Most cover letters fail for the same reason: they could have been sent to anyone. The ones that get read answer three questions in the first ten lines: which job you want, what you can do that they need, and what you want to happen next.
This guide covers what a good cover letter is, the structure that works, a full example you can adapt, the mistakes that get letters skimmed, and what it costs to have one written for you.
The short answer. One page, three or four paragraphs, addressed to a named person. Open with the role and one specific reason you fit it, spend the middle on two pieces of evidence with numbers behind them, then close by asking for an interview and giving your contact details. Never repeat your resume word for word.
What is a cover letter?
A cover letter is the page that sits on top of your resume and explains it. The resume lists what you have done; the letter argues why that is the right background for this particular job. Most employers read it for well under a minute, so the argument has to be visible immediately, not buried in the third paragraph.
The guide gets you started. The resume has to match it.
A cover letter and resume are read together. If only one of them was written for the role, the mismatch shows.
Emma Anderson | Rewrite Guarantee | Servicing all of Australia
What employers read first
Hiring managers do not read a cover letter from the top. They scan the first two or three lines, look for the role title, and decide whether to keep going. That means the opening carries almost all the weight. If your first line is “I am writing to apply for the position of”, you have used the most valuable sentence in the document to say nothing.
Write the opening the way you would say it out loud to someone who asked what you were applying for. Name the role, name the organisation, and add the one thing about your background that makes you worth reading on.
What a good cover letter has to do
Four things, in this order:
- Name the role and where you saw it advertised, so the reader knows which job this belongs to before the second sentence.
- Give evidence tied to the ad. Two examples that match what the advert asks for beat a list of adjectives, especially where you can attach a number.
- Show you know the organisation beyond its homepage slogan: a project, a change, a customer problem you have read about.
- Ask for the interview and make your contact details easy to find.
What should I put in it?
Every letter needs the same five elements, whatever the job:
- Who you are, in one line.
- The role and the company you are applying to.
- The skills and experience from your background that the advert actually asks for.
- Your reason for writing, which is to be considered for an interview.
- How to reach you.
The structure that works
Introduction
State your reason for writing, name the role, and introduce yourself in a sentence. This is also where you address the addressee by name if you can find one. One short paragraph is enough.
Body
This is where the letter earns the interview. Pick the two or three requirements the advert leans on hardest and answer each one with something you have actually done. A result with a number attached is worth more than three sentences of enthusiasm.
Be specific about how the employer benefits, not just about what you are good at. “Cut invoice processing from five days to two” tells them what changes if they hire you; “excellent attention to detail” tells them nothing.
This is also where you say why you want this job in particular, which shows you did the research rather than sending the same letter everywhere.
One rule worth keeping: the letter introduces the resume, it does not summarise it. If a sentence is already on the resume, cut it and use the space for something only the letter can say.
Closing statement
Ask for the interview politely, note any documents you have attached, and give the contact details they need. Keep it to two or three lines and do not apologise for taking up their time.
A full example
Example: operations coordinator, transport company
Dear Priya Raman,
I am applying for the Operations Coordinator role advertised on SEEK. I have spent seven years coordinating dispatch in transport and warehousing, most recently for a 12-person team across two sites.
Your advert mentions the depot move at Alexandria. I ran a comparable relocation at Fletcher’s, which finished four days ahead of schedule and stayed inside the freight budget. The second thing it asks for is reporting discipline, and that is where I spend most of my week: I rebuilt the weekly run schedule around customer delivery windows and cut late deliveries from 14% to under 9% in one quarter.
I would like to talk through how I would handle the first month of the move. I am available any afternoon this week and can be reached on 0412 345 678.
Kind regards,
Jordan Reeves
Mistakes that get a cover letter skipped
| What people do | Why it fails | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Open with “I am writing to apply for” | It uses the only line most readers see to say nothing | Open with the role and your strongest match to it |
| Repeat the resume | The reader already has the resume, so there is nothing new here | Explain why the resume’s evidence matters for this job |
| Use “To Whom It May Concern” | It signals that no research was done | Find the name, or address the team if you cannot |
| Squeeze onto one page by shrinking type | It reads as trying too hard, and it is hard to scan | Cut a paragraph instead, keeping 10 to 12 point type |
Format, length and file type
Keep it to one page. Somewhere between 250 and 350 words is right for most roles, and three or four paragraphs is the whole document. Use a standard business font at 10 to 12 point, left aligned, with normal margins. Do not centre the text, do not use coloured backgrounds, and do not attach the letter as an image.
Save it as a PDF unless the advertisement asks for Word. Name the file with your own name and the document type, for example Jordan Reeves cover letter.pdf, because a file called Document1 tells the reader nothing and is harder to find in a folder of applications.
Cover letters when you have no experience
A short work history is not a reason to skip the letter. It changes what the letter is for: instead of arguing for seniority, it argues for reliability and fit. Use a placement, a group assignment, a volunteering role or a casual job, and describe what you actually did in it. Employers hiring entry level staff are usually screening for whether you will turn up and how quickly you learn, so evidence of either is worth more than a claim about being hard working.
Applying by email or through a portal
If the letter is going in the body of an email, put the role in the subject line, keep the letter itself short, and attach the resume with a sensible file name. Do not paste the whole letter and also attach it, because the reader then has two versions and will trust neither. If you are pasting into a portal text box, write it in a plain document first so the formatting does not disappear, then check that the line breaks survived the paste.
When a cover letter is optional
Some advertisements do not ask for one, and some recruiters admit they skim rather than read. Send a short letter anyway when there is something the resume cannot say: why this organisation, why this change of field, or why you are applying from interstate. Leave it out when the process is a structured portal application with no upload field for it. There is more on that in how important is a cover letter.
Have it written for you
If you would rather the letter was written with you than explained to you, that is what we do. Both options are written personally, matched to the job advertisement, and covered by the Rewrite Guarantee.
Role specific cover letter
From $57
Written for one particular job you are applying for, using the advert and your background.
Order a cover letterGeneric cover letter
From $37
Flexible wording you can adapt across several applications without starting again each time.
Order a cover letterCover letter questions
How long should a cover letter be?
One page, roughly 250 to 350 words, in three or four paragraphs. If it runs to two pages, one paragraph is usually doing the resume’s job.
Should my cover letter repeat my resume?
No. The resume lists what you have done and the letter explains why it matters for this job. If a sentence already appears on the resume, cut it and use the space for something only the letter can say.
Can I use the same cover letter for every job?
You can reuse the structure and the examples, but the opening and the middle have to change. A letter that names another employer, or another role, is worse than sending no letter at all.
Do I need a cover letter if the ad does not ask for one?
Usually send a short one. It takes ten minutes, and it is the only part of the application where you can explain why this organisation, or why you are changing careers, in your own words.
How much does it cost to have a cover letter written?
From $37 for a generic letter, or from $57 for one written for a specific role. Both are covered by the Rewrite Guarantee.
Where to go next
This page is the overview. Each part has a longer guide behind it:
- How to write a cover letter, the full walk-through with tailoring and formatting
- Addressing a cover letter, including how to find the hiring manager’s name
- How to end a cover letter, sign-offs and closing paragraphs
- How important is a cover letter, and when one is genuinely optional
- Alternatives to To Whom It May Concern, if you cannot find a name
Letter and resume are read together. Make sure both are written for the job.
Get my resume written, from $97
