What to Write in a Cover Letter

A cover letter should say which job you want, show two or three specific reasons you fit it, using evidence from your experience that matches the posting, and close with a clear, polite next step. Keep it short, usually well under one page, and write it for this one job rather than reusing a generic letter.

If you already have a resume and the job posting, Nextrova's cover letter generator can draft a letter from both. It is a Pro feature, so it is not included in the free plan. The rest of this guide shows you how to write one yourself, with a structure and a short sample.

What to include in a cover letter

Every cover letter needs the same content, whatever the job:

1. Your contact details: name, email and phone, plus the date if you send it as a document.
2. A greeting: the hiring manager's name if you can find it, or "Dear Hiring Team".
3. The job you are applying for, named in the first line.
4. Two or three pieces of evidence that you meet the posting's main requirements, each a real example from your work.
5. One specific reason you want this employer.
6. A short close that thanks the reader and invites a conversation.
7. A sign-off and your name.

Add anything else (a career change, a gap, a move to another city, a referral) only if it helps explain your application.

What is a cover letter for?

A cover letter explains why you want this job and why you fit it, in a way a resume cannot. Your resume lists what you have done. The letter connects the most relevant parts of it to what the employer needs right now.

It is also a place to cover things a resume does not explain well:

• A career change, and why your past work still applies.
• A gap in your work history, briefly.
• Why you are applying for a role in another city or country.
• A referral, if someone at the company suggested you apply.

Not every employer reads cover letters closely, and some do not ask for one. If a posting asks for one, send one. If it is optional, a short, specific letter is still a chance to show fit.

What is a good cover letter structure?

A good cover letter has four parts: an opening, one or two body paragraphs of evidence, a short paragraph on why this company, and a close. Here is what goes in each.

1. Opening

Name the job you are applying for and give one line on why you are a fit. Skip "I am writing to express my interest". The reader already knows that. Start with the point.

2. Evidence (one or two paragraphs)

Pick the two or three must-have requirements from the posting that you meet best. For each, give a short, specific example from your work: what you did, with what, and what came of it. Use the posting's own words for skills where they are true for you. This is where most of the letter's value lives.

3. Why this company

One or two sentences on why this employer or this role, specifically. Mention something real: their product, their customers, the kind of work the posting describes. Avoid vague praise like "your innovative company".

4. Close

Thank them, say you would welcome a conversation, and sign off. Keep it to two short sentences.

If you can swap the company name for another one and the letter still works, it is too generic. At least one paragraph should only make sense for this job.

What should you write in each paragraph?

Write specific evidence tied to the posting. The easiest way is to work from the posting itself:

1. Copy the posting's requirements into a list.
2. Mark the must-haves.
3. Next to each, write one real example from your experience.
4. Pick the two or three strongest and build your body paragraphs around them.

What to leave out:

• A repeat of your whole resume.
• Skills you do not have, or claims you cannot back up in an interview.
• Salary demands, unless the posting asks for them.
• Negative comments about a current or past employer.
• Numbers you are not sure of. If you do not know the exact figure, describe the work instead.

If your resume does not show the same evidence your letter mentions, fix the resume too. The two should tell the same story. Our guide on how to tailor a resume to a job description covers that side.

What words and phrases should you use in a cover letter?

Use plain, specific words, and borrow the posting's own terms for the skills you really have. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both look for the job title and the must-have skills, so write "Zendesk" rather than "ticketing software" if the posting says Zendesk. Beyond keywords, the phrases that work are the ones that lead to evidence.

Opening lines

• "I'm applying for the [job title] role. For the past [time] I've [done the core work of the job]."
• "Your posting asks for [main requirement]. That is the work I've done at [employer] for the last [time]."
• "[Name], who leads [team] at [company], suggested I apply for the [job title] role."

Showing evidence

• "In my current role I [did what], using [skill or tool], which [result]."
• "You mention [requirement]. At [employer] I [specific example]."
• "For example, …" or "Most recently, …" to lead into a concrete case.
• Verbs that say what you did: led, built, set up, reduced, trained, managed, delivered, improved.

Why this company

• "I'd like to work on [product, customers or mission] because [real reason]."
• "Your posting describes [something specific], which is the part of the work I enjoy most."

Closing lines

• "Thank you for your time. I'd welcome the chance to talk about the role."
• "I'd be glad to share more examples of [skill] in an interview."

Phrases to avoid, and what to write instead

How long should a cover letter be?

A cover letter should be short: a few paragraphs that fit comfortably on one page, and often less. There is no single official length. What matters is that every sentence adds a reason to interview you.

If the application form has a text box with a character limit, stay inside it. If the posting gives a word limit, follow it exactly. If neither is given, aim for something a busy reader can finish quickly: an opening line, one or two evidence paragraphs, a line on the company and a short close.

