“Why Should We Hire You” Interview Question: How to Answer
Why should we hire you? Why are you a great candidate for this job? Those are tough but common interview questions. Here's how to answer them right.
You’re about to systematize an office manager cover letter.
From scheduling this thing to organizing that thing to coordinating the other thing, you’re the office administrator they’ve been praying for.
Here’s the other other thing—
They don’t know it yet.
To prove it to them, write a cover letter for office administrators as efficiently smooth as the tight ship you run.
Don’t worry.
This office manager cover letter guide will show you:
- Office manager cover letter examples better than 9 out of 10 others.
- How to write a perfect cover letter office manager employers love.
- Tips on how to grab their attention with a great office administrator cover letter.
- How to sell yourself on a cover letter to get the office jobs you want.
Want to write your cover letter fast? Use our cover letter builder. Choose from 20+ professional cover letter templates that match your resume. See actionable examples and get expert tips along the way.
Sample cover letter for a resume—See more cover letter examples and create your cover letter here.
Want to double-check your office manager resume to be sure that’s on point? Here’s our guide on that: Office Manager Resume: Sample & Complete Guide.
Also here are some office- and management-related cover letter guides for similar positions:
- Manager Cover Letter Sample
- Store Manager Cover Letter Sample
- Administrative Cover Letter Sample
- Marketing Manager Cover Letter Sample
- Product Manager Cover Letter Sample
- Operations Manager Cover Letter Sample
- Office Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Administrative Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Secretary Cover Letter Sample
- Accounting Cover Letter Sample
- Front Desk Cover Letter Sample
- Receptionist Cover Letter Sample
- Restaurant Manager Cover Letter Sample
- Hospitality Cover Letter Sample
- Human Resources Cover Letter Sample
Want to explore your options further? See our full selection of cover letter examples for every career: Cover Letter Examples.
Now, here’s our take on the perfect cover letter for office manager jobs:
Office Manager Cover Letter Sample
Keito Kawata
3834 Mahlon Street
Edison, NJ 08817
March 15, 2019
Inga Artemyeva
Hiring Manager
Tribeca Media Partners, LLC
233 Broadway, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10279
Dear Inga,
As a recent recipient of a Bachelor’s Degree in Office Administration and Technology, I was delighted to see your advertisement for a new office manager. While studying at night, I handled the administrative duties for a medium-sized firm during daytime hours, and I’ve become adept at organizing meetings, managing payroll, liaising with vendors, and filing company documents. I know I have what it takes to help usher Tribeca Media into the coming years.
During my administrative studies and throughout my time at Crown Heights Consultants, I learned and developed many secretarial skills and office admin-related abilities which would translate perfectly into the office manager role at Tribeca Media. My extensive experience with implementing daily office routines, manning the receptionist desk, and prioritizing company requirements gives me a great jumping-off point.
A few of my wins at CHC include:
- Replaced vendors and office supplies for a 35% reduction in expenditure.
- Negotiated with tech vendor to replace all staff laptops at a 15% discount, leading to a 25% increase in employee productivity.
- Instituted new payroll method for a $7,000 savings in monthly fees and state taxes.
As these few accomplishments show, I am quite fond of the admin duties I am tasked with, from filling out paperwork to keeping the office in shape. If granted the chance to supervise the office for Tribeca Media, I’ll bring that same drive and dedication.
I’m eager to learn more about Tribeca Media’s upcoming plans and to discuss how my prior wins at CHC will segue perfectly into your office manager position.
Sincerely,
Keito Kawata
P.S. I’d love to meet for a tea and chat about how I am certain my $7,000 monthly cost savings could be replicated and improved at Tribeca Media.
How about that?
Writing an office cover letter as solid as your administrative skills is way easier than you think. Read on to learn more!
1
Pick the Best Format for an Office Manager Cover Letter
Before you can manage an office effectively, you need to plan schedules, outline responsibilities, and establish routines.
It’s the same here—
Prior to writing your office administration cover letter, a solid structure needs to be in place.
