How to Name-drop in a Cover Letter

It's not bad practice to name-drop in a cover letter. In fact, if someone has referred you to the position, or has recommended you for it and asked you to put in an application, name-dropping in a cover letter could be the best thing you do for your application.

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# Should I Name-drop in a Cover Letter
# How to Name-drop and Tips for Name-dropping
# Examples of Name-dropping in a Cover Letter
# How to Name-drop in a PDF Cover Letter

Name-drop in a Cover Letter Template

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Should I Name-drop in a Cover Letter

There are pros and cons of name-dropping in a cover letter. Name-dropping gives your potential new employer a reference to go to for your application. When you're name-dropping in a cover letter, the recruiting manager of the company will be able to seek out the person that you mention in your cover letter to ask them about your professional relationship and previous experience.

However, name-dropping correctly takes some tact. You'll need to be able to slip in the name that you're dropping without it being too obvious or drawing too much attention to it. The name-drop should be subtle. This guide will show you how to name-drop in a cover letter without it seeming out-of-place or unprofessional.

How to Name-drop and Tips for Name-dropping

When you're name-dropping in a cover letter, make sure the person whose name you're using has given permission for the name-drop, or has referred you to the job position and pushed you to apply. Similarly, make sure that the recruiting manager knows who your contact at the company is. Name-dropping a random employee won't really get you anywhere, if you're going to name-drop in a cover letter, mention someone of good standing in the company, who you know has a good relationship with the managerial staff. If they're part of the managerial staff, that's even better.

There are a few ways to name-drop in a cover letter, but one of the easiest is during the beginning of the cover letter, when you're introducing yourself and telling the recruiting manager what position you're applying to. Instead of writing "I am interested in applying to the XXXX position...", you could write "On the recommendation of XXXX I am applying to the XXXX role at your company."

The quick example above is the simplest way to name-drop in a cover letter, and because it's at the beginning of the cover letter, the recruiting manager will be able to make a note of the name and move on to the rest of your application before finding out more information from the employee or staff member that you've name-dropped.

Don't fall over yourself trying to make the person whose name you're dropping sound important. If the manager knows who they are, then they will discuss your application with them very briefly. Having an internal contract does help your application, but it won't guarantee that you'll get the job over the other applicants. Name-dropping just means that you'll have another reference, outside of the ones that you've named on your application, to speak for you and attest to your skills and experience.

If you're going to use your contact's name in a more in-depth or complex way, let them see your cover letter before you send it. They have a right to know what you're saying about them before a recruiting manager sees it, and they are completely in control of what they're okay with when it comes to being named in your cover letter as a reference.

Don't rely on name-dropping in a cover letter to secure you a job position. At best, it might get you an interview, but you'll earn the job role on skill, experience, and personality. Employers want someone who will fit the role and the team and aren't looking to hand out positions to anyone they feel isn't right for it just because they know a contact at the company.

Examples of Name-dropping in a Cover Letter

As mentioned above, there are many ways to name-drop in a cover letter. Below are two examples of ways that name-dropping in cover letters can work.

"Dear Mr. Yates,
On the recommendation of Peter Jones, the HR Manager at your company, Blue Fin Inc., I would like to apply for the position of Sales Executive advertised on your website's career page."
In this example, you would name-drop at the beginning of your cover letter. It adds a professional tone to the letter, and lets the manager know that you have a good amount of knowledge about the company.
"In a previous role with Yellow Light International, I worked under Dr. Tiana Reign, who I believe now works within your managerial team. In this position, I headed several projects, and I believe that the skills I gained in leadership and project management would..."
In this example, the name-drop would be later on in the cover letter, when talking about job experience, but it's obvious that the applicant knows a current employee at the company and cites that they have worked with them before.
Either option is a viable way to name-drop in a cover letter, and will help you when you're figuring out how to name-drop in a cover letter in the best way.

How to Name-drop in a PDF Cover Letter

If you are preparing a PDF cover letter, our professional PDF cover letter templates will be your best choice. After downloading the template in this page, you just need to edit the content with a professional PDF editor: Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor Wondershare PDFelement Wondershare PDFelement. This PDF software will help you edit and customize the PDF template into your own awesome cover letter.