What Is a Speculative Cover Letter?
Who should i send my speculative cover letter to, what to include in a speculative cover letter, example speculative cover letter, what happens next, tips for writing your speculative cover letter, final thoughts, how to write a speculative cover letter.
Updated October 11, 2023
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A speculative cover letter is sent to apply for or enquire about a job that is not currently being advertised.
You should consider making a speculative job application if you are:
- Actively looking for a new job role
- Trying to find a work experience placement
- Thinking about making a career move
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Sending a speculative job application can be an effective way to show you are keen, motivated and committed to your career goals .
Remember, even if the company you send your speculative cover letter to doesn’t have any current job vacancies, opening a dialogue with them could help to ensure you are at the top of the list when a suitable vacancy comes up in the future.
Much like a standard cover letter , a speculative cover letter accompanies your CV when you are applying for a job. However, a speculative cover letter is different from a standard cover letter in a few ways.
Standard cover letters are usually sent when applying for an advertised vacancy and should be tailored to that vacancy. In contrast, a speculative cover letter is sent to apply for a job that has not been advertised.
Standard cover letters need to be highly focused on niche or specialist skills that are outlined in a job description or person specification.
In contrast, a speculative cover letter should:
- Give details of your relevant transferable skills
- Outline your past work experience
- Demonstrate why you would be a good fit for the company
As with any cover letter, a well written speculative cover letter will provide you with the opportunity to engage with the recipient and start building up a positive rapport.
Where possible, try to send your speculative job application to a particular person, rather than a generic department.
If you are not sure of the name of the person you should send your speculative cover letter to, have a look at the employer’s website. Try to find out the name of the manager for the department you are interested in working for.
Alternatively, you could call the HR department to find out the name of the department manager.
Sending your speculative cover letter to a specific person will help to ensure your letter is read by the most appropriate employee or department. It will also show that you have carried out some background research into the company and its current employees.
You can choose to send a speculative cover letter by email or by letter. The advantage of a letter is that it will land on somebody’s desk, making it harder to ignore.
Your speculative cover letter will need to be both engaging and informative.
As you are not writing to apply for one particular job role, you will need to provide an overview of the skills and experience that you have gained so far. A speculative job application aims to show the employer that you are a good all-rounder, not just a specialist in one single area.
Whilst a speculative cover letter is not tailored to a particular job role, it will need to be written specifically for an employer. So, if you are planning to send out more than one speculative job application, you will need to adjust each letter accordingly.
A speculative cover letter will need to include the following information:
A brief outline of the type of job role you would be interested in applying for
Information on your existing skills and experience and how these could be of benefit to the business
An outline of the reasons why you would like to work for the business
A closing summary to reiterate what you would be able to offer to the business
An assertive, confident call to action to end the letter; for example, ‘I look forward to hearing from you soon’, instead of, ‘I hope to hear from you soon’
When writing your speculative cover letter, try not to repeat the information contained within your CV.
Don’t forget to include your name, address and contact details (including your mobile telephone number and email address).
If you are unable to find out the specific manager’s name, start your letter with ‘ Dear Sir/Madam ’ and close it with ‘ Yours faithfully ’.
If you have managed to find a named person to send the letter to, you can start your letter with ‘ Dear [Name] ’ and close the letter with ‘ Yours sincerely ’.
Here is an outline of what your speculative cover letter should look like. This speculative cover letter template is for a person who wants to make an application to a legal firm.
Jane Laws 1 The Street Townford TR17 9NQ 01234 567891 [email protected] Mrs D Judge Legal Practice London W3 2QQ Dear Mrs Judge I would like to enquire whether you have any current administrative vacancies within your firm. Please find enclosed my CV, which outlines the experience I have gained during my career to date. Having worked as a legal secretary for the past five years, I have demonstrated my commitment to providing high-quality legal administration services. I have a sound working knowledge of industry terminology and legal working practices. I am proud that my dedication and commitment to my work has been recognised through a recent nomination for the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs ‘Legal PA of the Year Award’. My experience to date has been gained through working for two small legal practices. While this has been both challenging and enjoyable, I would like to develop my skills and experience further in a fast-paced, busy role. I understand your company is one of the largest legal practices in London with continuing plans for growth, making it the ideal place to pursue my future career objectives. As an administrative worker for your firm, I would strive to support your partners with high-quality secretarial support. I am a competent typist with a keen eye for detail and a proven ability to cope under pressure at all times. I would be delighted to have the opportunity to discuss my application with you in further detail. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours sincerely Jane Laws
After you post your speculative cover letter, you will need to be patient. You probably won’t hear anything straight away but, hopefully, the recipient of your letter will be in touch to discuss job vacancies you may be suitable for.
