Cover Letter Tips: How to Write One That Actually Gets Read

Do Cover Letters Still Matter in 2025?

The honest answer is: sometimes yes, sometimes no — and the smart move is to treat every optional cover letter as required.

Research from ResumeGo found that applicants who submitted cover letters received 53% more interview invitations than those who did not, even when cover letters were listed as optional. At the same time, surveys of hiring managers consistently show that around 40% rarely read them.

The implication is clear: a great cover letter can meaningfully differentiate you, while a bad one can actively hurt your application. The goal is not to write any cover letter — it is to write one worth reading.

What Recruiters Actually Do With Cover Letters

Understanding how cover letters are used helps you write a better one:

• Initial screening: Some recruiters read the cover letter first to quickly decide whether to bother with the resume. Others read the resume first and use the cover letter to fill in gaps.
• Tie-breaking: When two candidates have similar qualifications, the cover letter often tips the decision. A thoughtful letter demonstrates genuine interest and communication ability.
• Context for career changes: If your resume shows a non-linear path, the cover letter is your opportunity to explain it in a positive light before the recruiter draws their own conclusions.
• Personality signal: Hiring managers use cover letters to assess written communication skills and cultural fit — especially important for roles that involve writing, client interaction, or leadership.

The Structure of an Effective Cover Letter

A strong cover letter has four components, each doing specific work:

1. The opening paragraph — hook and relevance

Do not start with "I am writing to apply for..." — every other applicant does. Start with the most compelling reason you are right for this specific role.

Weak opening:

I am writing to express my interest in the Senior Product Manager position at Acme Corp. I have five years of experience in product management and believe I would be a great fit.

Strong opening:

Acme Corp's approach to building products through continuous user discovery is exactly the methodology I have applied for the past five years at Stripe and Revolut. In my most recent role, I led a team that shipped three features directly from user interviews that grew daily active usage by 34%. I would like to bring that same approach to your consumer platform team.

The strong version demonstrates knowledge of the company, leads with a relevant achievement, and explains the connection between the applicant's experience and the specific role.

2. The body — evidence and specificity

The body of your cover letter should cover two things: why you are right for this role, and why this company specifically. Use 1–2 paragraphs maximum.

For each claim you make about your skills, provide a specific example. "I am a strong communicator" is unsubstantiated. "I regularly presented quarterly roadmaps to C-suite stakeholders and synthesized technical concepts for non-technical audiences" is evidence.

Show that you know the company by referencing something specific — a recent product launch, a company initiative, a piece of writing by the founder, something mentioned in the job description. This single detail separates your letter from the 90% that could have been sent to any company.

3. The connection paragraph — why this company, why now

Explain briefly why you are applying to this specific company at this point in your career. Authenticity matters here — if your reason is genuine, it shows. Generic phrases like "I admire your company culture" or "I am excited about this opportunity" say nothing and waste the recruiter's time.

Good reasons to include: a personal connection to the product or mission, a specific strategic direction the company is taking that aligns with your expertise, or a gap in your current role that this position addresses.

4. The close — clear and confident

End with a single confident sentence that thanks them for their time and invites next steps. Avoid self-deprecating phrases like "I hope to hear from you" or "I would be grateful for the opportunity." Instead:

I would welcome the chance to discuss how my experience in scaling consumer products can contribute to Acme Corp's growth. Thank you for your consideration.

Cover Letter Formatting Rules

• Length: Maximum one page. Ideal length is 250–350 words. Recruiters will not read more.
• Font and style: Match your resume's font for a cohesive application. Use the same header with your name and contact information.
• Paragraphs over bullets: Cover letters should read as prose, not bullet points. Save the bullets for your resume.
• Address a specific person: "Dear Hiring Manager" is a last resort. LinkedIn can usually tell you who the hiring manager is. "Dear Sarah Johnson" shows initiative and research.
• File format: Submit as PDF unless instructed otherwise. This preserves your formatting across all systems.

What Never to Include in a Cover Letter

• Salary expectations — unless specifically asked.
• Reasons you need the job — employers are not hiring you to help you; they are hiring you to help them.
• Everything on your resume — the cover letter adds information that the resume cannot, such as motivation, context, and personality.
• Clichés: "hardworking," "passionate," "team player," "thinking outside the box," "results-driven." These words appear in 80% of cover letters and mean nothing to a recruiter who has read thousands of them.
• Apologies for what you lack: Do not draw attention to missing qualifications or apologise for career gaps. Focus entirely on what you bring.

A Complete Cover Letter Example

Here is a full example for a marketing manager role at a SaaS company:

Dear Alex Chen,

HubSpot's investment in product-led growth and its shift toward serving mid-market teams reflects exactly the transition I navigated at Intercom over the past three years. As Head of Demand Generation, I built the inbound engine that took Intercom's EMEA pipeline from £4M to £18M — primarily through SEO, webinar programs, and lifecycle email. I am applying because your Senior Marketing Manager role is the natural next step from that work, and HubSpot is the company in the industry doing it at the highest level.

Specifically, I have deep experience in the three areas your posting emphasises: content-led SEO (I own the channel that drives 60% of our MQLs), Salesforce and HubSpot operations, and cross-functional collaboration with Product and Sales. My most recent project was a lead-scoring redesign that improved SQL conversion rates by 28% and reduced time-to-first-meeting by 40%.

I would welcome the chance to discuss how this experience translates to the EMEA marketing goals outlined in your Q3 investor update. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Jamie Okafor

This letter is specific to the company, leads with a relevant achievement, references the job description explicitly, and closes with a detail that shows the candidate has done their research.

When to Skip the Cover Letter

There are cases where a cover letter genuinely is not necessary or helpful:

• The application system does not provide a field for one
• You are applying through a recruiter who submits your materials directly
• The posting explicitly says "no cover letter"
• You are applying for a very high-volume entry-level role where screening is entirely ATS-based

In all other cases, a well-written cover letter is worth the 20 minutes it takes to produce.