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Your cover letter often serves as your introduction to a potential employer. While not all
recruiters or hiring managers will take the time to read your letter, a well-written cover letter
could mean the difference between a hiring manager looking at your resume and considering an
interview or moving on to the next candidate for those who do. For a role you’re passionate
about, it’s worth the extra effort.
If you’re looking for your first job as a data analyst, whether you’re just out of school or
switching careers, you may be wondering what to include in your cover letter. Even if you don’t
have previous experience in a data analyst role, you likely still bring transferable skills that can
benefit you (and your employer) in your work as a data analyst.
In this article, we'll walk through a sample cover letter for an entry-level data analyst job, then
go step by step through what you should include in each paragraph of your own cover letter.
We’ll wrap up with some tips and best practices to make your cover letter stand out.
Entry-level data analyst cover letter sample
Before we get into the specifics of what to include in your cover letter, it may be helpful to look
at an example. Feel free to use this sample cover letter as a template to customize your own
version.
[Today’s date]
[Hiring manager’s name]
[Company address]
[Company phone number]
[Hiring manager email]
• Automated repetitive restaurant payroll and accounting tasks with Python, freeing up three
hours per week
• Completed a case study using point-of-sales data from the restaurant to optimize our menu
and pricing, leading to a revenue increase of 10 percent
• Completed the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate, which included extensive
coursework in both SQL and R
I’m thrilled at the opportunity to use these experiences to fuel data-driven decisions at
Corelight, and I’m keen to continue developing my skill set on the job. I am available for a
Zoom call or in-person meeting to discuss how I can help Corelight with improving market
product performance through data.
Thank you for your consideration,
Cindy Liu, Data Analyst
What to include in a data analyst cover letter
Now that you’ve seen an example of what a data analyst cover letter might look like, let’s
take a closer look at what to include in your own cover letter. Cover letters should typically fit on
a single page and include three key paragraphs.
TIP: Complement your resume with additional information.
Resist the temptation to rehash the same bullet list of accomplishments. Instead, use this as an
opportunity to highlight what the reader should look for in your resume. If your resume lists
Python as a skill, your cover letter is your chance to tell a story about how you’ve applied it to
solve a problem.
First paragraph: Introduce yourself
Begin your letter by addressing the hiring manager by name if you have that information. Your
first paragraph is your opportunity to introduce yourself and introduce the value you can bring
to the company. In this paragraph, be sure to state clearly: