A cover letter is a one-page letter, three or four paragraphs long, that tells one employer why you want this job and gives two or three pieces of proof that you can do it. To write one, name the role, pick the requirements that matter most in the posting, and answer each with a specific example from your own work. Send it whenever the application asks for a letter or leaves room for one.
Key takeaways
- Keep it to one page: an opening, one or two paragraphs of evidence and a short close.
- Open with the role and your strongest qualification for it, not with your name or “I am writing to apply.”
- Choose two or three requirements from the posting and prove each one with an example and a result.
- Use the letter for what a resume cannot show: why this employer, the story behind a result, or the reason for a gap or a change of field.
- Address a named person when you can find one. “Dear Hiring Manager” is the accepted fallback.
- Send a PDF unless the posting asks for another format, and read the letter aloud before it goes.
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When do you need a cover letter?
Employers differ. Berkeley’s career office tells students that it depends on the recruiter and hiring manager: many may read the letter, and others focus on the resume. You usually cannot tell which kind will open your application, and that is the case for writing a letter whenever there is a place to put one.
| Situation | Send a letter? |
|---|---|
| The posting asks for one | Yes. Leaving it out can read as not following instructions |
| The form has an optional upload or text box | Yes, if you can tailor it. A generic letter adds nothing |
| The form has no field for one, or says not to send one | No. Put the effort into the resume and the screening answers |
| You are emailing a recruiter or hiring manager directly | Yes. The email itself is the letter |
| You are changing fields, returning after a gap or relocating | Yes. The letter is where the explanation goes |
| Someone at the company referred you | Yes. Name the person in the first line |
If time is short, write letters for the jobs you want most and for any application where the resume alone raises a question.
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What goes in a cover letter?
Purdue’s Online Writing Lab breaks a cover letter into four basic parts: heading, introduction, body and closing. On the page, that looks like this:
| Part | What it does | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Heading | Your name and contact details, the date, and the reader’s name, title and organization. Match the header on your resume | A few lines |
| Greeting | Addresses the reader by name, or “Dear Hiring Manager” | One line |
| Opening | Names the role and gives the main reason you fit it | Two to four sentences |
| Body | One or two paragraphs, each proving one requirement with an example | Three to five sentences each |
| Close | Restates your interest, says how to reach you and thanks the reader | Two or three sentences |
| Sign-off | “Sincerely,” and your full name | Two lines |
The greeting and the sign-off have their own conventions, covered in how to address a cover letter.
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How do you write a cover letter, step by step?
- Mark up the posting. Highlight the duties and requirements that come first, appear twice or are labeled required. Choose the two or three that matter most.
- Pick your evidence. For each one, find a moment in your own history that proves it: what the situation was, what you did and what changed. Numbers help. So do the names of tools, volumes and deadlines.
- Find your reason for this employer. Spend ten minutes on the company’s site and recent news. You are looking for one specific thing: a product, a customer group, a problem the team is working on. How to research a company gives a fuller method.
- Write the opening. Role first, then your strongest qualification, then the reason you want this employer.
- Write the body. One requirement per paragraph. State it in the employer’s words, tell the example, give the result and connect it back to the job.
- Write the close. Say you would welcome a conversation, confirm how to reach you and thank the reader. Practical details go here too, such as a relocation date.
- Cut and check. Trim to one page. Read it aloud, check the company name and the job title, and save it as a PDF named with your name and the role.
If you draft with an AI tool, give it your real examples and rewrite the result in your own voice. The method is in ChatGPT cover letter prompts.
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How do you start a cover letter?
The first sentence has one job: to give the reader a reason to read the second. Name the role and lead with the most relevant true thing about you. Four patterns cover most situations.
Lead with a result: "In three years as an accounts payable specialist, I cut our average invoice cycle from 14 days to 6. I'd like to bring that to the Senior AP Specialist role at [Company]." Lead with the match: "Your posting asks for someone who can run month-end close without supervision and train new staff. I have done both for the past two years at [Current employer]." Lead with a referral: "[Name], who manages your billing team, suggested I apply for the [Job title] opening after we worked together on [project]." Lead with the employer: "[Company] moved its suppliers to electronic invoicing last year. I led the same change at [Current employer], and I'm applying for the [Job title] role to do that work at a larger scale."
Avoid openings that only announce the application, repeat your name or praise yourself in general terms. “I am a hardworking team player” could be written by anyone about any job. A line worth keeping is one that only you could write, about this job.
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How do you match a cover letter to the job?
Matching means answering the posting point by point, with facts. Penn’s career office reduces it to two questions, “Why them?” and “Why you?”, and says the second should take up most of the letter. Take the employer’s wording for a requirement and put your evidence next to it.
| The posting says | A matched sentence |
|---|---|
| “Process a high volume of invoices accurately” | “I process about 900 invoices a month and have kept our error rate under 1 percent in the last eight quarterly audits.” |
| “Experience with our ERP system” | “I have worked in the system your posting names every day for three years, and I tested our migration to it.” |
| “Resolve vendor disputes” | “In my first quarter I cleared a backlog of 60 disputed invoices by calling each vendor and agreeing on a payment schedule.” |
| “Train and support junior staff” | “I wrote the onboarding checklist our team still uses and have trained four new hires with it.” |
Two limits apply. Do not claim a match you could not explain in an interview. And do not restate the resume: the letter picks two or three items and adds the story the resume has no room for. The same reading of the posting should shape your resume, as described in how to tailor your resume to a job description.