What should a cover letter look like?

A cover letter should look like a short, plain business letter: one page or less, three to five short paragraphs, and plenty of white space. From top to bottom:

[Your name]
[Email] · [Phone] · [City] · [LinkedIn, optional]

[Date]

Dear [Hiring manager's name / Hiring Team],

[Opening: the job you want, and one line on why you fit.]

[Evidence: two or three examples that match the posting's must-haves.]

[Why this company: one or two specific sentences.]

[Close: thanks, and an invitation to talk.]

Kind regards,
[Your name]

A few formatting habits make it look right:

• Use the same font and header as your resume, so the two look like a set.
• Keep the body text at a readable size (10.5 to 12 pt), with normal margins and left-aligned text.
• Send a PDF unless the posting asks for Word, and name it clearly, for example "Firstname-Lastname-Cover-Letter.pdf".
• In an email or an application text box, skip the address block and the date: start at the greeting.

Cover letter example

A good cover letter is specific, short and easy to scan. The sample below is invented: the person, the company and the details are made up to show the structure. Do not copy it word for word. Use your own real experience.

SAMPLE COVER LETTER (fictional person and company, for illustration only)

Dear Hiring Team at Brightfield Supplies,

I'm applying for the Customer Support Team Lead role. I've spent the last four years in customer support for a home goods retailer, the last two leading a small team, and the role you describe is close to the work I do every day.

Your posting asks for experience coaching support agents and improving ticket handling. In my current role I run weekly one-to-ones with five agents and wrote our team's first set of reply templates for returns and delivery questions. I also handle escalated complaints myself, so I know where the process breaks and how to fix it with the team rather than around them.

You also mention Zendesk and reporting. I use Zendesk daily, set up our team's views and tags, and prepare a weekly summary of open and resolved tickets for my manager.

I'd like to join Brightfield because your support team works directly with small business customers, and I enjoy building long-term relationships rather than one-off fixes.

Thank you for your time. I'd welcome the chance to talk about the role.

Kind regards,
Jordan Lee

Notice what it does: names the role in the first line, ties each paragraph to something the posting asks for, gives concrete examples without invented numbers, and ends without fuss.

A short cover letter example

Some applications only need a few lines: a message box on a job board, or an email with your resume attached. A short letter keeps the same parts, a sentence or two each. This one is invented too.

SHORT SAMPLE (fictional person, for illustration only)

Dear Hiring Team,

I'm applying for the Junior Data Analyst role. For the past two years I've built the weekly sales reports for a regional retailer in SQL and Excel, which is the reporting work your posting describes. I also merged our store data into one dashboard that managers now open every Monday.

I'd like to join because your analysts work directly with store teams, as I do now. Thank you for your time. I'd welcome the chance to talk.

Kind regards, Sam Patel

What are common cover letter mistakes?

The most common mistake is a generic letter that could go to any employer. Others:

• Opening with your life story instead of the job you want.
• Repeating your resume line by line.
• Using the wrong company name or job title (it happens when letters are reused).
• Writing about what the job would do for you, with nothing on what you bring.
• Long paragraphs with no clear examples.

Read your letter once out loud before sending. If a sentence sounds like a template, rewrite it in your own words.

How can Nextrova help write a cover letter?

Nextrova's cover letter generation is part of the Pro plan. It writes a letter from your resume and the job posting, in the posting's language, with a tone you choose: professional, warm or concise. You can edit it and download it as PDF or Word. Writing the cover letter for an analysis you have already run does not use another analysis.

Before the letter, it helps to check the fit itself. A resume and job description match shows which requirements from the posting your resume covers and which are missing, which tells you what to highlight in the letter. For the bigger picture on hearing back from employers, read how to get a call back after applying for a job. You can compare plans on the pricing page.

Related questions

Do I need a cover letter if the application says optional?

It is not required, but a short letter that shows specific fit can still help. If you send one, make it about this job, not a generic template.

Should a cover letter repeat my resume?

No. Pick the two or three most relevant points and explain how they match the posting. The resume holds the full list.

Who should I address the cover letter to?

Use the hiring manager's or recruiter's name if the posting or company site gives it. If not, a greeting like "Dear Hiring Team" works.

What keywords should a cover letter include?

The job title and the must-have skills the posting names, in the posting's own words, wherever they are true for you. Put them inside sentences that show evidence rather than in a list. A resume keyword scanner shows which terms a posting stresses.

How short can a cover letter be?

A few sentences are enough when the application asks for a short message: the role, one or two pieces of evidence, and a polite close. The short example above is about 90 words.

Is Nextrova's cover letter generator free?

No. Cover letter generation is part of the Pro plan. The free Starter plan includes 3 CV analyses per month but not cover letters.