What is a “Cover Letter” Anyway?

A cover letter is a letter about the thing it is sent with.

In the context of job applications, a cover letter is a letter of introduction attached to your resume or your application package.

In many job applications, the email message that has your resume attached functions as the cover letter.

What is the Purpose of a Cover Letter?

The purpose of the cover letter is to convince the employer to interview you. This is accomplished by framing your resume, and making it easier to connect your experience with the requirements of the job.

What is the Difference Between a Resume and a Cover Letter?

A resume is a document that lists your qualifications, your background and employment history. A cover letter is an explanation of how your resume matches the job you are applying for.

Think of it like this:

  • Your resume says: I’ve been building widgets for 17 years.
  • Your cover letter says: I built the exact widget you guys are building and I loved it! Let me build some for you.

The smart student might notice that both the resume and the cover letter have the same goal, which is “getting the employer to interview you”. This is because they work in conjunction. The cover letter gets your resume read the way you want it read. Your resume gets you the interview.

What to Include in a Cover Letter: Essential Elements

The following essential elements should be included in your cover letter:

  • Salutation: Address the employer/recruiter by name.
  • Opening: Grab attention, start the conversation.
  • Justification: How you address the company’s needs.
  • Call to Action: Invitation to contact you and how to contact you.
  • Formalities: Thanking them for their time, including your address, etc.

These essential elements can be incorporated into your cover letter in a variety of ways. The structure you follow and the specific techniques you use will depend on the job, your level of experience, and your familiarity with the employer. 

How to Write a Cover Letter That Gets Noticed

To write an attention grabbing cover letter, you need to pick your words and sentences carefully. 

Here are three science based tips to help your cover letters get noticed:

  • Using the name of the person reading the cover letter will grab attention, but has diminishing returns (use once). Be personal. [1]
  • Our minds are designed to think in stories. Your cover letter should tell a story so that it is memorable and easy to relate to. [2]
  • You can use essay gambits in your opening and closing sentences to grab attention and be memorable. These include asking thought provoking questions, using quotations and stating data. [3] 

It is highly recommended that prior to using any of these advanced techniques, you focus on writing a relevant cover letter. Writing a relevant letter is much more likely to get noticed than writing an irrelevant letter with many fancy techniques.

How to Write a Relevant Cover Letter That Gets Noticed

Read the job description carefully. Answer any questions the employer is asking in your cover letter.

If the employer is not asking any overt questions, read between the lines, find the questions they should be asking, and answer them in your cover letter.

If you cannot find any covert questions either, put yourself in the employer’s shoes and answer “why should we hire you?” or “how exactly does your experience relate to this job, and please be specific?”.

Remove from your answer any sentences that relate to being a “hard worker”, or buzzwords like “passion”, “expertise” or “commitment”. (Because these words have been ruined by too many people using them, they lost meaning. They make you look average. Or worse, a latecomer to the party.) Also remove any sentences that convey opinion rather than fact. 

For most non-academic job applications, a succinct, relevant cover letter is much better than a verbose and generic one. 

What is a Good Cover Letter Structure?

A professional cover letter is usually three paragraphs. First paragraph opens the letter, and states which position you’re applying for and why. Second paragraph relates your resume and your professional background to the job. Third paragraph reiterates why you are uniquely qualified for the job and invites them to contact you.

This structure can be modified or reduced depending on the specifics of the application. 

How Long Should My Cover Letter Be?

Historically, cover letters are half a page to a full page long, between 250 to 400 words.

That being said, we are not aware of any studies linking the length of cover letters with their performance.

We recommend you keep your cover letters to be as short as possible and as long as necessary. Saving the employer time in reviewing your application by being succinct will earn you many more points than writing about yourself in length, when all you’re really saying is “please interview me”.

What is an example of a good cover letter opening?

Here’s an example of a good cover letter opening:

Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],

I am writing to express my keen interest in the [Job Title] position at [Company Name], as advertised on [where you found the job posting]. With [number] years of experience in [relevant field or industry], I am excited to contribute to your team.

While this is not the only example of a good cover letter opening, it is a generic one almost anyone can use. It uses a very simple technique.

And what exactly is this simple technique? It’s taking the time to fill in the blanks in the template such as job title, company name, where you found the job description as well as specifics of your experience.

As with most career skills that help you get jobs, what you say is far less important than what you demonstrate. And with this technique, you are demonstrating your attention to detail, as well as willingness to take time out of your day to cater to the employer, by writing a personalized cover letter.

Remember: It is easy to say “I am attentive to detail” or “I do my due diligence”. Anyone can say both. But, only people who are actually attentive to detail and do their due diligence, can demonstrate these traits by completing the template above.

