How to write a cover letter for a job application?

22 December 2025

Table of Contents (15 Points)

Why Cover Letters Still Matter in a Brutal Job Market
What a Cover Letter Really Is (Hint: It’s Not a Summary)
Cover Letter vs Resume: Know the Difference or Lose the Job
The Psychology of Hiring Managers
Types of Cover Letters You Must Know
How to Research a Company Like You Actually Care
Writing a Killer Opening That Hooks the Reader
Structuring Your Cover Letter for Greatest Impact
Using Perplexity & Burstiness to Sound Human
Showing Value, Not Desperation
Quantifying Achievements Without Sounding Arrogant
The Perfect Closing and Call to Action
Formatting, Length, and Readability Rules
Common Cover Letter Mistakes (And Why They Kill Interviews)
Final Checklist: Is Your Cover Letter Interview-Ready?

Why Cover Letters Still Matter in a Brutal Job Market

Let’s kill a myth right now: “Cover letters are dead.”
They’re not dead. They’re selective.

In a competitive market, your resume is just one more fish in a very crowded pond. Your cover letter? That’s the shiny lure. The bait. The reason someone pauses mid-scroll and thinks, “Hmm. This one feels different.”

Hiring managers are busy. Overworked. Slightly cynical. A strong cover letter does one crucial thing:
👉 It makes them want to read your resume.

No cover letter, or a lazy one, and your application often dies quietly. No rejection email. Just silence. Brutal, but true.

What a Cover Letter Really Is (Hint: It’s Not a Summary)

A Cover Letter Is a Conversation Starter

Your resume lists facts. Dates. Titles. Bullet points.
Your cover letter explains why those facts matter.

Think of it as:

A personal introduction
A value proposition
A preview of how you think and communicate

Or, as Kerry Spivey nailed it:

“Treat your cover letter like a book jacket for your resume.”

People do judge books by covers. And recruiters judge candidates by cover letters.

Cover Letter vs Resume: Know the Difference or Lose the Job

Resume = Data

Cover Letter = Meaning

Your resume says:

“Managed a team of five.”

Your cover letter explains:

Why managing that team made you better.
How it prepared you to solve this employer’s problems.

If your cover letter just repeats your resume, congratulations—you’ve wasted everyone’s time.

The Psychology of Hiring Managers

Here’s what’s really happening on the other side of the screen:

They’re scanning, not reading
They’re asking: “Why should I care?”
They’re allergic to generic language

They want:

Confidence (not arrogance)
Clarity (not buzzwords)
Relevance (not life stories)

Your job? Make it easy for them to say yes.

Types of Cover Letters You Must Know

Application Letter

Responds to a specific job opening.
This is the most common—and the most butchered.

Rule: Tailor it or don’t send it.

Prospecting Letter

Used when no job is advertised.
You’re saying, “You not be hiring, but you should meet me.”

Bold? Yes. Effective? Surprisingly, yes.

Networking Letter

Requests information, advice, or referrals.
Not begging. Not selling. Just strategic curiosity.

Each type needs a different tone. One-size-fits-all letters belong in the trash.

How to Research a Company Like You Actually Care

Surface-Level Research Is Obvious

Everyone writes:

“I admire your company’s innovation.”
“Your organization aligns with my values.”

Yawn.

Deep Research

Dig into:

Recent news or product launches
Company mission and challenges
Industry trends affecting them

Mention something specific. That’s how you sound serious.

Writing a Killer Opening That Hooks the Reader

Weak Opening (Don’t Do This)

“I am writing to apply for the position of…”

Instant snooze.

Strong Openings That Work

A measurable achievement
A shared connection
Genuine excitement about their work

Example:

“When I helped increase online sales by 27% in one quarter, I realized I thrive in fast-moving teams like yours.”

Short. Specific. Human.

Structuring Your Cover Letter for Greatest Impact

The Ideal Flow (H3)

Hook
Value
Proof
Future fit
Call to action

Each paragraph should answer one question:

Why you
Why them
Why now

If a paragraph rambles, cut it. Ruthlessly.

Using Perplexity & Burstiness to Sound Human

Humans don’t write like robots.

We vary sentence length.
We pause.
We emphasize.

Example:

I love solving problems. Hard ones. The kind that don’t come with instructions.

That’s burstiness.
And recruiters notice—even if they can’t explain why.

Showing Value, Not Desperation

This Is About Them, Not You

Avoid:

“I need this opportunity.”
“This job would help my career.”

Focus on:

What problems you solve
What results you deliver

Use “you” and “we” more than “I.”

Quantifying Achievements Without Sounding Arrogant

Numbers aren’t bragging.
They’re proof.

Instead of:

“I improved efficiency.”

Say:

“I reduced processing time by 18% in six months.”

Specific beats impressive-sounding fluff every time.

The Perfect Closing and Call to Action

Weak Ending

“Thank you for your time.”

Polite. Forgettable.

Strong Ending

Reiterate value
Express enthusiasm
Invite next steps

Example:

“I’d welcome the chance to discuss how my experience can support your team’s goals.”

Confident. Professional. Clear.

Formatting, Length, and Readability Rules

Non-Negotiable

One page only
Clean font
White space matters
Easy to skim

If it looks dense, it feels hard to read. And busy people don’t try harder—they move on.

