Sending a cover letter with your resume is a positive way to introduce yourself to a potential employer. Even though a cover letter is only one or two paragraphs long, it helps a hiring manager assess your personality and job interests. When you write a cover letter, use present tense for your current employment and past tense for previous work experiences.
Present Tense for Current Positions
Present tense best describes current and potential employment in a cover letter. Because present tense is here-and-now, it makes your cover letter more relevant to immediate job openings. When you introduce yourself and write about your interest in a job opening, state something in present tense, such as "I have a degree in early education and am interested in your second grade primary teacher position" rather than "I got my degree in early education and would be interested in your second grade primary teacher position." Present tense sounds more professional and rolls of the tongue with linguistic ease.
Past Tense for Previous Work
If you discuss previous work experiences in your cover letter to support job-related qualifications, use the past tense. Otherwise, a hiring manager might think you're still performing those tasks and wonder if you're immediately available for hire. For example, you might write "I developed a new filing system for maintaining patient records, so my administrative skills are beneficial to the job requirements." Your previous work developing a filing system is written in past tense, but it's future application for the current job is written in present tense.
Avoid Passive Voice
When you use the present or the past tense in a cover letter, avoid writing with a passive voice. Short sentences, such as "There is expertise I can offer," "I could supervise a team," or "Your position would fit my skills," are written with the passive voice and sound awkward and speculative. Be direct and specific and state your intentions confidently. For example: "I have seven years of computer programming experience," "I supervised a marketing team for a new client" or "My multitasking abilities are well-suited to the receptionist job."
Maintain consistency with your present and past verb tenses throughout your cover letter. Don't mix the present participle with the past tense and avoid verb clauses, such as "have worked," "have studied" and "have learned." There's no need to include a helping verb. Maintaining fluidity throughout your cover letter will help it stand out as a professional and well constructed example of your writing style.
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