Show, don’t tell.

Mastering the Art of Cover Letter Sentences

Every one of your sentences in your cover letter must either be an assertion of facts or a courtesy. 

For example, the sentence fragment “…with 7 years of experience in policy planning at the United States House of Representatives as a Policy Advisor to…” is an assertion of fact that demonstrates your experience. 

Assertions make your case and answer the question “why should we hire you?”.

The sentence fragment “…I look forward to the opportunity to discuss how my background…” is a courtesy, or a formality.

Courtesies demonstrate politeness and professionalism. 

If you find yourself writing sentences that are neither assertions nor courtesies, you should evaluate their necessity. While at times it may make sense to include sentences that don’t fit this mold, this should be deliberate.

Sample Cover Letter for Any Job Application

Cover letters should be written for each job specifically. Copy/paste templates do not generate effective cover letters. With that disclaimer…

Here is an example of a generic cover letter that can be used for any position:

Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],

I am writing to apply for the [Job Title] position at [Company Name], as advertised on [the job posting]. With [brief mention of your relevant education or experience], I am excited about the opportunity to join your team.

Throughout my [education or experience], I have developed strong skills in [specific skills or experiences relevant to the job]. I am also impressed by [Company Name]’s commitment to [something specific about the company, such as values, projects, or reputation], and I am confident that my [more specific experience] makes me a strong fit for your team.

Thank you for considering my application. I am eager to discuss next steps.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

You’ll notice that the structure of this letter requires you to insert specifics about the company and tailor your letter to the exact requirements of the job.

Remember: The format of the letter isn’t the point. The format of the letter does not get you the job. 

The amount of attention to detail you demonstrate, the specifics you mention about the company, the extent of the research you do, and the relevance of the skills you pick to highlight contribute to getting you the interview. 

As explained above, demonstrating your willingness to work and your attention to detail goes a long way. But these also make writing effective cover letters time consuming. This is not always ideal, but it is a good starting point. Nevertheless, it should be noted that there are other styles of cover letters that require less work, and you can find out about them through our publications and courses.

Leveraging a Cover Letter Generator: Pros and Cons

There are many cover letter generators, including generative AI tools like ChatGPT. Using these tools might be helpful, but also misleading.

One of the chief objectives of a good cover letter is to set you apart from other candidates. Unfortunately, due to the way these generators work, the letters they output tend to be uniform.

Moreover, as employers want to feel special and filter for personal effort on your part, they may use detectors that flag and remove applications based on generator usage. (It’s not that hard to detect the usage of AI in text)

Cover letter generators can get you started if you don’t know where to begin. But, ultimately, they are unlikely to get you a personalized, targeted, and well crafted cover letter that reflects your personality.

If you do end up using a cover letter generator, try to use it for a rough first draft. Also be sure to read employer’s policies about the usage of generators.

What are the Do’s and Don’ts of a Great Cover Letter?

  • Do personalize.
  • Do focus on the job.
  • Do reflect the requirements of the job.
  • Do focus on the company.
  • Do be polite and courteous.
  • Do be specific, use dates, numbers, descriptions.
  • Do match the tone of the company. Formal for formal. Informal for informal.
  • Do keep it concise.
  • Do make your opening memorable.
  • Do write short paragraphs.
  • Do read it before sending.
  • Do re-read it before sending.
  • Do have it proofread before sending.
  • Do use relevant terms about the job.
  • Do mention people you know at the company.
  • Do address a specific person.
  • Do describe a pain point. Articulate what pain hiring you will solve.
  • Do study Launch Your Career.
  • Do remember, it’s quantity AND quality. 
  • Don’t lie.
  • Don’t use “corporate speak” or useless jargon.
  • Don’t make spelling or grammar mistakes.
  • Don’t use generic, copy/paste cover letters.
  • Don’t make it obvious that it’s copy/paste if you must use one.
  • Don’t just regurgitate your resume.
  • Don’t talk about what you want.
  • Don’t make promises.
  • Don’t use buzzwords.
  • Don’t make it about you – it’s about the job and you doing the job, not you.
  • Don’t send hyperlinked text, just use text.
  • Don’t be afraid to be original.
  • Don’t send images, gifs, videos or other assets.
  • Don’t use weird fonts.
  • Don’t be controversial.
  • Don’t get personal (mention relationships, politics, religion, etc.)
  • Don’t trust everything you read online about cover letters.

Additional Techniques for Writing a Great Cover Letter

To see additional techniques about writing cover letters read the Ultimate Guide to Getting a High-Value Job, or see Launch Your Career.

For academic cover letters, we recommend reading this article from the National Library of Medicine.