Recruiters read a lot of cover letters that say, in slightly different words, exactly what the resume already says. "I have five years of experience in digital marketing and led a team of three" is a fact your resume already states in a bullet point. Repeating it in a paragraph doesn't add information — it just takes up a reader's time without giving them a reason to keep reading.

A cover letter earns its place when it does something a resume structurally can't: make a direct, specific argument for why you and this particular role fit together. That means naming the company, naming the problem the role likely exists to solve, and connecting a piece of your own experience to it.

Start with something other than your name and the job title

Hiring managers can see the job title in the subject line. Opening with "I am writing to apply for the Senior Analyst position" wastes the one sentence you're guaranteed will be read. Instead, open with the connection itself: a specific result you drove that maps to what the posting asks for, or a point of genuine interest in what the company is building.

Use one story, not a list of traits

Cover letters that list adjectives — "detail-oriented," "a strong communicator," "a self-starter" — are forgettable because anyone can claim them. A short, concrete anecdote proves the same traits without naming them. Describe a specific situation, what you did, and the measurable outcome. One well-chosen example does more work than four unsupported claims.

Address the gap, don't hide from it

If you're changing industries, missing a specific tool the posting lists, or have a non-linear career path, the cover letter is the place to address it head-on rather than hope no one notices. A sentence that reframes the gap as relevant context — why the shift makes sense, what transferable skill closes it — reads as self-aware rather than defensive.

Close with something specific to act on

"I look forward to hearing from you" is a placeholder. A stronger close references something concrete: availability for a call this week, or a one-line summary of the single biggest reason you're a fit. It signals the letter was written for this job, not duplicated from a template with the company name swapped in.

Keep it short

• Three to four paragraphs is enough — roughly 250 to 350 words.
• Cut any sentence that could appear in a cover letter for a different job at a different company unchanged.
• Match the tone of the company's own external communication — a startup's careers page and a bank's rarely read the same way, and your letter shouldn't either.

The test for every line: could this sentence survive if you deleted your resume and the reader only had this letter? If a sentence's only job is to restate a bullet point, it isn't earning its place.