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A strong cover letter connects a particular job to relevant, truthful evidence from your experience. Follow the employer’s application instructions, tailor the letter to the role, and use a concise example to show what you could contribute. The examples and steps below can help you write your own letter without simply repeating your résumé.
What a cover letter should do
A cover letter supplements your résumé: it explains why you are interested in this role and gives context for the experience that makes you a credible candidate. It should help an employer see the connection between the job’s needs and what you have done, rather than restating your work history. The University of Pennsylvania Career Services offers guidance on purpose, structure and examples at University of Pennsylvania Career Services.
Before you write: follow the application instructions
Read the job advertisement and application directions first. Employers may ask for a cover letter, a résumé only, answers to selection criteria, or a letter submitted as an attachment or in an email. Use the requested format and submission method; general templates do not override the employer’s instructions. This guidance is consistent across the Australian Government’s JobAccess and UT Austin Career Services.
How to write a cover letter
- Identify what the job requires. Pick a small number of important responsibilities or qualifications from the posting. Research the organization enough to explain why this particular opportunity interests you.
- Choose relevant evidence. Find one or two examples from work, education, extracurricular activities or another relevant setting. Describe what you did and why it matters for the role. Use details that are accurate and that you could explain in an interview.
- Draft around the connection. Link the employer’s stated needs to your experience. You can reuse appropriate material from another application to save time, but customize the final letter for this role and organization.
- Check the result. Verify the employer and contact names, your contact details, spelling and grammar, and every claim. If possible, ask another person to review it.
Cover letter structure with examples
Opening: name the role and your reason for applying
State the position you are applying for and briefly explain why the opportunity interests you. Add a focused summary of relevant experience or strengths, rather than an unsupported string of adjectives.
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Example: “I am applying for the communications assistant role because I am interested in making public information easier to use. In my university project, I edited a series of student-service guides for clarity and coordinated feedback from three campus offices.”
Middle: show relevant skills in context
Choose a couple of the job’s priorities and support them with brief examples. Explain the situation or task, what you did, and how that experience relates to the position. The University of Pennsylvania recommends examples or stories rather than a bare claim such as “I have strong skills in communication, collaboration, and teamwork.”
Example: “The posting calls for careful customer communication. In my retail role, I handled order questions during busy shifts by confirming the issue, checking the order record and explaining the next step. That experience would help me respond clearly to customer enquiries in this position.”
Closing: reaffirm interest and make contact easy
Close by reaffirming your interest, thanking the reader and making it easy to contact you. Keep the tone professional and the claims measured; a letter can express your fit, but it cannot promise an interview or a job.
Example: “Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my experience supporting customers and resolving order issues could contribute to your team.”
Cover letter examples: how to use them
Examples are most useful as models for structure and specificity—not text to copy. UT Austin Career Services provides examples paired with corresponding job descriptions for internship, research and full-time applications. Comparing a sample with its posting can show how an applicant selects evidence for a particular role. Adapt the approach to your own experience, the actual requirements and the requested format.
When reviewing a sample or template, ask whether it:
- Addresses a role and employer rather than relying on generic language.
- Uses relevant examples to demonstrate skills instead of merely naming them.
- Fits the employer’s submission instructions and the conventions of the target country.
- Can be made truthful using your own experience, without copying claims that are not yours.
Length, format and tone
For an ordinary application, one page is a practical default unless the posting asks for something different. Recommendations on paragraph count vary: the UK National Careers Service describes a typical letter as three to five paragraphs, while the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recommends up to three body paragraphs within a one-page letter. These are flexible conventions, not universal rules. Let the content and the employer’s instructions determine the final length.
For a document attachment, matching the general style of your résumé can make the application look consistent. For an email application, UT Austin advises using a subject line with your name and the job title and/or posting number, placing the letter in the email body, omitting the formal letter header and address, and including contact information in your signature. Follow the employer’s directions if they differ.
Formal-letter conventions and spelling differ by country. Use conventions suited to the job’s market. The UK National Careers Service provides country-specific advice on salutation and closing conventions at National Careers Service: CV sections; use the application’s own instructions where available.
Common cover letter mistakes to avoid
- Sending a generic letter unchanged: Customize the role, organization and evidence in the final version.
- Repeating the résumé: Use the letter to explain why selected experience matters for this job, not to reproduce a list of positions.
- Making unsupported claims: Replace broad adjectives with a specific example, and make sure every detail is accurate.
- Ignoring the requested format: Check whether the employer wants a letter at all, and whether it should be an attachment, email or response to selection criteria.
- Skipping the final review: Check names, contact details, spelling, grammar and factual accuracy before sending.
For additional guidance, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Careers guide explains a concise letter structure and notes that a cover letter cannot guarantee a job. JobAccess’s application advice was last updated June 13, 2025; recommendations about length and formatting should still be read alongside the specific job advertisement.
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