How to Write a Cover Letter: A Simple Structure, 3 Examples and a Checklist
A cover letter in four short parts: what goes in each, three full examples (nurse, customer service, career change), mistakes to avoid and a checklist.
Key takeaways
- Keep it to about 250 to 400 words in four short parts: a specific opening, one or two paragraphs of proof, a confident close and your sign-off.
- Write it for one job: name the role and the company, and match two or three requirements from the posting with real results.
- Address a person by name when you can; "Dear Hiring Manager" is fine when you can't.
- Send one even when it's optional, unless the posting says not to: it's your best place to explain a career change, a gap or a move.
The cover letter structure that works
A cover letter is a one-page letter that tells an employer why you want this job and why you can do it. It is read next to your resume, so it shouldn't repeat your resume line by line. Its job is to connect the dots: the two or three things this role needs, and the proof that you have them.
| Part | What it does | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Your name and contact details, the date and the employer's name | 4 to 6 lines |
| Greeting | "Dear Ms. Lee," or "Dear Hiring Manager," | 1 line |
| Opening | The role you're applying for and the one reason you're a strong fit | 2 to 3 sentences |
| Proof | Two or three of the job's requirements, each matched with something you did and its result | 1 or 2 short paragraphs |
| Close | Why this company, and a clear next step | 2 to 3 sentences |
| Sign-off | "Sincerely," or "Kind regards," and your name | 2 lines |
Aim for 250 to 400 words. Most hiring managers skim, so short paragraphs with one clear idea each matter more than elegant phrasing.
How to write each part
1. Header and greeting
Use the same name line and contact details as your resume, so the two look like a set. If you can find the hiring manager's name in the posting, on the company website or on LinkedIn, use it: "Dear Ms. Lee,". If you can't, "Dear Hiring Manager," is fine. Skip "To whom it may concern"; it reads like a form letter.
2. The opening: the role plus a reason
Name the job and give one specific reason you fit. Skip "I am writing to apply for…": the reader already knows.
- Weak: "I am writing to express my interest in the Customer Support Specialist position."
- Strong: "I'd like to bring four years of SaaS support, and a 94% satisfaction score across 9,000 tickets, to your Customer Support Specialist role."
3. The proof: answer the posting
Pick the two or three requirements that matter most in the posting. For each one, give a short example with a result. The formula from our guide to resume bullet points works here too: an action, its scale and what changed. A simple way to plan it:
Fill in that plan for each requirement, then turn each one into two or three sentences. Use the posting's own words for skills you really have; they matter to the recruiter reading it and to the applicant tracking system storing it.
4. The close: why them, and what's next
Add one honest sentence about why this company: a product you use, a value you share, a project you read about. Then ask for the next step: "I'd welcome the chance to talk about how I can help your team cut response times."
5. The sign-off
"Sincerely," or "Kind regards," followed by your full name. A typed name is enough; you don't need a scanned signature.
Cover letter examples
Three short examples to adapt. The names, numbers and companies are made up; swap in your own.
Example 1: registered nurse
Dear Ms. Patel,
I'm applying for the Registered Nurse position on your cardiac step-down unit. In three years on a 30-bed telemetry floor, I've cared for 5 to 6 patients a shift and become the nurse colleagues ask to read a tricky rhythm strip.
Your posting asks for telemetry experience, patient education and calm under pressure. I monitor and interpret cardiac rhythms every shift and hold BLS and ACLS certifications. I led our unit's heart failure discharge teaching with the teach-back method, and we brought 30-day readmissions down from 21% to 16% in a year. During rapid responses, I take the recording role so the team can focus on the patient.
Riverside's nurse residency program and its shared governance model are the reasons I'm applying here. I'd be glad to talk about how I can support your team on nights or rotating shifts.
Sincerely,
Jordan Smith, RN
Example 2: customer service
Dear Hiring Manager,
I'd like to bring four years of SaaS support, and a 94% satisfaction score across more than 9,000 tickets, to your Customer Support Specialist role.
