Short answer: Use a plain one-page letter: same header as your resume or CV, greet a named person if you can, name the exact job title in sentence one, prove two achievements that match the posting, add one specific reason you want this employer, then thank them and sign off. About 250–400 words unless the form gives a limit.
A cover letter does one job: it tells a hiring manager why you fit this role and why they should read your resume or CV closely. You do not need a quote or a gimmick. You need a clear format, a strong opening, real proof, and a confident close.
This guide walks through the full process — when to send a letter, a four-pass writing method, word budgets per paragraph, opening and closing lines you can adapt, a complete example, a fill-in template, and a final checklist. For a first draft to edit, the cover letter builder writes from your saved resume or CV and the job description you paste, in a tone you choose.
If you already have a posting open and want every paragraph driven by its requirements, read how to write a cover letter from a job description. This page covers the fundamentals that apply to every letter.
Pair the letter with a strong base document: build or refresh your master in the free resume builder or CV builder, keep layout parser-safe with the ATS resume builder, and use the AI resume builder when you want help aligning bullets to a specific role before you write.
Do you need a cover letter?
Send one when:
- The posting asks for one. Follow the instruction every time.
- The application has an optional letter field. A short, specific letter gives a human reader more reasons to shortlist you.
- Your resume or CV needs context. Career changes, time away from work, relocation, or an unusual background are easier to explain in a letter than in bullets alone.
- Someone referred you. The letter is the natural place to say so.
- The team is small. At smaller employers, the person reading applications is often the person you would work with.
Skip it when the application says not to include one, or when there is no way to attach or paste it. When in doubt and the option exists, send a short one. A focused 250-word letter beats a generic page.
Start with a one-sentence pitch
Before you write a paragraph, write one sentence that answers three questions: who are you professionally, what is your strongest proof for this role, and what do you want to do for this employer?
Pattern:
"I am a [professional identity] who [strongest relevant result], and I want to bring that to [the team or problem this role covers]."
Example: "I am a customer success manager who has kept a mid-market account book renewing year after year, and I want to bring that to your growing enterprise team."
You will not paste this sentence into the letter word for word. It is your compass. If a paragraph does not support the pitch, cut it. If you cannot write the pitch honestly, revisit whether the role is a fit — or update your resume or CV first.
The four-pass writing method
Most strong letters are not written front to back in one go. Use four short passes:
| Pass | What you do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Map | Paste the posting into your notes. Highlight must-have skills and the problem the role solves. List two achievements from your work that match. | 5–10 minutes |
| 2. Draft | Fill the template at the bottom of this page. Do not polish yet — get every section on the page. | 10–15 minutes |
| 3. Tighten | Cut throat-clearing lines, merge weak sentences, and check word count per paragraph (table below). | 5–10 minutes |
| 4. Verify | Read aloud. Match every claim to your resume or CV. Fix names, titles, and dates. | 5 minutes |
If you use Wizume's cover letter builder, treat the streamed draft as the end of pass 2, then run passes 3 and 4 yourself. AI drafts still need your judgement on facts and tone.
Cover letter format
A cover letter is a short business letter. Keep layout plain so the reader focuses on content.
| Part | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Header | Your name, phone, email, and city. Use the same header as your resume or CV. |
| Date | The date you send it, written in full. |
| Employer details | Hiring manager's name if known, title, company, address — in an attached document; omit in email bodies and many text boxes. |
| Greeting | "Dear [First name] [Last name]," or "Dear Hiring Manager," |
| Opening | Exact job title and strongest match in two or three sentences. |
| Body | One proof paragraph (two achievements) and one fit paragraph (why this employer). |
| Closing | Thank-you, restated interest, invitation to talk. |
| Sign-off | "Sincerely," "Best regards," or UK equivalents below — then your full name. |
Length. One page, roughly 250–400 words. Application limits override this guide.
Font and spacing. Same font as your resume or CV, readable size, single spacing, blank line between paragraphs, standard margins. No tables, text boxes, columns, or graphics.
File type and name. PDF unless the posting asks otherwise. Name the file clearly, e.g. Firstname-Lastname-Cover-Letter.pdf. See resume PDF vs Word for when Word is requested.
Word budget by paragraph
| Paragraph | Target words | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | 40–70 | Role title + hook |
| Proof | 90–140 | Two achievements with results |
| Fit | 50–90 | One verifiable link to this employer |
| Closing | 30–50 | Thanks + next step |
If you are over one page, trim the fit paragraph before you cut proof.
How to address a cover letter
Use a real name when you can find one: posting, careers page, or team page. Write "Dear Priya Shah," with the full name.
If you cannot find a name:
- "Dear Hiring Manager,"
- "Dear [Team name] Team," e.g. "Dear Product Design Team,"
- "Dear [Company] Recruiting Team,"
Spell every name exactly as published. A wrong company or manager name is one of the fastest ways to waste a good draft — especially when reusing text from another application.
