What Is a Cover Letter? (With How To Write One)

What Is a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is a professional document submitted with a resume or job application. It introduces the candidate, explains their interest in the position and highlights qualifications that match the employer’s requirements.

A cover letter is typically one page and contains several short paragraphs. It may be uploaded as a separate document, entered into an application form or included in the body of an email.

Its purpose is to answer three questions:

1. Why are you applying?
2. Why are you qualified?
3. Why are you interested in this employer?

Why Is a Cover Letter Important?

A cover letter can help you:

• Introduce yourself professionally
• Demonstrate interest in the position
• Connect experience with job requirements
• Highlight important accomplishments
• Provide context for a career change
• Explain relevant employment gaps
• Show written communication ability
• Mention an employee referral
• Demonstrate knowledge of the employer
• Encourage the employer to review your resume

Not every employer reads cover letters with equal attention, but a strong letter provides an additional opportunity to support your candidacy.

Cover Letter vs. Resume

Category	Cover letter	Resume
Purpose	Explains interest and relevant value	Summarizes qualifications and career history
Format	Professional narrative	Structured sections and bullet points
Length	Usually one page	Commonly one or two pages
Customization	Highly customized for each position	Tailored, but often retains a consistent structure
Content	Selected examples and motivation	Employment, education, skills and achievements
Tone	Professional and conversational	Concise and factual

The two documents should support each other without repeating identical information.

When Should You Include a Cover Letter?

Include one when:

• The employer requires it
• The posting states that it is optional
• You have a strong reason for wanting the role
• You were referred by an employee
• You are changing careers
• Your resume requires additional context
• You want to highlight a relevant project
• You are applying for a competitive position
• Written communication is important to the role

Do not submit a cover letter when the employer specifically instructs candidates not to include one.

What To Include in a Cover Letter

Header

Include:

• Full name
• City and state or region
• Phone number
• Professional email address
• Portfolio or professional profile when relevant
• Date
• Employer information when using a traditional business-letter format

Greeting

Address a specific person when possible.

Examples include:

• Dear Ms. Patel,
• Dear Jordan Lee,
• Dear Hiring Manager,
• Dear Product Marketing Team,

Avoid guessing the recipient’s title or gender.

Opening paragraph

State the position, explain your interest and introduce your most relevant qualification.

Body paragraphs

Use one or two examples that connect your experience to the employer’s requirements. Describe actions and results rather than listing general qualities.

Closing paragraph

Reinforce your interest, summarize your potential contribution and thank the reader.

Signature

Use a professional closing such as:

• Sincerely,
• Best regards,
• Kind regards,

Then include your full name.

How To Write a Cover Letter

1. Review the job description

Identify:

• Required qualifications
• Primary responsibilities
• Repeated keywords
• Business priorities
• Preferred experience
• Important soft skills

Select the requirements you can support with strong evidence.

2. Research the employer

Review its:

• Products or services
• Customers
• Mission
• Recent announcements
• Company culture
• Industry
• Current challenges

Use company research selectively. Avoid repeating language directly from the employer’s website.

3. Choose your main message

Decide which two or three qualifications make you especially relevant.

These might include:

• Industry experience
• Technical knowledge
• Measurable achievements
• Leadership
• Customer knowledge
• Transferable skills
• Personal connection to the mission

4. Write a focused opening

Avoid beginning with a generic statement such as “I am writing to apply for the position.”

A stronger opening combines the role with a relevant qualification.

Example: “As a customer success manager who increased account retention by 17%, I am excited to apply for the customer experience lead position at Northbridge Software.”

5. Provide evidence

Select examples showing how you used relevant skills.

A useful structure is:

Challenge + action + result

Example: “When support volume increased during a product launch, I redesigned the escalation process and introduced daily issue reviews. The changes reduced average resolution time by 23%.”

6. Explain why the employer interests you

Mention a specific aspect of the organization that relates to your professional goals or experience.

7. Close with a call to action

Express interest in discussing the position without sounding demanding.

Example: “I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my experience in customer research and lifecycle marketing could support your team’s growth.”

8. Proofread the letter

Check:

• Recipient name
• Company name
• Job title
• Dates
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Formatting
• Contact information

Reading the letter aloud may reveal awkward or repetitive wording.

