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Guide: Cover Letters
What every cover letter must do, how long it should be, and the mistakes that kill applications
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What it is and when it counts

  • A cover letter makes the case for why you are the right person for this specific role. It does not repeat the CV. It provides context the CV cannot: why this company, why this role, what you specifically bring.
  • It matters most for competitive roles, non-traditional backgrounds, and cold applications where you need to establish credibility before a conversation.
  • One page. 250-400 words. 3-4 paragraphs. If you cannot make your case in 400 words, the issue is focus.
  • Address the hiring manager by name where possible. 'Dear Sarah Ahmed' reads better than 'Dear Hiring Manager' and signals genuine effort.
  • A letter that sounds like you is worth more than a polished one that sounds like no one.

What it must include

  • Opening: a specific hook. Not 'I am writing to apply.' Start with what drew you to this company or with a specific achievement that positions you immediately.
  • Relevant experience: the 2-3 things most directly relevant to this role. The job description tells you what words the hiring manager uses. Use them.
  • Why this company: something specific and genuine. An observed product decision or recent news is stronger than generic praise about culture.
  • Close: your availability and a simple forward action. Stop when you have made the case. Overselling weakens what came before it.
  • What to leave out: salary requirements, apologies for experience gaps, anything negative about previous employers.

People also ask

How long should a cover letter be?

One page, maximum. Aim for 3-4 paragraphs and 250-400 words. Hiring managers read dozens of applications; a cover letter that runs longer signals poor editing and weak prioritization. If you cannot make your case in 400 words, the issue is focus. Cut until every sentence is earning its place.

How do you start a cover letter without "I am writing to apply"?

Start with what drew you to this specific role, or with a specific achievement that positions you immediately. "The product brief on your careers page is the most honest description of a PM role I've read in three years of searching" is a better opening than "I am writing to apply for the Product Manager position." Open with something that only you could have written about this specific company.

Should a cover letter repeat the CV?

No. The cover letter and CV are two different documents doing two different jobs. The CV lists what you have done. The cover letter explains why it is relevant to this specific role. Pick one achievement from your CV and use the cover letter to tell the full story: the context, your specific contribution, the outcome, and why it proves you can do this job.

Do cover letters actually get read?

It depends on the role and the company. For competitive roles and smaller companies, cover letters are often the deciding factor when two candidates have similar CVs. For volume hiring through ATS systems, they may be ignored entirely. The safe approach: write a strong cover letter for every role you genuinely want, and a shorter version for speculative applications. A great cover letter rarely hurts; a generic one can.

Is it acceptable to use AI to write a cover letter?

AI can be a useful drafting tool but the final letter should sound like you. Hiring managers read hundreds of letters and AI-generated text has a detectable register: formal, structured, no specific details, phrases like "I am a highly motivated individual." Personalize heavily: add specific details about the company that only a genuinely interested candidate would include, concrete numbers and outcomes from your experience, and a voice that matches how you actually communicate.

Cover Letter Template

Jordan Clarke
jordan@email.com  ·  +1 555 000 0000  ·  linkedin.com/in/jordanclarke  ·  New York, NY
14 June 2026
Sarah Chen, Head of Product
Lumio Inc.
San Francisco, CA
Dear Sarah,
Your job description for Senior Product Manager is the most specific brief I've read this year. You're not looking for someone to maintain a roadmap. You're looking for someone to build the product instinct that makes a roadmap worth having. That's a meaningful difference, and it's the work I've been doing for the past four years.
At Acme Corp, I led the 0-to-1 launch of our analytics suite from concept to 12,000 paying users in 14 months. This meant coordinating across 8 engineers, 2 designers, and a sales team of 30 who needed training before GA. We shipped two weeks ahead of schedule, 8% under budget, and the suite became our highest-rated product within 6 months of launch. The skills that made that work are exactly what I see in this role: earning alignment without authority, making prioritization decisions with incomplete information, and keeping a distributed team moving in the same direction.
I'd welcome the chance to talk through how my experience applies to what you're building at Lumio. I'll follow up on Friday if I don't hear from you before then. You can reach me at jordan@email.com or on the number above.
Warm regards,
Jordan Clarke
Senior Product Manager

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