What Is a Cover Letter? Purpose, Parts and When You Need One

A cover letter is a short, one-page letter that you send with your resume to introduce yourself and explain why you are right for a specific job. Your resume lists what you have done. Your cover letter explains why it matters to this employer.

Most cover letters are three to four short paragraphs. They are read in seconds, so each sentence has to earn its place.

What a cover letter does

A good cover letter does three things your resume cannot do well:

1. Connects you to the job. It picks the two or three parts of your background that match the role and puts them first.
2. Explains anything unusual. A career change, a gap, a move to a new city or a first job can be explained in a sentence.
3. Shows how you write and think. Many roles need clear writing, and the letter is the first sample.

Cover letter vs resume

The two documents work together. If you need to build or refresh the resume first, see how to write a resume.

What a cover letter includes

Every standard cover letter has the same parts:

• Header: your name and contact details, the date and the employer's details.
• Greeting: "Dear Ms Patel," or "Dear Hiring Manager,".
• Opening paragraph: the role you are applying for and your strongest reason in one or two sentences.
• Body paragraph or two: evidence that you can do the job, using numbers where you can.
• Closing paragraph: a thank-you and a clear next step, such as an interview.
• Sign-off: "Sincerely," or "Kind regards," followed by your name.
• Enclosure line (optional): a list of documents you are sending. See what an enclosure in a cover letter means.

For the exact layout, spacing and fonts, read the cover letter format guide.

When you need a cover letter

Send one when:

• The job advert asks for it.
• You are changing careers or industries.
• You have a gap or an unusual path to explain.
• You are applying to a small company, a nonprofit or a role that involves writing.
• You are writing to a named person, such as after a referral.

You can skip it when the advert says not to include one, or when the application form has no place to upload it. If a form has an optional cover letter box, a short, targeted letter still helps more often than it hurts.

Cover letter, covering letter and letter of interest

• Cover letter and covering letter mean the same thing. "Covering letter" is more common in the UK and India.
• A letter of interest is different: you write it when no job has been advertised. See how to write a letter of interest.

How to send it

You can attach it as a PDF or paste it into the email body. Should I attach a cover letter or write it in the email? explains how to choose.

Common mistakes

• Repeating your resume line by line.
• Opening with "I am writing to apply for…" and nothing else.
• Sending the same letter to every employer.
• Writing more than one page.
• Leaving the company name from an earlier application in the text.

Where to start

Write the letter after your resume is ready. Use a cover letter template for the structure, read cover letter examples for wording and check how long a cover letter should be before you send it. Then choose a free resume template so both documents look like a matched pair.