How to Write a Cover Letter That Doesn't Sound Like Everyone Else's
Most cover letters restate the resume in paragraph form and get skimmed in five seconds. Here's what actually makes one worth reading.
Most cover letters fail for the same reason: they restate the resume in paragraph form, which gives the reader nothing they didn't already have. A resume shows what you did. A cover letter's actual job is to show why it matters for this specific role, something a bullet-point list can't do on its own. When a cover letter just repeats the resume in sentence form, it's genuinely worse than not sending one at all, since it wastes the reader's time without adding anything.
The structure that actually works
- 1Opening: one sentence that's specific to this role or company, not "I am writing to apply for the position of..."
- 2Middle: one, at most two, specific examples that connect your experience directly to what this role needs, told with a small amount of narrative, not just restated bullets.
- 3Close: a short, confident line about what you'd bring, and a clear next step, not a generic "I look forward to hearing from you."
What a specific opening looks like
"When I saw [Company] was expanding into [specific area], it caught my attention immediately, since that's exactly the kind of problem I've been working on in [specific relevant context]."
Compare that to "I am excited to apply for the Software Engineer position at [Company]." The first one proves you actually looked at the company and connected something real. The second could be sent to any company for any role, and reads that way.
The middle section: narrative, not a list
Pick one specific project or accomplishment and tell it briefly as a small story: what the situation was, what you did, what happened. This is the part where a cover letter earns its place next to a resume, since it can show reasoning and context a bullet point strips out. Keep it to one paragraph. Longer than that and it starts to feel like padding rather than substance.
What to leave out entirely
- ●A restatement of your entire work history. That's what the resume, attached to the same email, is for.
- ●Generic enthusiasm with no specifics ("I am a hardworking and passionate professional"). It says nothing a reader can act on.
- ●Apologizing for a gap, a career change, or lack of experience. Address it plainly if it's relevant, don't lead the letter with an apology.
- ●A closing paragraph longer than two sentences. End on a confident, specific note, not a long wind-down.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a cover letter be?
Three short paragraphs is enough: a specific opening, one focused story in the middle, and a brief, confident close. Longer cover letters tend to dilute the parts that actually matter with generic filler.
Should I write a different cover letter for every job?
Yes, at least the opening and the specific example in the middle should change per role. A cover letter that could be sent to any company unchanged reads as generic and is usually skimmed rather than read.
Is a cover letter still necessary if it's optional?
If it's optional, a short, genuinely specific one can still help you stand out, but a generic, clearly copy-pasted one is often worse than skipping it. Only include one if you can make it specific to the role.
What's the biggest mistake people make in cover letters?
Restating the resume in paragraph form. It gives the reader no new information and wastes the one section that's supposed to add context a bullet-point resume can't provide.