A resume shows what you have done. A cover letter explains why you want this particular job and why your experience fits it, in your own voice. When a hiring manager is choosing between similar resumes, the letter is often what decides.
Good cover letters are short and specific. Here is how to write one in four paragraphs, with an example at the end.
Do you still need a cover letter?
Not every application asks for one, and some hiring managers never read them. But many do, especially at smaller companies, in competitive fields and when you are changing careers or explaining something the resume cannot. If there is a place to add a letter, a short, specific one rarely hurts and often helps.
- Always send one when the posting asks for it.
- Send one when you are changing careers, relocating or returning after a break.
- Send one when someone referred you, and name them.
- Skip it only when the application has no place for it.
How should a cover letter be structured?
| Part | What it does | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Names the job and gives one reason you are a strong fit | Two or three sentences |
| Evidence | Two achievements that match the posting's top needs | One paragraph |
| Why this employer | Shows you know what they do and why it appeals to you | Three or four sentences |
| Close | Thanks the reader and asks for the next step | One or two sentences |
Above the letter, put your name and contact details, the date, and the employer's name. Address a person if you can find the hiring manager's name; otherwise "Dear Hiring Manager" is fine. Sign off with "Sincerely" or "Kind regards" and your name.
How do you open a cover letter?
Skip "I am writing to apply for". The reader already knows. Start with the job and the strongest reason you fit it.
- Instead of
- I am writing to express my interest in the Customer Support Specialist position at your company.
- Write
- Five years of helping customers by phone, chat and email, with a 94% satisfaction score, is why I would like to join Tallowbrook as a Customer Support Specialist.
The stronger opening puts experience and a result in the first sentence, where the reader decides whether to keep going.
What goes in the middle?
Pick the two or three requirements the posting stresses most and give one short example for each. Tell it as a small story: the situation, what you did, what happened. Do not repeat your resume line by line; add the context a bullet point cannot hold.
Then write a few sentences about why this employer. Mention something specific: their product, their customers, a project, how they work. Generic praise such as "your company is a leader in its field" could go to anyone and reads that way.
How long should a cover letter be?
Between 250 and 400 words, which fits comfortably on one page. If it runs longer, cut the middle, not the opening. For applications with a text box instead of an upload, a shorter version of 150 to 200 words works.
Match the letter to your resume: same name, contact details and a similar look. Many people use the same typeface and heading style for both.
A cover letter example
Here is a complete letter from the candidate in our customer service resume example, applying to an invented software company. Copy any paragraph and adapt it.
Opening
Five years of helping customers by phone, chat and email, with a 94% satisfaction score, is why I would like to join Tallowbrook as a Customer Support Specialist. Your posting asks for someone who can explain a technical product in plain words, and that is the part of support I enjoy most.
Evidence
At Heartland Outfitters Online I handle about 60 contacts a day and resolve 85% of them on first contact. When I noticed the same return questions arriving every week, I wrote 25 help center articles; repeat questions about returns fell by a fifth. I am also the person the team hands escalations to, and last year I saved around 300 orders that customers had asked to cancel.
Why this employer
I have used Tallowbrook's scheduling app for my own side business for two years, and your help center is one of the clearest I have seen. I would like to help build the chat support you are adding this year, and I already know Zendesk well.
Close
Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the chance to talk about how I could help your customers, and I am available for a call at any time next week.
Which cover letter mistakes should you avoid?
- Sending the same letter to every employer, sometimes with the wrong company name.
- Summarizing your whole resume instead of adding something new.
- Talking only about what you want, rather than what you would do for them.
- Apologizing for missing requirements. Focus on what you do have.
- Going over one page.
How do you write a cover letter with no experience?
Use the same four parts, and fill the evidence paragraph with what you have: a school project, volunteering, a part-time job, a responsibility at home. Show how it relates to the job. Enthusiasm matters more in a first letter than in any other, but it should be specific: say what about this job or this employer appeals to you and why.
- Instead of
- Although I do not have any experience, I am a fast learner and very motivated.
- Write
- As volunteer coordinator at a community food bank I schedule 40 volunteers a week, which is the same organized, people-facing work your front desk role describes.
The second version does not apologize. It points to real experience and connects it to the job.
How do you send a cover letter?
- Through an application form: upload it as a PDF next to your resume, or paste it into the text box if that is all there is.
- By email: put a short version in the body of the email and attach both the letter and the resume as PDFs.
- Name the file clearly, for example "Brianna-Scott-Cover-Letter.pdf".
- Check the company name, the job title and the greeting one last time before sending.
Questions
Is a cover letter necessary?
Only when the employer asks for one, but a short, specific letter often helps, especially when you are changing careers or were referred.
How long should a cover letter be?
Between 250 and 400 words, on one page.
Who should I address a cover letter to?
The hiring manager by name if you can find it in the posting or on the company's site. Otherwise "Dear Hiring Manager" is fine.
Should the cover letter match my resume?
Yes. Use the same name and contact details and a similar look, so the two read as one application.