Cover Letter Structure: A Simple Template That Works

The four parts

1. Opening hook: one or two sentences that state the role and give a reason to keep reading—a specific connection to the company, a shared value, or a notable result you're bringing.

2. Why this company: a sentence or two showing you researched them specifically—a product, mission, or recent milestone—not a generic "I've always admired your company."

3. Why you: the core of the letter. Pick your one or two strongest, most relevant achievements and connect them directly to what the job posting asks for.

4. Closing: restate interest, note availability, and include a clear call to action ("I'd welcome the chance to discuss how this experience applies to the [role] team").

What goes in the 'why you' section

Don't restate your resume line by line—the recruiter already has it. Instead, pick the one or two accomplishments most relevant to this specific job and explain the context briefly: what the challenge was, what you did, what happened.

This is also the place to address anything a resume can't explain well on its own—a career change, a gap, or why you're specifically drawn to this role after doing something different.

Length and tone

Half a page to three-quarters of a page is standard—roughly 250-400 words. Longer letters tend to lose the reader before the strongest point lands.

Match the tone of the company. A startup's careers page written casually is a signal you can be more conversational; a law firm or bank generally expects a more formal register.

Common mistakes

Opening with "I am writing to apply for the position of..."—the recruiter already knows what role they posted; use the space for something they don't know yet.

Restating the resume verbatim instead of adding context or narrative.

Using the same letter for every application with just the company name swapped—recruiters can usually tell, and it undercuts the "why this company" section entirely.

FAQ