How to write a cover letter that gets interviews

A cover letter is not a formality and it is not your CV in prose. It has one job: to make the reader think “this person understands the role and can clearly do it” before they have even opened your CV. The good ones all do three things.

The three things every good cover letter does

• Opens with something specific. Not “I am writing to apply for the role advertised”. A real reason you want this job, or a sharp line of proof. (More in cover letter opening lines.)
• Proves you can do this job. Two or three pieces of evidence matched to what the role actually needs, drawn from the brief.
• Shows you understand the company. One genuine, specific thing about them, not flattery, that shows you did more than skim the title.

The structure

1. Opening. A specific hook, and the role you are going for.
2. The match. Why you fit, with evidence, in the language of the job description. This is the heart of the letter.
3. Why them. A short paragraph on why this company, grounded in something real about them.
4. Close. A confident, brief sign-off and a clear willingness to talk.

Tailor it, but don’t start from zero

Every letter should be tailored, but that does not mean a blank page each time. Keep your evidence paragraphs ready, then rewrite the opening and the “why them” for each role, and re-point the evidence at what this job asks for. Mirror the brief’s wording where it is honest to do so. Keep it to one page, and keep the formatting clean so it survives an applicant tracking system.

The free Standout cover letter writer does the tailoring for you: give it the role, the company and what you want to land on, and it writes a one-page letter matched to the brief, ready to send.