What a cover letter actually needs to do
Before writing a single word, get clear on what a cover letter is not: it is not a second resume, it is not a declaration of passion, and it is not a summary of your career history. The hiring manager can see your resume; they don't need you to narrate it.
A cover letter has one job: give the hiring manager a specific reason to move you forward that they wouldn't get from your resume alone.
This means the cover letter should answer questions your resume can't:
- Why this specific role at this specific company?
- What's the context behind your most relevant achievement?
- How do you think about this kind of work?
- What makes you a better choice than the other 50 people who have the same credentials?
Who reads cover letters: surveys consistently show about 50% of hiring managers say they read cover letters and that it influences decisions. For senior roles, niche positions, and small companies, the rate is higher. For high-volume tech applications through ATS systems, lower. The practical implication: write a strong cover letter because it helps when read; don't obsess over it at the expense of applying to more relevant roles.
The non-negotiable: if the application asks for a cover letter, write one. A missing cover letter when one was requested is a disqualification at many companies — it's the easiest possible signal of low effort.
The structure: opening, body, close
A standard cover letter has three or four paragraphs. Each section has a defined purpose. Staying inside this structure doesn't limit you — it forces you to use every sentence intentionally.
Opening paragraph (50–75 words)
Role confirmation + your single strongest hook. Don't lead with "I am writing to apply for..." — that sentence says nothing about you and wastes the most-read sentence in the letter.
Body paragraph(s) (100–200 words)
Two to three specific proof points connecting your experience to the role requirements. One paragraph or two short paragraphs. Numbers wherever possible.
Company connection (30–50 words, optional but recommended)
One sentence of specific, genuine research about the company. Product, team, challenge, recent announcement. This is what separates a targeted letter from a template.
Closing paragraph (30–50 words)
Enthusiasm without sycophancy, availability confirmation, clear next step.
Total: 250–400 words, one page. For email applications: 150–200 words.
Opening paragraph: how to start a cover letter
Your opening sentence is the most important sentence in the letter. It determines whether a hiring manager continues reading. Here are the patterns that work — and the ones that don't.
Patterns that work:
*Lead with a specific result:*
"I've grown organic traffic from zero to 200,000 monthly visitors at two separate startups. I'd like to bring that approach to the SEO Lead role at [Company]."
*Lead with a direct value statement:*
"Reducing time-to-hire by 35% while improving offer acceptance rate is what I did at [Company] over 18 months. It's what I'd focus on in your Head of Talent Acquisition role."
*Lead with a specific connection to the company:*
"I've been following [Company]'s expansion into the European market for the past year — specifically the infrastructure challenges that come with multi-jurisdiction compliance. My background is exactly there."
Patterns that don't work:
*The standard opener (seen thousands of times):*
"I am writing to express my strong interest in the [Role] position at [Company]. I believe my skills and experience make me an ideal candidate."
*The passion opener (unfalsifiable and generic):*
"I have always been passionate about marketing and have been looking for an opportunity to join a company that shares my values."
*The discovery story (wastes the opening):*
"I came across your job posting on LinkedIn and was immediately intrigued by the opportunity."
The rule: your opening sentence should contain at least one specific fact — a number, a named technology, a defined outcome, or a specific reference to the company. If it contains no specific facts, rewrite it.
Body paragraphs: connecting your experience to the role
The body of your cover letter is where most candidates either win or lose the read. The most common mistake: describing what you did without connecting it to what the employer needs.
The proof point structure:
Every claim needs: what you did + what it produced + why it's relevant here.
*Weak:* "At my previous company I managed a team of engineers and oversaw product development."
*Strong:* "I led a team of 7 backend engineers shipping two major platform features per quarter. We reduced P0 bug rate by 60% over 12 months by introducing trunk-based development and mandatory code review. That reliability focus is directly relevant to [Company]'s stated goal of improving platform uptime."
How to find your 2–3 proof points:
1. Read the job description and highlight the 3 requirements they emphasise most
2. For each requirement, find your most relevant example
3. Write each example in the structure above: action + outcome + relevance
Should you use bullet points in a cover letter?
For 2–3 proof points, bullet formatting can work — it's easier to scan. The risk is that it makes your cover letter feel like a resume addendum rather than a letter. Use prose for senior roles and bullet points for roles where the hiring process is more transactional (high-volume, ATS-first).
What not to include in the body:
- A summary of your career in chronological order
- Skills lists (save those for the resume)
- Anything that begins "I am a team player / results-driven / passionate about..."
- Information the employer already has from your resume (titles, companies, dates)
Closing paragraph and what to check before you send
Closing paragraph:
Your close has three jobs: signal enthusiasm (without gushing), confirm your availability, and make the next step easy.
*Effective close:*
"I'm genuinely excited about the direction [Company] is taking with [specific initiative]. I'd welcome a conversation about how my background fits what you're building — available for a call any time this week. Reach me at [email] or [phone]."
*What to avoid in the close:*
- "Thank you for your time and consideration" — filler
- "I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience" — passive
- "I am confident that I would be an excellent addition to your team" — unsupported assertion
- A second summary of your qualifications — if you haven't made your case by the close, a summary won't fix it
Pre-send checklist:
- [ ] Is the hiring manager's name spelled correctly? (If you couldn't find a name, "Dear Hiring Manager" is acceptable; "Dear Sir/Madam" is not)
- [ ] Is the company name spelled correctly, including capitalisation?
- [ ] Does the opening sentence contain a specific fact?
- [ ] Are there at least 2 proof points with numbers or concrete outcomes?
- [ ] Is it under 400 words and one page?
- [ ] Have you removed any phrase starting with "I am passionate about" or "I am a team player"?
- [ ] Does the close include a clear contact method?
- [ ] Did you read it aloud? (Reads awkwardly when spoken = reads awkwardly when scanned)