The opening paragraph
The first two sentences decide whether the rest gets read. Name the exact job title, then lead with your strongest relevant point. Skip "I am writing to apply for the position of…" — the reader already knows why the letter exists.
Lines you can adapt (illustrative details only):
- Experienced: "I am applying for the Senior Data Analyst role. Over the past four years I have built the weekly reporting our sales leadership uses for quarterly targets, and I would like to do the same for your commercial team."
- Career change: "After six years teaching secondary science, I am applying for the Instructional Designer role because I have spent that time doing the core of this job: turning complex material into lessons people finish."
- Referral: "Maya Okafor on your platform team suggested I apply for the Site Reliability Engineer role. She thought my work reducing on-call alert noise would match the reliability goals in your posting."
- Entry level: "I am applying for the Junior Marketing Coordinator role as a recent marketing graduate who ran social and event promotion for a 300-member student society for two years."
- Returning to work: "I am applying for the Office Manager role. Before two years caring for a family member, I ran day-to-day operations for a 40-person practice, and I am ready to bring that back to a busy office."
The body: proof first, then fit
Proof paragraph
Choose two achievements that match what the role needs. For each: what you did, how you did it, what changed. One or two sentences per achievement is enough.
Weak: "I am a hard worker with strong communication skills and a passion for customer service."
Stronger: "I manage a portfolio of 45 small-business accounts and run their quarterly reviews. Last year I rebuilt our onboarding checklist, which cut the time from signed contract to first login from three weeks to one."
Show skills instead of claiming them. Use numbers when you can defend them in an interview — see how to quantify resume achievements. Mirror the posting's terms for tools and skills where they are true of your work, the same habit as ATS resume keywords.
This paragraph should feel like a sharper slice of your resume or CV for this role, not a prose copy of every bullet.
Fit paragraph
Connect your experience to something real about the team or company: a product you use, a customer group they serve, a challenge in the posting, or a direction they have shared publicly.
Weak: "Your company is an innovative leader and I would love to join your team."
Stronger: "Your posting mentions expanding support into weekend coverage. I set up the rota and handover notes when my current team moved to seven-day support, so I know where that change tends to get stuck."
If you cannot find anything specific, a shorter letter with a strong proof paragraph beats vague praise.
The closing paragraph and sign-off
Close in two or three sentences: thank the reader, restate interest in this role, invite a conversation.
Examples:
- "Thank you for your time. I would welcome the chance to talk about how I can help your team scale onboarding."
- "Thank you for considering my application. I am keen on this role and would be glad to discuss it further."
- "I appreciate your consideration and would enjoy talking about how my reporting work could support your commercial team."
Sign with "Sincerely," "Best regards," or "Kind regards," plus your full name. Contact details live in the header.
A full cover letter example
Fictional candidate and company — structure is what matters.
Sam Rivera
Manchester · 07700 900123 · sam.rivera@example.com
25 October 2026
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am applying for the Customer Success Manager role at Brightwell Software. For the past three years I have managed onboarding and renewals for mid-market accounts, and I would like to bring that work to the enterprise customers your posting describes.
In my current role I look after 45 accounts and run their quarterly business reviews. When new customers were taking three weeks from signed contract to first login, I rebuilt our onboarding checklist and handover notes with sales, which brought that down to one week. I also built a simple health score in our shared tracker that flags falling usage, so we reach out before renewal conversations get difficult.
Your posting mentions building out customer success as the team grows. I trained the two most recent hires on our team and wrote the playbook they still use, so I know how much a clear process helps when a team doubles in size.
Thank you for your time. I would welcome the chance to talk about how I can help Brightwell's customers get value from day one.
Kind regards,
Sam Rivera
About 230 words in the body: exact title in line one, two results, one employer-specific point, short close.
A fill-in cover letter template
Copy and replace bracketed text. Delete lines that do not apply.
[Your name]
[City] · [Phone] · [Email]
[Date]
Dear [Hiring manager's name, or Hiring Manager],
I am applying for the [exact job title] role at [Company]. [One sentence: strongest relevant result linked to what the role needs.]
[Achievement one: what you did, how, and what changed.] [Achievement two: different skill the role needs, with its result.]
[One or two sentences linking your experience to something specific in the posting or about the team.]
Thank you for your time. I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can help [team or goal from the posting].
[Sincerely / Kind regards],
[Your name]
Rewrite proof and fit for every application. Update company, title, and greeting each time.
Where the letter lives: attachment, email, or text box
| Channel | What to send |
|---|---|
| PDF attachment | Full letter with header, date, employer block, greeting, body, sign-off. |
| Email body | Drop header and address; three short paragraphs often enough; clear subject: job title + your name. |
| Application text box | Plain text only; remove header block; check line breaks after paste. |
Send the same version of your resume or CV that you reference in the letter. If you tailored a copy for this role, the letter should cite achievements from that tailored file — see master resume vs tailored copy.