If you still haven’t heard anything back within two weeks, it is advisable to follow up with the employer directly, to check that they have received your letter.
If they say that they haven’t received it, ask them whether they would be happy for you to re-send it over to them. At this point, you could find out whether they would be happy for you to send it by email, as they will know to look out for it in their inbox.
Even if the manager says that there are no suitable vacancies available at the moment, you could still ask them to provide you with constructive feedback on your speculative job application. This will help you to improve any speculative applications you make in the future.
Step 1 . Do Your Research
Find out as much as you possibly can about the business you are planning to write to. For example:
- What is their mission statement?
- What are their values?
- What product or service do they provide?
- Who are their customers?
- Who are their main competitors?
- How many people do they employ?
- What are the must-have skills for employees?
The company website is a good place to start. You could also browse through relevant social media pages, press releases and industry-specific content like blogs or newsletters.
Use the information that you find to help you write your speculative job application. For example, if you already have a particular qualification or skill that they want all of their employees to have, make sure this is clearly stated within your application.
Or, if you find out that they are planning to expand or acquire another company, let them know if this is a process you have had experience with in the past.
Step 2 . Keep Your Speculative Cover Letter Short and Professional
It is important to keep your speculative cover letter short and to the point . Keep the content succinct and focused – doing so will help to ensure the recipient reads it and digests the information it contains.
A letter that is too long will probably end up in the waste paper bin before it has even been read.
To ensure your letter makes a good first impression, set it out formally, use an easy-to-read font (such as Calibri or Arial, size 11 or 12) and write a maximum of five short paragraphs.
Step 3 . Proofread
When making speculative job applications, your cover letter is the one opportunity you have to make a good impression. If the text is littered with spelling and grammar errors, this is unlikely to make the manager want to call you to discuss a potential job opening.
Make sure you proofread your letter thoroughly, and ask a friend or family member to check through it too.
If you are looking for ways to progress your career, there is no need for you to wait for the perfect job vacancy to be advertised online.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by sending out a speculative job application. After all, your employer of choice could be just waiting for somebody with your skills and experience to make contact with them.
By sending a speculative job application to your preferred employers, you will show them that you are confident, enthusiastic and willing to go the extra mile to achieve your career objectives.
Don’t forget, a speculative cover letter aims to show the employer why you would be a great addition to their existing team. Ensure your application gives an overview of your existing qualifications, skills and experience, and how this could help the business to achieve its goals.
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How To Write A Speculative Cover Letter With Template
Wondering how to write a speculative cover letter?
A speculative CV with an accompanying cover letter is a way of connecting with employers when they’re not advertising vacancies.
Speculative applications can have great results, and can also be an effective way of getting internships or work placements .
Lots of positions are filled without ever being advertised, so a speculative letter could be your way in.
Here’s how to write a speculative cover letter that strikes the right tone and helps you get your foot in the door.
We’ve also written a speculative cover letter template to show how to format and write your letter – this can be found at the bottom of the blog.
Start by researching thoroughly
Once you’ve found an organisation you’d like to work for, the first thing to do is research it thoroughly .
Find out everything you can about the organisation, its staff and the wider industry it operates in.
Most of the information you’ll need will be readily available from online sources, including:
- The organisation’s website
- Press releases published by the organisation
- Its LinkedIn page and social media profiles
- News articles relating to the organisation
- Industry-specific publications, newsletters or blogs
- Review sites like Glassdoor
The more knowledge you can arm yourself with, the better you’ll be able to work out how your skills, experience and interests could benefit the organisation, and how you’ll be the perfect fit for the company.