Cover Letter Format

A professional cover letter commonly follows this order:

1. Contact information
2. Date
3. Employer information
4. Greeting
5. Opening paragraph
6. One or two body paragraphs
7. Closing paragraph
8. Professional sign-off
9. Full name

Formatting tips include:

• Keep the letter to one page
• Use a readable professional font
• Match the font used on your resume
• Use standard margins
• Align text to the left
• Separate paragraphs with blank space
• Save the document using a clear file name

A suitable file name is:

Jordan-Lee-Cover-Letter.pdf

Cover Letter Template

[Your name]
[City and state]
[Phone number]
[Email address]
[Portfolio or professional profile]

[Date]

[Recipient’s name]
[Recipient’s title]
[Company name]

Dear [Recipient’s name or Hiring Manager],

I am excited to apply for the [job title] position at [company name]. With [relevant experience or qualification], I have developed strong capabilities in [two or three relevant areas]. I am especially interested in this opportunity because [specific reason related to the employer or role].

In my current or previous position at [company], I [describe relevant responsibility, challenge or project]. By [specific action], I [measurable or meaningful result]. This experience strengthened my ability to [qualification connected with the target position].

I would bring [relevant knowledge, skill or perspective] to [company name]. Your work in [specific company initiative, product or value] aligns with my experience in [related area], and I would welcome the opportunity to contribute to [business goal or team priority].

Thank you for considering my application. I would be glad to discuss how my experience can support your team.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Cover Letter Example

Jordan Lee
Seattle, Washington
555-0148
jordan.lee@example.com

July 30, 2026

Morgan Patel
Director of Marketing
BrightPath Analytics

Dear Morgan Patel,

I am excited to apply for the content marketing manager position at BrightPath Analytics. With six years of experience developing search, editorial and customer education programs for software companies, I have built content strategies that support both organic acquisition and product adoption.

In my current role, I manage a cross-functional content program involving writers, designers, product marketers and search specialists. After reorganizing our editorial process around customer use cases, the team increased qualified organic leads by 31% while reducing average production time by four days. I also developed a performance dashboard that helped leadership connect individual content projects with registrations and sales opportunities.

BrightPath’s focus on making business data accessible to smaller organizations is especially appealing to me. My experience translating complex software features into practical customer content would allow me to support the company’s continued expansion.

Thank you for reviewing my application. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my content strategy and team leadership experience could contribute to BrightPath Analytics.

Sincerely,
Jordan Lee

Cover Letter Opening Examples

Experienced candidate

“With eight years of experience leading complex logistics projects, I am excited to apply for the operations manager position at Westline Distribution.”

Recent graduate

“As a recent finance graduate with internship experience in forecasting and data analysis, I am interested in the junior financial analyst position at Harbor Capital.”

Career changer

“After seven years of managing hiring, training and employee scheduling in hospitality, I am prepared to bring these transferable skills to the human resources coordinator position.”

Employee referral

“Taylor Morgan from your customer success team recommended that I apply for the implementation specialist position after learning about my experience managing software migrations.”

Common Cover Letter Mistakes

Avoid:

• Sending the same letter to every employer
• Repeating your entire resume
• Using the wrong company name
• Writing more than one page
• Making unsupported claims
• Focusing only on what you want
• Using excessive praise
• Including irrelevant personal information
• Explaining every career decision
• Using an overly casual tone
• Failing to follow application instructions
• Submitting a letter with spelling errors

Tips for Customizing a Cover Letter

Use job-description language accurately

Include relevant terminology when it truthfully describes your experience.

Prioritize accomplishments

Specific results are generally more convincing than a list of responsibilities.

Add information beyond the resume

Use the letter to explain context, motivation or a relevant story.

Maintain your own voice

A professional letter can still sound natural. Avoid language you would not use in a business conversation.

Customize the closing

Connect your final sentence with the employer’s needs rather than ending with a generic statement.

Prepare Career Applications With Dokie

Dokie can help you organize career achievements, employer research and portfolio materials into a professional presentation. Use it to prepare an interview deck, project portfolio or structured summary of your experience.

Dokie can also turn resumes, job descriptions and project notes into clear preparation materials. Verify every company detail, achievement and metric before submitting your final application.

Conclusion

A cover letter is a one-page document that introduces your candidacy and connects your experience with a specific position. It complements the resume by providing context and selected examples.

Customize each letter, focus on the employer’s needs and support your claims with evidence. A concise, accurate cover letter can strengthen your overall application.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a cover letter be?

A cover letter is usually one page and contains three to five short paragraphs.

Should every application include a cover letter?

Include one when required or optional, unless the employer specifically asks candidates not to submit one.

Can a cover letter be sent as an email?

Yes. When applying by email, the employer may accept the cover letter in the message body or as an attachment.

Should a cover letter repeat the resume?

No. It should highlight selected qualifications and provide context that the resume does not fully explain.

Is it acceptable to use a cover letter template?

Yes, but customize the content for the position and employer before submitting it.