A cover letter is your chance to say what a CV can't: why you want this particular job, and why you'd be good at it. Many recruiters read the letter first to decide whether to read the CV properly, so a short, specific letter is worth the effort.
Keep it to one page
Aim for 250 to 400 words in three or four paragraphs. Recruiters read many letters; a long one gets skimmed, a short, clear one gets read.
The structure
Your details, the date and the recipient
Put your name and contact details at the top, then the date, then the name, title, company and address of the person you're writing to. Use the same design as your CV so they look like one application.
The greeting
Use a name whenever you can find one, in the job advert, on the company website or on LinkedIn: “Dear Ms Perera,”. If you really can't find it, “Dear Hiring Manager,” is fine. Avoid “To whom it may concern”: it sounds like a form letter.
Paragraph 1: the job and your hook
Say which job you're applying for, and give one strong reason you're a good fit. “I'm applying for the Senior Accountant role. In my four years at a listed manufacturing company, I've led month-end reporting and cut closing time by a third.”
Paragraph 2: proof
Pick two or three requirements from the job advert and show, with examples, that you meet them. Numbers make claims believable: how many people, how much money, how much faster.
Paragraph 3: why this company
Show you've done your homework. Mention something specific, such as a product, a value, recent news or the people they serve, and connect it to what you want in your career. This is the paragraph most applicants skip, so it makes you stand out.
Closing
Thank them, say you'd welcome an interview, and mention that your CV is attached. End with “Kind regards,” or “Yours sincerely,” and your name. If you can, add your signature.
Writing tips
- Write a new letter for each job, or at least change the first and third paragraphs. Generic letters are easy to spot.
- Don't repeat your CV line by line. Pick the highlights that matter for this job.
- Use simple, confident language: “I led”, “I built”, “I improved”, not “I was responsible for”.
- Check the company name and the recruiter's name twice. Getting them wrong is the fastest way to be rejected.
- Send it as a PDF unless the advert asks for something else.
Fresh graduates and career changers
Without much work experience, use projects, internships, part-time jobs, societies and volunteering as your evidence. If you're changing careers, explain the change in one positive sentence and focus on skills that carry over, such as managing people, handling customers or working with numbers.
Start from an example
The cover letter builder has example letters for experienced staff, graduates, career changers, internships and speculative applications. It fills in the greeting for you, counts your words, and can copy your details and design from the CV builder.