And remember, when writing a speculative cover letter, accuracy is key.
Misspelling the name of the organisation, its products or services or the addressee (ultimately the decision maker) could spell disaster for your speculative letter.
Know who you’re talking to
Research the organisation’s staff list carefully to find out who to address your letter to. This may be:
- The managing director, if it’s a smaller firm
- A head of department
- The hiring manager
- A member of the HR department
It’s absolutely crucial that you address the letter to a specific person. ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ or ‘To whom it may concern’ won’t score you any points, especially if they have their name in their email address.
Mention early on or at the end of the letter that you’ve attached your CV to the email, to encourage the reader to look at this after the cover letter.
Strike the right tone
It can be hard to judge how to write a speculative cover letter and what tone to use. In our opinion, it’s best to opt for a formal tone. You don’t know the person, so don’t be over-familiar.
Open with ‘Dear [person’s name]’, and avoid any informal chit-chat like ‘I hope you had a good weekend’. Keep your tone friendly but professional throughout, and close with ‘Yours sincerely’.
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Don’t apologise
You might think sending a speculative CV and cover letter will come across as pushy or presumptuous – but hiring managers are unlikely to see it that way.
Don’t be tempted to start with something apologetic like ‘I hope you don’t mind me contacting you unsolicited’.
There’s no need to apologise – a speculative application is evidence that you’re enthusiastic and proactive , rather than arrogant.
Get straight to the point
If you’re wondering about how to start a speculative cover letter, our top tip would be: get to the point!
Hiring managers are busy – so don’t waste their time. Too many speculative cover letters suffer from long, repetitive introductions, clichéd language and wordy explanations that are unlikely to be read.
Cut to the chase straight away. Say why you’re writing, and demonstrate how you can benefit the organisation with a few key highlights from your CV .
Get that cover letter written by us!
Cover letter, format your cover letter appropriately.
A formally laid out cover letter is likely to have a better chance of succeeding. Put your name, address and the date on the right at the top, and the addressee’s details on the left starting on the line below.
The purpose of a speculative job letter is to get the hiring manager to look at your CV – so give them a reason to read it with three or four solid points straight off the bat.
You could format these as bullet points to make them even easier to read.
Keep paragraphs short and snappy and try to keep your letter to around half a page, and definitely no more than one page.
Focus on the employer
When writing a speculative cover letter, you should say as much (if not more) about the organisation you’re writing to as you do about yourself.
Try not to start every paragraph with ‘I’. You want to communicate what you can do for the organisation and why you want to work there, so try to evidence the knowledge you gained through your research.
What challenges and opportunities is the organisation facing? Try to focus on the person reading the letter and their priorities, and give a few examples from your experience that show how you can meet them.
Avoid the hard sell. Some sources recommend ending with something like ‘I’ll be calling you next week to schedule an interview’, but this pushy approach may backfire.
End simply by expressing that you’d like the opportunity to continue the conversation. Specify how the hiring manager can contact you (by phone or at your email address, for example) followed by ‘I look forward to hearing from you’.
As always, check, check and check again for typos and grammatical errors. Get someone else to proofread it for you if you can.
If you don’t hear anything within a couple of weeks, it’s a good idea to follow up by email or phone . This will show perseverance and a real desire to work for the organisation.
It’s also an opportunity to ask for constructive feedback if you weren’t successful.
Speculative cover letter template
Below is an annotated speculative cover letter example to give you an idea of how to format and write the letter:
How to write a speculative cover letter: a summary
A speculative application can be a great way to engage with an organisation, and could get you one step closer to your dream job.
Even if the employer doesn’t have your perfect role open immediately, it could put you on their radar as someone to contact in the future.
We hope our guide has given you a better idea of how to write a speculative cover letter.
Remember, a cover letter acts as the bait to get hiring managers to read your CV – so make sure your accompanying CV is as good as it can be!
Need help crafting a kickass CV? Our tailor-made CVs showcase your best bits and set you head and shoulders above the job market competition. Find out more .
Want to know more about how to write a good standard cover letter? Go back to basics with these principles. You can see some examples of cover letters here , including a speculative cover letter example.
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