, as well as the job, is important to you and important reasons you’re relocating] [Your previous experiences, skills, and accomplishments related to the required job skills, qualifications, or requirements and examples of the outcomes from your skills and accomplishments and how they can add value to the company] [here, you add any extra example of relevant skills or credentials that are critical to the job] [Here, you conclude, summarizing your relevant qualifications, why you are relocating, and an invitation to talk and how you want to interview. Also, you can include your time frame for the company] [Closing] [Name] [Position] [Current company]

Note: the position and current company at the end of the cover letter are not compulsory unless requested.

Conclusion

Writing a relocation cover letter is part of the challenges of relocating for work. However, our guide, as well as our template, is all you need to know to write a relocation cover letter that works. All you need to do is to follow the steps carefully.

We wish you the best!

FAQs

References

• Indeed.com – How to Write a Relocation Cover Letter
• Resumegenius.com

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