Resumes · 3 min read
Cover letter template
Most cover letters are too long and say nothing. A good one is short, specific to the role, and built around a single piece of proof. This template gives you a four-paragraph structure you can adapt in a few minutes. If a paragraph is not earning its place, cut it.
The four parts
- Open with the role and a reason: which job, and one genuine reason you want it
- Show one piece of proof: the single best example that matches what they need
- Connect it to them: why that experience helps with the problem this role solves
- Close simply: a short, confident line and a thank you
Paragraph one: why this role
Name the role and give one real reason you are applying, tied to the company or the work, not "I am a motivated professional seeking a new challenge". One honest sentence about why this job specifically is worth more than a paragraph of filler.
Paragraph two: your best proof
Pick the single strongest thing that lines up with what the role needs, and tell it as a short story with a result. Not your whole history, one example, chosen because it answers their problem.
Paragraph three: connect it to them
Spell out, briefly, why that experience makes you useful for this specific role. You are doing the work for the reader: here is what you need, and here is the proof that I can do it.
Keep it to half a page
If your letter is longer than half a page, it is too long. A busy reader will skim it anyway, so make every line count and stop before you start repeating your resume.
The short version
Four short paragraphs: why this role, your single best proof, why that helps them, a simple close. Specific beats long, and half a page beats a full one.