This guide is for the applicant staring at an optional “cover letter” upload box and wondering whether it matters: the career changer whose CV does not explain why they suit this role, the graduate with limited experience, the mid-career professional applying to a smaller company where a person, not a system, reads every application. A good cover letter does one thing a CV cannot. It explains, in your own voice, why you and this job fit. Done well, it takes less than a page.
What a cover letter is for
A CV lists what you have done. A cover letter connects that history to one specific job. It should answer three questions a hiring manager has:
1. Why this role and this organisation?
2. What evidence shows you can do the work?
3. What would you bring that others might not?
If the letter could be sent unchanged to ten employers, it answers none of them.
Before you write: read the advert closely
Highlight the requirements
Print or copy the job advert and mark:
- The responsibilities that appear first or are repeated
- The skills listed as essential rather than desirable
- Words the organisation uses about itself, its customers and its work
Match evidence to each requirement
For the three or four most important requirements, note one specific example from your experience. Specific means a situation, an action and a result: “Reorganised the support inbox, cutting the backlog from three days to same-day replies” rather than “strong organisational skills”.
Find out who reads it
If the advert names a hiring manager, address them by name. If not, “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear [Team name] team” is fine.
A structure that works
| Part | Length | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | 2 to 3 sentences | Names the role and gives your strongest reason for applying |
| Evidence | 1 to 2 paragraphs | Two or three examples matched to the main requirements |
| Fit | 1 short paragraph | Why this organisation, specifically |
| Close | 2 sentences | Restates interest and invites the next step |
Aim for a single page, and often well under it.
Writing each part
The opening
Skip “I am writing to apply for…” and lead with substance. Name the role and connect it to your strongest qualification in the first two sentences.
- Weak: I am writing to express my interest in the position of Content Editor that I saw advertised on your website.
- Stronger: I would like to apply for the Content Editor role. For the past four years I have edited a weekly newsletter for a regional charity, and your focus on plain, accessible writing is exactly the work I want to do more of.
The evidence
Pick two or three requirements and show, briefly, how you have met each. One short paragraph per example, or one paragraph covering two, keeps it readable.
- Lead with the result or the situation, not with “I am skilled at”.
- Include a concrete detail: a number you can stand behind, a tool, a type of audience, a deadline.
- Connect it back to their need: “…which is the kind of turnaround your advert mentions for campaign launches.”
The fit
Show you know something about the organisation. Mention a project, a value, a product or a recent piece of work, and say why it matters to you. Avoid flattery; one specific, sincere point beats three compliments.
The close
Keep it short and confident: “I would welcome the chance to discuss how I could help the team. Thank you for considering my application.”
Every paragraph should answer the hiring manager’s silent question: why should I care about this?
An example letter
Dear Ms Patel,
I would like to apply for the Content Editor role at Northside Learning. For four years I have edited a weekly newsletter read by volunteers and donors at a regional charity, and your commitment to plain, accessible course materials matches the work I find most rewarding.
Your advert emphasises editing for clarity under tight deadlines. Each week I edit contributions from six to eight staff, most of them non-writers, into a newsletter that goes out every Thursday morning. I introduced a short house style guide that reduced the number of rounds of edits per issue, and I now train new contributors on it.
You also mention accessibility. Last year I led a review of our website copy against plain language guidance, rewriting the volunteer sign-up pages so that the steps were clearer.
I have followed Northside’s free writing courses for adult learners, and I would value the chance to help them reach more people.
I would welcome the chance to discuss the role. Thank you for your time.
Yours sincerely,
Alex Morgan
The names, organisation and details are invented for illustration.
Tone: professional, not stiff
Write as you would speak in a good interview: clear, warm and direct. Short sentences help. Contractions are fine in many industries; follow the tone of the advert. Avoid empty phrases such as “team player”, “hard-working” and “passionate” unless you back them with an example.
Common mistakes
Repeating the CV
The letter should select and explain, not list. Choose the two or three most relevant achievements and tell the story behind them.
Talking only about yourself
“I want to develop my skills” is about you. “I can help your team ship course updates faster” is about them. Balance the two.
Generic letters
Hiring managers can spot a template. Change the opening, the evidence and the fit paragraph for every application.
Errors
A typo in a cover letter for an editing role is fatal; in any role it suggests haste. Read it aloud, check names and job titles, and ask someone else to read it.
Too long
If it runs beyond a page, cut. The concision you show is part of the application.
Special situations
Career changers
Use the letter to explain the move and translate your experience. A teacher moving into training design can point to lesson planning, assessment and presenting to groups.
Gaps in employment
You do not need to explain every gap. If you choose to address one, keep it to a sentence and move on to what you offer now.
When a letter is optional
If the role matters to you, send one. A short, specific letter is a chance to stand out that many applicants skip.
Formatting and sending
As an upload
Save the letter as a PDF unless the employer asks for another format, so the layout stays intact. Use a clear file name such as Alex-Morgan-Cover-Letter-Content-Editor.pdf. Match the font and header to your CV for a consistent look.
In an email
When the email itself is the cover letter, put the job title in the subject line, keep the body to a few short paragraphs, and attach your CV. Do not paste a full formal letter and attach it as well; choose one.
In an online form
Many application systems offer a plain text box. Write the letter in a document first, check it, then paste it in. Formatting such as bold and bullets may disappear, so rely on short paragraphs instead.
Keep a copy
Save each version with the job advert. If you are invited to interview, reread both; interviewers often ask about points from your letter.
Cover letter checklist
- Addressed to a named person where possible
- Role named and strongest reason given in the first two sentences
- Two or three examples matched to the main requirements
- Each example includes a concrete detail and a result
- One specific reason for wanting this organisation
- Short, confident close
- One page or less
- Tone matches the advert; no unsupported buzzwords
- Read aloud, proofread and checked by someone else
Takeaway
A cover letter connects your experience to one job. Read the advert closely, match two or three specific examples to its main requirements, show why this organisation appeals to you, and keep it to a page. A short, specific letter written for one reader is far more persuasive than a long, general one.