Here’s a sample office manager cover letter outline to follow:
Office Manager Cover Letter Format—Example Template
- Your contact information
- The date of writing
- The office address details
- An opening greeting
- A compelling introductory statement
- A paragraph on why you’re the perfect office hire
- A paragraph on why this office job is ideal for you
- A closing sentiment and call to action
- A complimentary close and your full name
- An optional postscript after your signature
Keep your cover letter for office jobs in order to put a smile on the hiring manager’s mug.
Depending on experience, stay between 200 to 300 words in the written portion.
That holds true whether you’re writing a dental office manager cover letter or a business office manager cover letter.
To read more about choosing the best administrative cover letter components, see this article: What to Include in a Cover Letter?
2
Start With an Office Manager Cover Letter Intro HR Managers Love
Here’s some data to file away:
Administrative services managers and office supervisor jobs are expected to grow by 10% between 2016 and 2026 in the US alone.
Those 28,500 new office jobs mean a lot of competition for you.
So—
Make them as excited to meet you as office employees on payday by beginning with a damn-good cover letter opening.
Start with their name.
According to science, a brain’s left hemisphere lights up like Times Square when they hear their own name—first name, especially.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Office Manager Cover Letter Example—Salutation
| wrong |
|---|
| Dear sir or madam, |
| right |
|---|
| Dear Inga, |
Easy as a Nespresso machine!
To find their name, look at the company’s website or hit up LinkedIn. If you think you need to be more formal, at least use their last name: Dear Ms. Artemyeva.
Can’t find a name?
No worries.
Choose a neutral cover letter salutation, like Dear Hiring Manager. They’ll appreciate that more than To whom it may concern!
Don’t care for Dear? Not able to find a name? We’ve got other options for various scenarios: How to Start a Cover Letter: Sample & Guide [20+ Examples]
Now, the intro statement.
In any Monday-morning company meeting, a good speaker will capture employees’ attentions with pep, verve, and energy.
Do the same in your office administrator cover letter opening:
Sample Cover Letter for Office Manager Examples—Introductions
| wrong |
|---|
| Hello, I am Keito. I’m interested in applying for the desk job you just posted on Craigslist. I am very experienced in offices, have many office admin skills, and am hard-working, results-driven, detail-oriented, and responsible. |
| right |
|---|
| As a recent recipient of an Associates Degree in Office Administration, I was delighted to see your advertisement for a new office manager. As a night student, I handled the administrative duties for a medium-sized firm during the daytime hours, and I’ve become adept at organizing meetings, managing payroll, liaising with vendors, and filing company documents. I know I have what it takes to help usher Tribeca Media into the coming years. |
That first one is full of jargon, impersonal, and generic to a fault—
The hiring manager’s eyes will glaze over, while your application goes straight to “File 13.”
In the right one, though, you excite them with a glimpse into your experience, skills, and background. On top of that, it’s enthusiastic, hopeful, and personalized.
You’ll have the whole office prairie dogging from their cubicles when the manager lets out a whoop of joy!
Pro Tip: No generic cover letters! When they aren’t customized for the specific position, they are spam. We all hate spam. So, tailor the cover letter for this one job. Applying for more than one job? Write another tailored cover letter!
There are other ways to go about your medical office manager cover letter or office management cover letter introduction statement. For more ideas, see: How to Make a Cover Letter: Sample & Guide [20+ Examples]
3
Write a Great Middle for Your Cover Letter for Office Managers
As an office manager, you define the term multitasker.
So—
Put it to good use by writing an office cover letter body which stands out on multiple levels.
Here’s what to cover in the body’s two or three paragraphs:
- Explain why you’re the best office manager candidate for the job.
- Detail your background and explain how it matches their requirements, using the office manager job descriptions on your resume as inspiration.
- Show you have excellent communication skills and managerial abilities.
- Give real-life examples of administrative wins from your past.
- Let them know you would be thrilled to work at this particular company.
Here’s a sample office manager cover letter body:
Cover Letter Office Manager Example—Body Paragraphs
During my administrative studies and throughout my time at Crown Heights Consultants, I learned and developed many secretarial skills and office admin-related abilities which would translate perfectly into the office manager role at Tribeca Media. My extensive experience with implementing office routines and prioritizing backlog gives me a great jumping-off point.
