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. Do not summarise your resume — the recruiter already has it. Instead, expand on your most relevant achievement, explain the context behind a number, or describe a challenge that maps directly to what the role requires.

3. The company connection

One sentence or short paragraph that shows you researched the company. Reference something specific: a product, a blog post from their engineering team, a strategic initiative you saw in the news. Generic enthusiasm ("I love your company culture") is useless. Specific knowledge ("Your approach to zero-downtime deployments in your engineering blog matches exactly what I built at my current company") is compelling.

4. The closing paragraph — ask for what you want

Be direct. Say you want to talk, give a sense of your availability, and stop. Do not write a paragraph of gratitude. Do not say "I hope to hear from you." Say: "I would welcome a conversation about this role — I am available this week."

Five Cover Letter Mistakes That Get You Rejected Immediately

• Starting with "I am writing to apply..." This phrase has appeared at the top of so many cover letters that it has become invisible. Recruiters skip straight past it. Every letter that opens this way immediately reads as generic and low-effort, regardless of what follows.
• Summarising your resume. The cover letter is not a prose version of your CV. Recruiters already have your resume open in another tab. A cover letter that only repeats what the resume says gives the reader zero new information and signals you have nothing interesting to add. Use the letter to tell the story behind a number, or to add context that bullet points cannot capture.
• Writing too much. A cover letter that exceeds one page — or even 350 words — is almost always skimmed, not read. Most recruiters spend under 30 seconds on a cover letter. Three focused paragraphs is the ideal length. Longer letters suggest the writer has not thought carefully about what actually matters.
• Making it entirely about what you want. The best cover letters focus as much on the company's needs as on the candidate's credentials. "I want this role because..." is weaker than "You need someone who can do X, and here is how I have done X at scale." Frame every paragraph around the value you bring to them — not what the opportunity means for you.
• Using a generic template word-for-word. Recruiters who read hundreds of applications recognise template phrasing within the first two sentences. An obvious template signals low interest. Use templates as structural guides, then personalise every sentence — different opening, specific company reference, achievement that directly matches this role.

Cover Letters for Different Situations

Career Change Cover Letters

A career change cover letter has to work harder than a standard one because you are asking the reader to look past an unconventional path. The key principles:

• Lead with transferable skills and concrete outcomes, not with an explanation of why you are changing. Do not open with an apology.
• Address the transition directly but briefly. One sentence acknowledging you are moving between fields, followed immediately by what you bring, is enough.
• Show you understand the target field. Name specific tools, methodologies, or challenges the role involves. Informed enthusiasm is more credible than vague excitement about the opportunity.

Example opening (finance → product management):

After five years in financial analysis at Goldman Sachs, I spent the past eighteen months deliberately building product skills — completing a PM certification, leading a side project from zero to 2,000 users, and contributing to product discovery at my current company. I am applying to this role because Stripe's developer-first approach is exactly the environment where I can contribute from day one.

Re-entering the Workforce

A career gap does not need to dominate your cover letter. One sentence of honest, neutral context is enough: "After taking 18 months away from full-time work to care for a family member, I am now ready to return." Then pivot immediately to what you have done to stay current — courses, freelance work, open-source contributions — and why you are ready to contribute now. Do not over-explain or apologise.

Entry-Level Candidates

Without professional experience to draw on, lead with your most relevant project, coursework, or internship. Treat academic and personal projects as real work: describe the problem, your approach, and the outcome. Show specific knowledge of the company rather than generic enthusiasm. Admitting what you do not yet know — paired with evidence that you learn fast — is more credible than pretending you have experience you lack.

Applying for a Senior or Leadership Role

Senior hires are evaluated on strategic thinking and leadership impact, not just technical execution. Your cover letter should reference a decision you made, a team or system you built, or a direction you set — not just tasks you completed. One paragraph on how you think about the problem space of this role is more valuable than two paragraphs listing your tools.

Email Cover Letters vs. Application Portal Uploads

The format should match the submission method:

• Email: Write the cover letter in the email body — do not attach a separate cover letter document when emailing a person directly. The email itself is the cover letter. Keep it slightly shorter than a formal letter: two to three concise paragraphs. Subject line: "Application: [Job Title] — [Your Name]."
• Application portal: Most portals accept PDF or DOCX. Save as PDF for consistent presentation. Use a clean, single-column format — no graphics, tables, or decorative formatting that might not render correctly in the portal's document viewer.
• LinkedIn Easy Apply: Many Easy Apply applications have no cover letter field. If there is an "Additional Information" or "Message to hiring manager" field, use 2–3 tailored sentences. Otherwise, channel that energy into tailoring your resume instead.

How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?

The ideal length is 200–350 words: three to four focused paragraphs on a single page. This is long enough to say something meaningful and short enough to respect the reader's time. Studies tracking recruiter behaviour show that cover letters beyond 350 words are significantly less likely to be read in full.

Legitimate exceptions:

• Academic and research roles: Cover letters can run 1–2 pages. Funding bodies, journals, and research programmes often expect a full account of your research interests, methodology, and publication record.
• Creative roles: Some creative teams want to see more voice and personality — 400–500 words may be appropriate, but every word should earn its place.
• Executive roles (VP and above): Senior leaders are expected to provide more strategic context — 400–600 words is appropriate for roles where communication style is itself a hiring signal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I include a cover letter when it is listed as optional?

Yes — unless you physically cannot (some portals do not allow attachments on optional cover letter fields). Research shows that applicants who submit cover letters receive significantly more interview invitations even when cover letters are marked optional. The upside is real; the downside of writing a strong, tailored letter is zero.

Is it acceptable to use AI to draft my cover letter?

Using AI as a drafting tool and then personalising the output is reasonable and increasingly common. The problem is submitting AI-generated text unchanged — it tends to be generic, over-polished, and missing the specific details that make a cover letter compelling. Use AI to create structure or a first draft, then rewrite it in your own voice with company-specific details and one real achievement.

Should I address it to a specific person?

Always, if you can find the name. Search LinkedIn for the hiring manager. Check the company website. If you genuinely cannot find a name, "Dear [Team Name] Hiring Team" is more targeted than "Dear Hiring Manager." Never use "To Whom It May Concern" — it signals you made no effort to find out who you are writing to.

What if the posting explicitly says no cover letter?

Respect it. A company that says no cover letter means it — submitting one anyway creates extra work for the recruiter and can signal you do not follow instructions. Put that energy into a more thorough tailoring of your resume for that application instead.

How do I follow up after submitting?

For portal applications, no follow-up is expected or typical. For direct email applications to a named individual, a brief follow-up after one week is appropriate: three sentences, direct, expressing continued interest and offering to provide anything additional they need. After two follow-ups with no response, move on.