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How long should a cover letter be?
One page at most. Purdue’s formatting advice is one introductory paragraph, one to three paragraphs on your skills and one concluding paragraph. MIT’s career office adds a font size of 10 to 12 points. In words, that comes to roughly 250 to 400. Shorter is fine when every sentence is specific, and a letter pasted into an email or a text box should sit at the low end.
Format it like the resume it travels with: the same header and font, standard margins, single spacing with a blank line between paragraphs, and text aligned left.
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Cover letter example
This letter follows the steps above. The person and the employer are invented.
Dana Whitfield dana.whitfield@example.com | 555-0142 | Columbus, OH October 6, 2026 Marcus Bell Accounting Manager Riverbend Health Partners Dear Mr. Bell: In three years as an accounts payable specialist at a regional grocery distributor, I cut our average invoice cycle from 14 days to 6 and took over month-end close for the AP ledger. I am applying for the Senior Accounts Payable Specialist role because Riverbend is bringing invoicing for its twelve clinics into one team, and that is the kind of project I do best. Your posting asks for someone who can handle volume without losing accuracy. I process about 900 invoices a month and have kept our error rate under 1 percent in the last eight quarterly audits. When we moved to a new ERP system last year, I tested the invoice-matching rules before launch and caught a duplicate-payment problem that would have affected 40 vendors. You also ask for experience resolving vendor disputes and training staff. In my first quarter I cleared a backlog of 60 disputed invoices by calling each vendor and agreeing on a payment schedule, and none went to collections. I wrote the onboarding checklist our team still uses and have trained four new hires with it. I would welcome the chance to talk about how I could support the clinic project. You can reach me at 555-0142 or dana.whitfield@example.com. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Dana Whitfield
Why it works:
- The first sentence carries a result, and the second gives a reason for choosing this employer.
- Each body paragraph starts from the posting’s own wording, then answers it.
- Every claim comes with a number or a named action, so nothing rests on adjectives.
For other situations, including a career change, an internal move and a referral, see these cover letter examples. If you have no work history to draw on yet, start with how to write a cover letter with no experience.
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What mistakes should you avoid?
- A letter that could go anywhere. If you could swap in another company’s name without changing a sentence, it is not tailored. The wrong company name is the classic giveaway.
- Claims without evidence. “Excellent communicator” proves nothing. An example does.
- A letter about what you would gain. Some interest in growth is fine. Most of the space belongs to what you can do for the employer.
- Overstatement. Penn’s career office advises against phrases like “I’m the perfect candidate” and against leaning on the word “passionate.”
- Apologies. Do not open with what you lack. Lead with what you have and let the reader weigh it.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do employers still read cover letters?
Some do and some do not. Berkeley’s career office puts it this way: it depends on the recruiter and hiring manager, with many reading the letter and others focusing on the resume. You rarely know in advance, so a short, tailored letter is worth sending whenever the application has a place for it.
Should you send a cover letter if it is optional?
Yes, if you can make it specific to the job. An optional letter is a free chance to explain why you want this role and to add evidence the resume has no room for. Skip it only when the letter would be generic or the application says not to include one.
How long should a cover letter be?
One page at most: an opening paragraph, one to three paragraphs of evidence and a short close, which comes to roughly 250 to 400 words.
Can you use the same cover letter for every job?
Reuse the frame, not the letter. Keep a base version with your best examples, then rewrite the opening, swap in the examples that match each posting and change the reason you want that employer. Check the company name and the job title every time.
Should you use AI to write a cover letter?
AI is useful for a first draft and for tightening sentences, as long as the facts come from you. Give it the posting and your real examples, rewrite the result in your own voice, and check every claim.
What file format should a cover letter be?
PDF, unless the posting asks for something else. A PDF keeps the layout the same on every screen. When the application gives you a text box instead of an upload, paste plain text and leave out the address block.
Sources
- Purdue OWL: Quick Content Tips for Cover Letters: the four basic parts of a cover letter and what belongs in each.
- Purdue OWL: Quick Formatting Tips for Cover Letters: the one-page length, the number of paragraphs, spacing and margins.
- MIT Career Advising & Professional Development: How to write an effective cover letter (with samples): the opening, body and closing structure, the font size and “Dear Hiring Manager” as the fallback greeting.
- Penn Career Services: Write a Cover Letter: the “Why them?” and “Why you?” questions, showing skills in context and the tone to avoid.
- Berkeley Career Engagement: Cover Letters: whether recruiters read cover letters, and matching the letter’s format to the resume.
Published by Jobbie and last updated on October 6, 2026. This guide is general information for job seekers, not legal, tax or financial advice. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.