A short cover letter has one job: to add what the resume cannot say. Most letters fail because they repeat the resume in sentences. The reader then has two documents that say the same thing, and the shorter one gets the attention.
This post gives a four paragraph structure you can fill in about 20 minutes, and a list of cases where you should not write a letter at all. For the link between a letter and the claims in your resume, see why a cover letter should quote your resume.
Quick answer
Write four paragraphs and keep the whole letter near 250 words. One paragraph says why this role. One gives a single piece of evidence. One says what the resume cannot show. One closes plainly. If the letter is optional and you have nothing for the third paragraph, you may not need one.
The four paragraphs
1. Why this role (two or three sentences)
Name the role and the employer, then give one specific reason you want it. A specific reason comes from something you read: the posting, the employer’s published work, a project they describe. “I want to join a company with a great culture” fits every employer. “The posting says the team supports small clinics, and I have spent four years supporting small clinics” fits one.
Do not open with your name or with “I am writing to apply”. The role is in the subject line or the form already.
2. One piece of evidence (three or four sentences)
Pick the one thing from your resume that best matches the posting’s first responsibility, and tell it as a short story: the situation, what you did, what changed. This is the only place the letter and the resume overlap, and it should add detail the bullet had no room for, such as why you made the choice you made.
One piece is enough. A letter that lists five achievements is a resume again.
3. What the resume cannot show (two or three sentences)
This paragraph is the reason to write a letter. Use it for context that a list of jobs hides. You may be changing field, and can name the link between the two. You may be moving to another country, and can say when and why. You may have a gap or a short stint, and can give the one sentence reason (see how to show a gap honestly). If you apply from outside the country and the posting asks, you can say what is true about your right to work.
State the point plainly, without apology and without more detail than the reader needs. If none of these applies, use the space for a second reason you fit, or cut the paragraph.
4. A plain close (one or two sentences)
Say you would welcome a conversation and name one practical detail, such as when you can start or which time zones you can work in, if the posting cares. Then sign off with your name. Skip “I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience”. A reader will contact you if they want to.
Who do I address it to, and how do I open?
Use a name if you can find one: the hiring manager named in the posting, or the head of the team on the employer’s site. If you cannot, a plain greeting to the hiring team is fine. Do not guess a name or a title.
Put the role’s title and any reference number where the reader sees it first: the email subject, or the first line of the letter. The UK’s National Careers Service suggests saying who you are, which job you are applying for and where you found it, and describes a covering letter as a short letter, usually 3 to 5 paragraphs long. The four paragraphs here sit inside that range.
A worked letter
Illustrative: the person, the employer and every detail are invented.
Subject: Operations Coordinator, reference OPS-114
Dear Ms Otieno,
I am applying for the Operations Coordinator role. Your posting says the team runs supplies for 40 rural clinics, and for the last four years I have kept stock moving to clinics like them.
At my current employer, deliveries to our 22 sites were often late because orders went out on different days. I set one weekly order day, built a shared stock sheet, and agreed delivery slots with two suppliers. Late deliveries fell from about one in four to about one in ten over six months.
I am moving to Nairobi in January for family reasons, and I can start from 1 February. I have the right to work in Kenya.
I would welcome a conversation about the role.
Amina Hassan
That is about 120 words, which is short even by this post’s standard, and every sentence carries a fact. The second paragraph is the only one that overlaps the resume, and it adds the why and the how.
Should the letter go in the email or as a file?
Follow the posting. If it asks for an attachment, send a file in the format it names, and keep the email itself to two lines. If you apply by email and it asks for nothing in particular, the letter can be the body of the email. In a hiring system with an upload field, upload a file. In a form with a text box, paste the text. Keep a copy of every letter you send, because an interviewer may ask about it.
Check the length and the tone
About 250 words fits on half a page. Read it aloud once. If a sentence is hard to say, it is hard to read. Write the way you would explain your reason to a colleague who has not met you, and use the words you use in speech where they are plain and polite.
If you write in English as a second language, short sentences are an advantage. Run a spell check in the language of the posting, and ask a friend to read for meaning, not for style. A simple clear letter beats an elaborate one with errors.
When to skip the letter
A letter is not always wanted. Skip it when:
- The posting says not to send one, or the form has no place for it. Follow the instructions.
- It is optional and you would only repeat your resume. A missing optional letter is rarely held against anyone, but an empty one is a waste of the reader’s time.
- You are filling in a long public-sector or international application form that asks for its own written answers. Put your effort into those answers.
Write the letter when it is optional but you have something real for paragraph three, or when the role is in a field or country that differs from your history.
What about a letter for a job that is not advertised?
A speculative letter follows the same shape with one change: the first paragraph says what kind of work you are looking for and why this employer, since there is no posting to name. Keep it even shorter, and send it to a named person where you can.
Never copy a template whole
A template is a good frame and a poor letter. Employers read many letters that start the same way, and a reader notices when a sentence could be sent to any company. Use the four paragraph shape and write each paragraph from your own facts. Use [Company] or [Role] in your own notes if you keep a draft, and replace each one before sending.
Questions people ask
How long should a cover letter be?
Half a page, about 250 words, is enough for most roles. Follow any limit the posting or form sets.
Is a cover letter still needed?
Only when the posting asks for one or when you have something the resume cannot show. An optional letter that repeats the resume adds nothing.
Can I use the same letter for every job?
Use the same shape, not the same text. The first and second paragraphs must change for each role.
Should I mention salary in the letter?
Only if the posting asks for your expectation. Otherwise, keep pay for the conversation.
What we know and what we do not
Zorlya can draft a cover letter for a job you choose, in one of three tones (formal, warm or concise) and a length you set between 120 and 600 words, 300 unless you change it. It writes from passages of your own resume and is not allowed to invent a project, a number or an employer. The draft is yours to edit, and Zorlya does not send it. The structure above is a good guide for your edit. Zorlya does not know whether an employer wants a letter, or who will read it, so check the posting first. Allowances per plan are on the pricing page.