Cover letters that actually get read
Most cover letters repeat the CV in longer sentences. A good one answers a single question: why this role, and why you?
Hiring managers are divided on cover letters. Some skip them entirely. Others read them first and use them to decide whether to open the CV at all. Since you cannot know which kind of reader you will get, the letter should be worth reading in thirty seconds.
What a cover letter is for
A CV shows what you have done. A cover letter explains why it matters for this particular role. If your letter simply restates your CV in full sentences, it adds nothing.
A strong letter answers two questions:
- Why this role, at this organisation?
- Why are you a credible person to do it?
Everything else is optional.
A simple structure
Opening: one specific reason. Skip “I am writing to apply for”. The reader knows. Instead, open with something specific: what drew you to the organisation, a piece of their work you admire, or the problem you can help with.
Middle: two pieces of evidence. Choose the two experiences that best match what the role needs. For each, describe the situation briefly, what you did, and the result. Two strong examples beat six weak ones.
Close: what you are asking for. End plainly. You would welcome the chance to discuss the role. Thank them for their time. Stop.
Length
Three or four short paragraphs, comfortably under one page. If the employer asks for a specific length or format, follow it exactly. That is part of the test.
Common mistakes
- The generic opener. If you could send the same first paragraph to any employer, rewrite it.
- Talking only about what you want. “This role would be a great step for my career” is true but not persuasive. Focus on what you would bring.
- Overclaiming. Confident is good. Inventing experience is not. Everything in the letter may come up in interview.
- The wrong name. Check the organisation, the role title, and the recipient’s name twice. Mistakes here are more common than anyone admits.
Writing in your own voice
The best letters sound like a thoughtful person talking, not a template. Read yours aloud. If a sentence sounds like something you would never say, change it.
This is also why we are careful about automatically generated letters. They tend to be fluent, generic, and full of phrases nobody uses in conversation. When we help with cover letters, we work in your register, and a person checks that the final version still sounds like you.
When there is no space for a letter
Many online applications replace the cover letter with a few questions such as “Why do you want this role?” Treat each answer as a short cover letter: specific reason, one piece of evidence, done. The same principles apply, just in fewer words.