Common Cover Letter Mistakes (And Why They Kill Interviews)

The Big Killers

Generic templates
Spelling errors
Overused buzzwords
Repeating the resume
Sounding desperate

One typo can undo everything. Proofread. Then proofread again.

A Resume Is Not Just Enough: Yes, the resume is important, but it certainly isn’t the end-all. In fact, the cover letter is in some ways far more important than the resume, as this is where you don’t show your past but who you are right now. And that can make a huge difference. Of course, to make sure that you do that, you do need to know how you can write a good cover letter. That’s what we’re going to get into in this article. If you follow this outline, then you’ll manage to impress whatever boss you’re applying to. Now wouldn’t that be something?

Follow the correct structure
The first thing you’ve got to realize is that cover letters have a particular structure, and though you are allowed to deviate from it a little bit, don’t go too far. Why not? Because most HR managers have quite enough on their plate, thank you very much. The last thing they need is a cover letter that they can’t digest in the little time they’re going to give it. The average resume gets just 6 seconds. Now, a cover letter will get a little bit more, but it won’t get much. So, if the bits that they’re looking for aren’t in the right place, chances are they’re not going to take the time to find them. So what is the structure of a cover letter? Generally, it has 6 sections.

Give details of yourself and the recipient. Don’t forget to put in how they can reach you!
What the letter is about. Here you cover the job and where you found it.
Why do you want the job?
Find the needs of the client and show why you’ve got the right skills to meet those requirements.
More general information plus examples.
Close, thank you for your time, reach out to me with any questions that you have.
That’s it. That’s the structure. If you follow that, then people will know in which sections to look for what information. That will get you into the door.

cover letters 0414 flickr
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Relax and simplify
Okay, so you’re tracking the structure, now what? Now you need to show why you are special. That means talking straight to the person you’re addressing and giving them a piece of personality. The best way to do that is to make sure you’re not incredibly stuffy and aren’t trying to sound smarter than you are. People can see straight through that. Instead, speak to them as if you’re a person and that you understand that they’re human too. In that way, you’ll manage to actually connect.

Another vital thing is that you speak clearly and simply, by shortening your sentences and avoiding unnecessarily long words. An editor friend of mine said it best when ye said that badly written texts are like a fog that hangs between your ideas and your reader’s understanding. Great writing, on the under, is crystal clear and lets your ideas take wing. In this way, the company you’re writing will understand your point and will besides be impressed with how well you can communicate.

Understand the difference between intent and executions
Whenever people write, they’re trying to appeal to their audience and engage with them. And yet, a great many people fall flat on their face. This is because how they think what they’ve written will be interpreted is completely different from how it is actually interpreted. Often this comes down to their inability to separate what they meant from what they actually wrote down. Don’t let that happen to you. Instead, after you’ve written your cover letter, you’ve got to put it aside for a while — preferably at least a night.

In this way, it will be much easier to see what you actually wrote. This will allow you to avoid sounding negative and will also allow you to spot little mistakes that will drag you down. Even better than editing your text yourself, of course, is getting somebody else to do it. Have an eagle-eyed friend who can take a look at your text? Then ask their opinion. Don’t? Then get in touch with a cover letter writing services. They’ll help you turn your cover letter from okay into a real head turner.

Don’t just talk about what you did, also talk about what you achieved
Everybody can write about what jobs they’ve held. And sure, if you’ve done a lot, that can be impressive. Still far more impressive, nevertheless, is talking about the things that you actually achieved while you held those positions. So, if held a social marketing position, that’s great. But if you managed to quadruple traffic to the company’s site in that first year, now that’s fantastic. Talk in terms of achievements, not in terms of positions. This is key in making your resume stand out.

Final Checklist: Is Your Cover Letter Interview-Ready?

Before you hit send, ask yourself:

Is this tailored to this company?
Does the opening grab attention fast?
Did I show value with examples?
Does it sound like a real human wrote it?
Would I want to interview this person?

If the answer isn’t yes across the board—rewrite it.

Hot take: A resume alone won’t get you hired.

Yes, it matters.
No, it’s not enough.

Your cover letter is where the real decision starts.
Not what you did years ago — but who you are right now.

Most recruiters skim in seconds. Literally.
If your cover letter is messy, boring, or trying too hard to sound “smart”… it’s game over.

Here’s how to stand out 👇

✅ Follow a clear structure
HR doesn’t have time to hunt for information. Put it where they expect it. Simple. Skimmable. Human.

✅ Write like a person, not a textbook
Drop the fluff. Short sentences win. Clarity beats clever every time.

✅ Intent ≠ impact
What you meant to say isn’t always what they read. Write it. Sleep on it. Edit it. Or get a second pair of eyes.

✅ Talk achievements, not job titles
“Managed social media” is fine.
“4× website traffic in 12 months” is unforgettable.

Bottom line?
Your cover letter is often the first thing they read and the last thing they check before calling you.

Yes, it takes effort.
Yes, it’s worth it.

Because a great cover letter doesn’t just open doors —
👉 it gets you invited inside.

Last words
You’ve got to be a little bit obsessive compulsive about your cover letters. They’re often the first thing that HR people look at when you reach out them, and it’s also the last thing they’ll look at before deciding to invite you. Count on it getting passed around a lot. Yes, that does mean it’s quite a lot of work, but you can recycle bits from earlier letters into new ones. In that way, it becomes easier. In fact, your cover letters will become quicker to write and more impressive as you’ve got more of the building blocks in place and hone them to a sharper edge. So go for it.