How to Write a Cover Letter

The five parts of a cover letter, three opening hooks with the actual wording, the two paragraphs that do the heavy lifting, what to cut, when not to bother sending one at all, and a complete example at the end.

What a cover letter is, and why it still matters in 2026

A cover letter is a 250–400 word document that tells a hiring manager three things your resume can’t: why you specifically want this job, what one accomplishment looks like in context, and what kind of person they’d be hiring. It sits next to your resume in the application — not instead of it.

The “cover letters are dead” argument has been circulating since email replaced paper. It’s not true. Surveys from ResumeLab, ResumeGenius, and HR consultancies through 2024 and 2025 consistently put the share of hiring managers who read cover letters between 50% and 70%, with higher rates at smaller companies and lower rates at large enterprises that screen by ATS first. The asymmetry is what matters: the cost of writing one is twenty minutes; the cost of skipping one is being the candidate with no letter when half the others have one.

Cover letters matter most when:

• The role is for a small company or a specific team within a larger one.
• You’re a career changer, a returning professional, or applying without the standard credentials.
• The application says “cover letter optional” — which, in practice, often means “cover letter scored when included.”
• The job posting is for a senior role where culture fit is part of the evaluation.

They matter least at large companies with high-volume ATS pipelines, where the resume is parsed first and the letter may not be opened until you’re already in the interview pool.

The five parts of a cover letter

Every effective cover letter has five components. Skip one and the letter feels off; pad any of them and the letter loses the reader.

1. Header— your name and contact info, formatted exactly like your resume header. One to three lines.
2. Salutation — addressed to a real person if you can find one, “Dear Hiring Manager” if you can’t.
3. Opening paragraph — names the role, names the company, and gives one specific reason you’re writing about this job at this company.
4. Body— one paragraph, occasionally two, with one specific accomplishment connected to the company’s actual work.
5. Close— short. Asks for the conversation. Thanks the reader once.

That’s it. Everything else is decoration. For the full visual breakdown of each part, see the anatomy section in the cover letter template guide.

How to write the opening (three hooks that actually work)

The first sentence is the only sentence the hiring manager is guaranteed to read. “I am writing to apply for the [Job Title] position” guarantees they’ll read it and feel nothing. Use one of these three patterns instead.

Hook 1: Name the company’s actual work

Why it works:in two sentences you’ve proved you read more than the job posting. Hiring managers spend a disproportionate share of their reading time on cover letters that show specific knowledge of the company.

Hook 2: Name your specific situation

Why it works: career changers and returning professionals can’t use Hook 1 effectively because their backgrounds don’t match the role. Hook 2 names the situation up front, which means the rest of the letter doesn’t have to.

Hook 3: Name a real person

Why it works:a referral hook puts you outside the cold-application pile in the first sentence. Use it only if the person actually told you to apply, and ideally tell them you’re using their name.

How to write the body paragraphs

The body is where 90% of cover letters fall apart. The most common failure is paraphrasing your resume. Don’t.

The body answers one question: what can this person do for us? Not what you want, not what you’ve done in general — what you can do for this specific employer, illustrated with one or two specific accomplishments.

Paragraph one of the body: one specific accomplishment

Name one specific accomplishment. With a number. Tell the short version of the story — what the situation was, what you did, what happened.

That’s it. One paragraph, one accomplishment, one number. Three numbers is a brag list. One number is a story.

Paragraph two of the body: connect it to this company

This is where you prove you read more than the job posting.

Avoid: “I am a hardworking and detail-oriented professional.” Avoid: “I am passionate about your mission.” Avoid: any sentence that could appear in any cover letter to any company.

How to close the letter

The close is short on purpose. Two sentences, sometimes three.

What the close does: proposes a next step (the conversation), mentions in one phrase the specific thing the company is working on, thanks the reader once — not three times.

What the close does not do: repeat accomplishments from the body, introduce new information, or apologize for any perceived weakness in the application.

Length and formatting rules

• Length: 250–400 words. Three to four paragraphs. If your letter runs longer than three-quarters of a page in 11-point font, you’re padding.
• Font:11pt or 12pt. Use the same font as your resume — typically Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia.
• Margins: 1 inch all sides. Reduce to 0.75 inch only if necessary to fit on one page.
• Spacing: Single-spaced within paragraphs, one blank line between paragraphs. No indentation.
• Alignment: Left-aligned. Never justified.
• File format: PDF. Filename: FirstName-LastName-Cover-Letter-Company.pdf.

For the full breakdown of every formatting decision including ATS treatment, see cover letter format.

Common mistakes (and the bad advice you should ignore)

The four most common cover letter mistakes are well-documented. Less well-documented is the bad advice that causes them.

Common mistakes regardless of source:

• Repeating the resume verbatim.
• Addressing it to “To Whom It May Concern.”
• Mentioning what you want from the company before what you can do for them.
• Length over one page.
• Generic openings (“I am writing to apply…”).
• Failing to name the company anywhere in the letter — a sign the writer is mass-applying.
• Typos in the company name — the single fastest way to land in the rejection pile.

When NOT to send a cover letter

The honest answer: most of the time, send one. Two scenarios where skipping makes sense:

• The application explicitly forbids it. Some large-employer portals say “no cover letters” or “cover letters will not be reviewed.” Believe them. Submitting one anyway looks like you didn’t follow instructions.
• High-volume role at a company whose ATS will screen by keyword match first. Examples: warehouse associate at a major logistics company, customer service rep at a call center, retail seasonal hire. The resume is the only document that matters. See the warehouse resume templates for the resume side.

In every other situation — including “optional” — write the letter. The marginal cost is twenty minutes. The marginal benefit is being one of the candidates who bothered.

Cover letters for specific situations

• Entry-level / first job: lead with education and one project or internship. See entry-level resume templates.
• Career change: name the pivot in the first paragraph. Spend the body translating transferable skills.
• Returning to work after a gap: name the gap factually, then move on. The letter is about what you’re doing now, not what happened.
• Internal promotion: shorter (150–200 words), more direct, names specific people and projects.
• Senior / executive: state your thesis on the role in the second paragraph. Show you understand the company’s stage and what the role exists to solve.

For seven full letters covering each of these scenarios, see cover letter examples.

A complete example

A mid-career marketing manager applying to an outdoor-apparel brand:

Dear Mr. Olawale,

I am applying for the Senior Marketing Manager position at Northstar Outdoor. I have led integrated campaigns at REI-adjacent specialty retailers for seven years, and I have read enough of your brand work — particularly the 2024 trail-shoe relaunch — to know your team is doing exactly the kind of work I want to do next.

At Coastline Outfitters I currently manage a team of three on a $2.4M paid and organic budget. In 2024 I led the relaunch of our women's running line: a six-week integrated campaign across paid social, email, retail signage, and a partnership with two regional run clubs. We hit 142% of revenue forecast in the first month and the email list grew by 18,000 verified subscribers.

What I want next is the chance to run campaigns at a brand whose product I actually use on weekends. Northstar is one of three brands I would move for, and the Senior Marketing Manager scope matches the work I am already doing day to day. I would welcome a conversation about how the team is thinking about the spring trail-shoe cycle.

Thank you for the consideration.

Sincerely,
Alex Rivera

Three hundred and four words. One number in the body. Specific company knowledge in two places. A close that proposes a real next step.