[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-detail-262893-en":53,"doc-seo-262893-105":75},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":54},{"doc_id":55,"user_id":56,"nickname":57,"user_avatar":58,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":60,"doc_content":61,"file_id":62,"file_url":63,"file_type":64,"file_size":65,"view_count":40,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":66,"language":67,"language_code":68,"site_id":69,"html_lang":68,"table_of_contents":70,"faqs":71,"seo_title":72,"seo_description":60,"update_tm":73,"read_time":74},262893,8796095360427,"Lucas Martin","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","Writing Cover Letters for Government - Step-by-Step Guide","Writing cover letters for government positions requires more than a brief introduction; it functions as the hiring committee’s first view of qualifications and a personal statement of interests, writing skill, and fit. The guidance emphasizes thorough research into the agency, office, and actual work, then translating insights into a clear narrative explaining motivations and readiness. It also instructs structuring the letter for strong organization, coherent body paragraphs, and concise selection of the most relevant experiences.","Writing Cover Letters for Government  \n© 2018 The Writing Center at Georgetown Law. All Rights Reserved. 1  \nUnlike clerkship and law firm applications, applications to government positions often specifically require a cover letter or personal statement. A cover letter is the hiring committee’s first look at your qualifications—but it is also an introduction to your personality, your interests, and your skills as a writer.  \nBecause government hiring is relatively holistic, cover letters are usually given significant consideration. In other contexts, such as clerkship applications and applications to law firms, cover letters serve as a very brief introduction to your qualifications and interests. In the government context, cover letters are typically longer, more substantive, and play a larger role in hiring decisions.  \nSome applications limit the length, topic, or format of the cover letter—agencies occasionally provide a prompt, specify a page or word count, or give detailed formatting instructions. Because of this—and because no two applicants are identical—there is no formula or template for the perfect cover letter.  \nWhile a successful letter can take many forms, excellent letters will demonstrate that the applicant has a strong understanding of the position, a clear interest in the agency’s mission, and a commitment to public service—all while being concise, polished, and engaging.  \nStep 1: Research  \nBecause your cover letter should reflect a clear understanding of the position and the organization, your first step is to thoroughly research the agency, the office, and the job itself. Familiarize yourself with the agency’s stated mission and with what aspects of the work and culture are emphasized in recruitment material. This information can often be found on the agency’s website.2 Find out what type of work is actually done by  \n1 Prepared by Sabrina McCubbin, Spring 2018.  \n2 E.g. DEP’T OF HOMELAND SEC., Mission, [https://www.dhs.gov/mission](https://www.dhs.gov/mission); DEP’T OF TRANSP., About Us, [https://www.transportation.gov/mission/about-us](https://www.transportation.gov/mission/about-us).  \nlawyers in the position. In the case of honors programs, take note of how the agency structures rotations through different components.3  \nIf you can, talk to people who work at that agency (and preferably in the position you are applying to). Don’t ask how to get hired—ask them instead about what skills they think are most valuable, what type of assignments they have, and what they enjoy most about their job.  \nThe goal of your research is not to fill your cover letter with facts about the agency, but to help you pick the most relevant experiences to focus on, and to weave your understanding of the position into your letter. Doing this not only tells reader that you have a genuine interest in the job, but also demonstrates that you are thoughtful and detail-oriented.  \nStep 2: Develop a Narrative  \nBefore you get started with writing, reflect on why you want this job, and what you think makes you a strong candidate. In an interview, you will probably be asked some version of “why do you want to work here?” and “why should we hire you?” Think about the stories that you would to tell about yourself to answer these questions, and how you can weave these stories together to build a cohesive narrative.  \nFirst, what makes you want to work in this area of the law? If you had substantial experience in the area prior to law school, you might want to focus on why you chose to make the move to law. If you are new the field, you might want to discuss an internship that made you think that this was the right path for you, or a course that sparked your interest. If you are interested in government broadly, think about what draws you to public service, and what aspects of government work or culture appeal to you.  \nConsider how your experiences, during or before law school, prepare you for the position. You might have already gained","cbCaikV85hPGS0vv","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaikV85hPGS0vv","pdf",915440,10,"English","en",105,"# Writing Cover Letters for Government\n## Step 1: Research\n## Step 2: Develop a Narrative\n## Step 3: Build a Structure","[{\"question\":\"How should research influence a government cover letter?\",\"answer\":\"Research should help reflect a clear understanding of the position and organization, identify the most relevant experiences, and weave that understanding into the letter.\"},{\"question\":\"What narrative should an applicant develop before writing?\",\"answer\":\"An applicant should reflect on why they want the job, why they are a strong candidate, and how experiences during or before law school support motivations and goals.\"},{\"question\":\"How should the cover letter be structured for effective hiring evaluation?\",\"answer\":\"Start with an introduction and end with interest, thanks, and consideration, using 2–4 body paragraphs that highlight strengths coherently while avoiding a laundry list of experiences.\"}]","Writing Cover Letters for Government - Step-by-Step Guide | PDF",1789365645,4,{"code":4,"msg":76,"data":77},"ok",{"site_id":69,"language":68,"slug":78,"title":59,"keywords":79,"description":60,"schema_data":80,"social_meta":135,"head_meta":137,"extra_data":139,"updated_unix":140},"writing-cover-letters-for-government-step-by-step-guide","",{"@graph":81,"@context":134},[82,97,117],{"@type":83,"itemListElement":84},"BreadcrumbList",[85,89,92,95],{"item":86,"name":87,"@type":88,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":90,"name":10,"@type":88,"position":91},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":93,"name":41,"@type":88,"position":94},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":96,"name":59,"@type":88,"position":74},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/writing-cover-letters-for-government-step-by-step-guide/262893/",{"url":96,"name":59,"@type":98,"image":99,"author":104,"headline":59,"publisher":106,"fileFormat":109,"inLanguage":68,"description":60,"dateModified":110,"datePublished":111,"encodingFormat":109,"isAccessibleForFree":112,"interactionStatistic":113},"DigitalDocument",{"url":100,"@type":101,"width":102,"height":103},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/writing-cover-letters-for-government-step-by-step-guide/262893.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":57,"@type":105},"Person",{"url":86,"name":107,"@type":108},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-09-14",true,{"@type":114,"interactionType":115,"userInteractionCount":40},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":116},"ViewAction",{"@type":118,"mainEntity":119},"FAQPage",[120,126,130],{"name":121,"@type":122,"acceptedAnswer":123},"How should research influence a government cover letter?","Question",{"text":124,"@type":125},"Research should help reflect a clear understanding of the position and organization, identify the most relevant experiences, and weave that understanding into the letter.","Answer",{"name":127,"@type":122,"acceptedAnswer":128},"What narrative should an applicant develop before writing?",{"text":129,"@type":125},"An applicant should reflect on why they want the job, why they are a strong candidate, and how experiences during or before law school support motivations and goals.",{"name":131,"@type":122,"acceptedAnswer":132},"How should the cover letter be structured for effective hiring evaluation?",{"text":133,"@type":125},"Start with an introduction and end with interest, thanks, and consideration, using 2–4 body paragraphs that highlight strengths coherently while avoiding a laundry list of experiences.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":96,"og:type":136,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":107,"og:description":60},"article",{"robots":138,"canonical":96},"index,follow",{"doc_id":55,"site_id":69},1790727742]