Special situations
Changing careers. Lead with transferable results, not an apology. Name skills that carry over with one example each. More: career change resume tips.
Returning after a gap. One honest sentence, then proof. Resume side: employment gap on your resume.
Little or no experience. Use coursework, projects, volunteering, and part-time roles as proof. Resume with no experience.
Internal applications. Shorter letter; name what you already deliver and what you would do in the new role.
Postings that ask questions. Answer in the order asked, in short paragraphs or labelled lines — do not bury answers in prose.
Match the tone to the employer
Read the posting once for voice. Formal sectors often expect a steadier tone; smaller teams often respond well to direct language. Mirror formality, not exact wording. Keep proof concrete either way.
Common cover letter mistakes
- Repeating the resume or CV instead of choosing two strong points.
- Opening with "I am writing to apply…" or a long biography.
- Generic praise that could fit any employer.
- Wrong company, title, or manager name from another draft.
- Claiming skills you cannot defend in an interview.
- Ignoring word limits or sending more than one page when a short box is provided.
- Sending an AI draft without reading every line aloud.
- Typos in the job title the reader sees every day.
Using AI to write a cover letter
AI is useful for a structured first draft. You still own accuracy:
- Check every fact against your experience and your resume or CV.
- Replace generic phrases with your specifics.
- Confirm company, role, and greeting.
- Read aloud and fix anything that does not sound like you.
How Wizume helps
The cover letter builder takes a saved resume or CV plus the job description you paste.
- Resume and tone. Pick any saved document — master or tailored copy — then professional, concise, or enthusiastic.
- Structured draft. Greeting, opening, achievement paragraph, fit paragraph, and closing stream in; default greeting is "Dear Hiring Manager," unless the posting names someone.
- Facts from your file. The draft is instructed to use only what is on the resume or CV you selected — still verify every line.
- Edit and save. Title the letter (company + role), edit in place, and keep the linked job description for interview prep.
- Export. PDF via your browser print dialog; Word export is a Pro feature.
For one workflow on a serious role, Apply to job (application pack) can score your resume against the posting, tailor a copy when the score shows room to improve, draft a matching cover letter, and log the application when company and title are known. Your original master stays unchanged. Track follow-ups: how to track job applications. Clip the listing from the tab you have open with the Chrome extension install page — it sends the job into Wizume; it does not fill employer forms for you.
Want a quick keyword preview before you write? The guest resume checker runs in your browser. Signed-in JD-weighted scoring is separate when you are tailoring in the app.
Start from a clean master in the free resume builder, CV builder, or ATS resume builder, or import PDF, DOCX, or TXT. Import does not use your free application pack.
Free and Pro
Free includes unlimited PDF export of your master resume or CV and one free application pack (tailor, JD-weighted score, and cover letter generation on a single serious role). Confirm your email to use it. Tailored resume or CV PDF export is a Pro feature. Details: pricing and free vs paid resume builder.
Final checklist before you send
- Names. Company, job title, and manager spelled correctly.
- Pitch. Every paragraph supports your one-sentence pitch.
- Opening. First sentence names the role; second gives your strongest match.
- Proof. Two achievements with results you can discuss in an interview.
- Fit. One concrete, verifiable reason for this employer.
- Consistency. Claims match the resume or CV file you are sending.
- Length and format. Within limits; correct file type and filename.
- Proofread. Read aloud once.
- Log it. Record the application and set a follow-up — how to follow up after a job application.
UK readers: cover letters with a CV
In the UK you send a cover letter with a CV. Structure matches the guide above. Conventions:
- Dates day first, e.g. 25 October 2026.
- Sign-offs. "Yours sincerely" after a named greeting; "Yours faithfully" after "Dear Sir or Madam." "Kind regards" with "Dear Hiring Manager" is widely accepted.
- Person specifications. Many adverts list essential and desirable criteria — address essentials in order.
Build your master in the CV builder. Terminology: resume vs CV.
FAQ
How long should a cover letter be?
One page, usually 250–400 words in three or four short paragraphs. Obey any application word or character limit.
How do I start a cover letter?
Greet a named person if possible, then the exact job title and your strongest result in the first two sentences.
What if I cannot find the hiring manager's name?
Use "Dear Hiring Manager," or address the team. Do not guess a name.
Should a cover letter be a PDF?
PDF unless the posting says otherwise. For text boxes, paste plain text and check formatting.
Can I use the same cover letter for every job?
Reuse structure and your best proof, but rewrite opening, proof, and fit for each role and update every name.
Can AI write my cover letter?
AI can produce a useful first draft. Wizume's cover letter builder drafts from your saved resume or CV and pasted job description — verify every claim before sending.
Resume or CV?
US applications usually say resume; UK applications say CV. This guide applies to both.
Write your next cover letter
Draft your one-sentence pitch, run the four passes, and send a plain one-page letter. For a draft to edit, open the cover letter builder, pick your resume or CV, and paste the job description.