The conventional wisdom on cover letters is all over the place. Half the advice you'll find says they're essential. The other half says nobody reads them.
Both are right, honestly, depending on the letter. A generic cover letter that restates your resume gets skimmed in three seconds and ignored. A good cover letter gets read carefully and can change the outcome of an application, especially for competitive roles or when your resume alone doesn't tell the full story.
The question isn't whether to write one. It's how to write one that gets read.
What makes a cover letter bad
Most cover letters fail for the same reasons:
They restate the resume. "As you can see from my attached resume, I have five years of experience in marketing..." If it's already on the resume, don't repeat it. The cover letter exists to add something the resume can't.
They're generic. The reader can tell instantly when a letter hasn't been written specifically for them. Vague praise ("I've long admired your company's innovative approach to...") that could apply to anyone reads as filler.
They're too long. Nobody is going to read 600 words from someone they haven't met. One page is the maximum. Three tight paragraphs is the sweet spot.
They lead with the wrong thing. Opening with "My name is [name] and I'm applying for the [role] position..." is wasted space. The reader already knows that from the application.
They focus on you instead of the fit. A cover letter that's all about what you want from the job, rather than what you bring to it, doesn't answer the question the hiring manager is actually asking: why should I spend time on this person?
The structure that works
There's no magic formula, but a reliable structure looks like this:
Opening (1-2 sentences): Lead with something specific and relevant. Why this role, why this company, why now. Not flattery. Something genuine. If a friend referred you, say so. If you've been following the company's work in a particular area, be specific about which area and why it matters to you.
The main paragraph (3-5 sentences): Connect your most relevant experience directly to the role. This isn't a summary of your career; it's a focused argument for why your background makes you a strong fit for this job. Use specific examples, not vague claims. "I led a team of five through a product launch that grew our user base 40%" beats "I have strong leadership skills."
Closing (2-3 sentences): Express genuine interest, not desperation. Mention something specific you're looking forward to: a particular project, a challenge the company is working on, something they've published or built. Then close cleanly. You don't need to grovel.
The common mistakes, specifically
Don't explain why you're leaving your current job. They don't need to know in the cover letter. That's a conversation for later.
Don't apologize for things on your resume. "Although I don't have direct experience in X..." immediately draws attention to the weakness. If you don't have something, don't bring it up. Focus on what you do have.
Don't use clichés. "I'm a fast learner," "I'm passionate about [industry]," "I work well in teams": these phrases are so overused they carry no meaning. Replace them with evidence.
Don't use a template word for word. Templates are useful as a starting structure, but a letter that reads like a template gets treated like one.
How to make it specific
The single most important thing you can do to improve a cover letter is make it more specific to the company. This requires ten minutes of research, but it pays off.
Look for:
- A recent product launch, announcement, or piece of news
- Something from their blog or public communications about how they think about their work
- A specific challenge the role mentions and how your background connects to it
Then reference it directly. "I read your post on how you approached X problem; the way you handled Y is something I've dealt with directly in my work on Z" is a sentence that almost guarantees the reader keeps going.
A note on tone
Formal, stiff language doesn't signal professionalism. It signals that you copied a template. Write the way you'd actually speak in a professional setting: clear, direct, and human.
If you're applying to a startup, the tone can be a bit more casual. If you're applying to a law firm or a traditional institution, dial it up slightly. Read the job posting and company communication style as a guide.
Using AI as a starting point
Writing a tailored cover letter from scratch for every application is genuinely time-consuming. AI can give you a strong first draft, one that's already connected to the specific role and company, that you refine rather than write from nothing.
The key is to treat the AI output as a draft, not a finished letter. Read it. Edit it. Make sure it sounds like you. Add the specific detail that only you would know. Remove anything that feels generic.
Jobpursuit generates cover letters directly from your resume and the tracked job, so it already has the context of both before it writes a word. You can choose the tone (formal, conversational, enthusiastic), the language, and then edit from there.
The goal isn't to outsource the letter; it's to remove the blank page problem and give yourself a better starting point.
The final check
Before sending, run through this list:
- Does the opening paragraph say something specific and genuine?
- Does the main paragraph make a clear, evidence-based case for my fit?
- Is it under one page?
- Have I removed every cliché and vague claim?
- Does it sound like me, or like a template?
- Have I mentioned the company by name at least once in a way that's specific?
If the answers are yes, send it. A cover letter that's 80% there is better than a perfect one you never send.