How to write a cover letter that gets read

What a cover letter is for

A cover letter is a short note that goes with your resume. Its job is to connect your experience to one specific role, in your own voice. Your resume lists what you did. Your letter explains why it matters to this employer.

A good letter is about 250 to 350 words, which fits on a single page with space around the text. Most readers will give it less than a minute, so each paragraph has to earn its place. If a sentence would work in a letter to any company, cut it or make it specific.

Before you write: gather three things

First, read the job posting twice and note the three or four things the employer cares about most. Second, find one fact about the company, such as a product, a project, a value or a recent announcement that you can honestly say interests you. Third, choose two or three achievements from your history that match the needs you noted.

This preparation takes fifteen minutes and makes the writing fast. Without it, most people drift into general statements like "I am a hard working team player", which tell the reader nothing.

If you can find the name of the hiring manager, use it. A search on the company website or professional networking profiles often turns it up. If you cannot find a name, "Dear Hiring Team" is fine.

The structure, paragraph by paragraph

Start with a header: your name, email, phone number and city, then the date, then the recipient's name and company. Then follow this four part shape.

• Opening (2 to 3 sentences): name the role, say where you saw it, and give one reason you are a strong match.
• Proof (4 to 6 sentences): describe two or three achievements that relate to the posting, with numbers or concrete detail.
• Fit (2 to 3 sentences): explain why you want this employer in particular, using the company fact you found.
• Close (2 sentences): thank the reader, say you would welcome a conversation, and mention that your resume is attached.

A full sample letter

Here is a complete example for a fictional applicant. "Dear Ms. Alvarez, I am applying for the Office Coordinator role at Harbor Street School, which I found on your careers page. For the past three years I have run the front office at Brightside Dental, and I enjoy work where good organisation makes other people's days easier.

At Brightside I schedule appointments for four clinicians, manage supply orders of about 40 items a month and trained two new colleagues on our booking software. Last year I rebuilt our filing system, which cut the time to find a patient record from several minutes to under one. I would bring the same habits to a busy school office.

I was drawn to Harbor Street because of your after school reading programme, and I have volunteered with a similar literacy group on weekends. I would like to support the staff who make programmes like that run smoothly. Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the chance to talk, and my resume is attached. Sincerely, Daniel Mensah, daniel.mensah@example.com, +1 555 0100."

Adjusting the letter to your situation

If you have no work history, lean on school projects, volunteering, part time jobs and skills you have taught yourself. Be direct: "I have not held a full time role yet, but I organised a 200 person charity run and managed its budget." Honesty and specifics beat apologies.

If you are changing careers, use the opening to explain the link. Say what you did before, what draws you to the new field, and which skills carry over. A teacher moving into training, for example, can point to planning lessons, explaining hard ideas and handling difficult groups.

If you have an employment gap, you do not need to explain it in the letter unless it is relevant. A single honest sentence is enough if you choose to mention it. Then move on to what you can do.

Edit it down

Write a rough draft without stopping, then cut. Remove words like "very", "really" and "just". Replace long phrases with short ones: "in order to" becomes "to", and "I am writing to apply for" can become "I am applying for".

Read it aloud. If you stumble, your reader will too. Check that the company name and job title are right, because copying an old letter and forgetting to change them is a common and avoidable error.

Do not repeat your resume line by line. Pick the two or three best matches and tell them as a short story. The resume covers the rest.

Sending it

If the employer asks you to paste your letter into an email, put the greeting and body in the message itself and attach your resume. Use a clear subject line, such as "Application: Office Coordinator, Daniel Mensah". If you attach the letter as a file, save it as a PDF with your name in the file name.

Match the tone of the company. A bank may expect formal language, while a small design studio may welcome something warmer. In both cases, stay polite and plain.

If you want a ready made layout, the cover letter builder here has three layouts and starter paragraphs for common situations.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is writing about what you want instead of what you offer. "This role would be a great step for my career" is true, but the reader wants to know what they gain. Flip the sentence: "I can take over your weekly reporting and free your team for other work."

Another is length. A letter that runs to a page and a half hides its best points. If you are over one page, cut the weakest paragraph first, not the strongest.

A third is copying a template without changing it. Hiring managers read many letters and can spot generic phrases quickly. If a sentence could be pasted into any other application without edits, replace it with something only you could say.

Finally, proofread. A spelling mistake in a letter that claims attention to detail costs you more than almost any other slip. Read it aloud, then ask someone else to read it too.