You're looking for someone who can handle chat and email at volume, learn a technical product quickly and improve the help center. At Brightdesk I handled 50+ conversations a day in Zendesk, and I wrote 40 help articles that cut repeat billing questions by about a third. When we launched a new reporting feature, I trained 12 agents on it in a week.
I've used your scheduling app with my own clients for two years, so I already know the questions your customers ask. I'd welcome a call to talk about your support goals for next year.
Kind regards,
Sam Rivera
Example 3: career change (teacher to instructional designer)
Dear Mr. Chen,
After eight years of teaching middle school science, I'm moving into instructional design, and your Learning Designer role at Northwind is the work I've been doing in the classroom without the title.
Your posting asks for course design, e-learning tools and work with subject-matter experts. I designed a 12-week science unit now used by all six 7th-grade classes in my district, built interactive lessons in Articulate Rise and Google Classroom, and worked with our special education team to adapt materials for 40 students with IEPs. Over two years, my students' end-of-unit scores rose from 68% to 79%.
I've just finished a certificate in instructional design and built a portfolio of three short courses, linked in my resume. I'd love to show you how a teacher's eye for what learners actually do can help your onboarding courses.
Sincerely,
Alex Morgan
How to explain a career change, a gap or a move
- Career change: lead with results that transfer, name what you've done to bridge the gap (a course, a project, volunteering), and keep the tone forward-looking.
- Employment gap: one honest sentence, no apology, then what you're ready to do now: "After a year caring for a family member, I'm ready to return full time, and I've refreshed my Excel and SQL skills."
- Relocation: say when you'll be there: "I'm moving to Denver in March and available to start from the 15th."
Cover letter mistakes to avoid
- Repeating your resume. Tell the story behind two or three results instead.
- Writing about what you want. Lead with what they need and how you can deliver it.
- One generic letter for every job. The wrong company name in a letter is a classic, and fatal, mistake.
- Going past one page. If it runs long, cut the weakest example.
- Clichés without proof. "Team player" and "hard worker" mean nothing until a result backs them up.
- Typos. Read it aloud, or ask someone else to read it.
- Unedited AI text. Generic phrasing is easy to spot. Make every sentence specific to you and to this job.
Format: length, font and file
- One page, 250 to 400 words.
- The same font and header as your resume, so they look like a set.
- Left-aligned, single-spaced, with a blank line between paragraphs.
- Save it as a PDF unless the posting asks for Word, and name the file clearly: "Jordan-Smith-Cover-Letter.pdf".
- If you paste it into an online form or an email, drop the header and keep the paragraphs short.
Cover letter checklist
- Addressed to a named person, or to "Hiring Manager".
- The job title and the company are named in the first two sentences.
- Two or three requirements from the posting, each with a result.
- At least one number: a percentage, a volume, a time saved.
- One honest sentence about why this company.
- A clear next step in the close.
- 250 to 400 words, one page.
- Same header and font as your resume.
- No typos, and the right company name everywhere.
- Saved as a PDF with a clear file name.
Next, make sure the resume behind it reads well to software too: see our ATS-friendly resume guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a cover letter if it's optional?
Usually, yes. Some recruiters skip cover letters, but others read every one, and it's your best chance to explain a career change, a gap or a relocation. If the posting says not to send one, don't.
How long should a cover letter be?
About 250 to 400 words, in three to five short paragraphs, and never more than one page.
Who do I address a cover letter to if there's no name?
Look for the hiring manager's name in the posting, on the company website and on LinkedIn. If you can't find one, "Dear Hiring Manager" is fine and reads better than "To whom it may concern".
Should a cover letter repeat my resume?
No. Pick two or three requirements from the posting and tell the short story behind your matching results. The resume holds the full list.
Can I use the same cover letter for every job?
Keep a base version, but rewrite the opening, the proof and the close for each job. A letter that names the company and answers its posting reads very differently from a generic one.