A few of my wins at CHC include:
- Replaced vendors and office supplies for a 35% reduction in expenditure.
- Negotiated with tech vendor to replace all staff laptops at a 15% discount, leading to a 25% increase in employee productivity.
- Instituted new payroll method for a $7,000 savings in monthly fees and state taxes.
As the few accomplishments show, I am quite fond of the admin duties I am tasked with, from greeting guests and employees to filling out paperwork to keeping the office in shape. If granted the chance to manage the office for Tribeca Media, I’ll bring that same drive and dedication.
The term “golden goose” has got nothing on you!
This body section is just over 150 words long, but it will definitely satisfy any HR manager with the detailed skills, background, experience, and achievements.
Whether you’re applying to be a boutique hotel front desk manager or the office supervisor of an international corporation, follow this formula!
Pro Tip: As you did on your office manager resume, use keywords here, as well. Follow wording you see in the job description to maximize impact. Also, choose the best fonts to keep your office management cover letter legible!
Need more ideas on how to tweak these middle bits? We’ve got all the cover letter dos and don’ts here: 35+ Professional Cover Letter Tips and Advice
4
How to Close Office Administrator Cover Letters Like a Boss
As an office manager, finishing up your day means tidying up loose ends, setting the alarm, and locking up behind you.
On an office administrator cover letter, it’s similar—
If you don’t properly close it out, you leave the door open to other candidates coming in after you and stealing the job away.
So, here’s how to end a cover letter right:
Office Manager Cover Letter Examples—Closing Paragraph
| wrong |
|---|
| I await your reply by phone or email at your earliest convenience. |
| right |
|---|
| I’m eager to learn more about Tribeca Media’s upcoming plans and to discuss how my prior wins at CHC will segue perfectly into your office manager position. |
The first example is curt and detached—
It’s Dilbert-like dysfunction.
The other one, though, closes it out beautifully. It shows enthusiasm while reminding them that your background makes you the ideal applicant.
A barn burner, for sure!
Next up—
The closing sentiment and your name:
Sample Cover Letter Office Administrator—Valediction
Sincerely,
Keito Kawata
Nothin’ to it.
And lastly but not leastly, the postscript.
A P.S. below your autograph isn’t necessary on an office administration cover letter.
However—
It gives you a great opportunity to grab their attention one last time.
Here’s an example:
Office Supervisor Cover Letter Samples—Postscript
P.S. I’d love to meet for a tea and chat about how I am certain my $7,000 monthly cost savings could be replicated and improved at Tribeca Media.
See that?
This postscript humanizes the office cover letter, while also pulling a double-shift by reminding them of one of your proudest accomplishments.
Now stick a fork in it.
Pro Tip: You’re probably not turning in the dead tree edition of your office admin resume and cover letter, so choose PDF over Microsoft Word when attaching it to an email. The PDF format ensures it renders correctly, no matter which device HR views it on.
Looking for more ideas on how to close out a front office cover letter? We’ve a great guide right here: How to End a Cover Letter: Sample & Complete Guide [+20 Examples]
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Key Takeaway
Writing a cover letter for office managers, admins, and desk jockeys is not like eating the frog, right?
Let’s tally it all up.
Here’s how to write a cover letter for office jobs:
- Format the office admin cover letter template to be easily readable.
- Start with a captivating cover letter introduction to whet their appetite.
- Give them a brief glimpse into your work and educational background.
- Prove you’re the ideal office job candidate with numbered accomplishments.
- List several of your key office admin skills, receptionist abilities, and know-how.
- Close your office manager cover letter by tying it all together correctly.
- Optionally, add a postscript below your signature to grab their attention once more.
Now THAT’S an office administration cover letter they’ll replace Pam Beesly over!
Have any questions on how to write a cover letter for office supervisors? Not sure how to talk up your management skills, secretarial experience, or office achievements? Get at us in the comments below, and we’ll answer your questions. Thanks for reading!
