What makes a cover letter get read?
A cover letter gets read when the first two lines show you know what this team needs and the next paragraph proves you’ve done it before. Keep it to about 250 to 350 words, name the role and company, use one or two specific results, and close with a simple next step.
Every example below follows the same shape: why this job, proof, and a close. Our guide “Cover letters that actually get read” explains the reasoning behind that structure. The people and companies in these examples are fictional. Use the shape, not the sentences.
What is a simple cover letter template?
Copy this, replace everything in square brackets, and delete any line that isn’t true for you.
- Dear [hiring manager’s name, or “Hiring team at Company”],
- Paragraph 1 (why them): I’m applying for the [job title] role at [Company]. [One specific reason: something in the posting, their product, or a problem they’re solving], and it’s the kind of work I’ve been doing for [X years].
- Paragraph 2 (proof): At [current or last company], I [result with a number that matches their top requirement]. I also [second result that matches their second requirement].
- Paragraph 3 (close): I’d bring [what you’d do in the first months]. I’d welcome the chance to talk about how I could help with [their goal]. Thank you for your time.
- Sincerely, [Your name] · [phone] · [LinkedIn or portfolio URL]
Cover letter example for a career changer
Fictional example: Maya Torres, a high school teacher applying to be an instructional designer at a made-up company, Brightpath Learning.
- Dear Hiring Team at Brightpath Learning,
- I’m applying for the Instructional Designer role. Your posting says you need someone who can turn subject-matter experts’ knowledge into short, practical courses for frontline staff. For the last seven years as a high school science teacher, that has been my job every week, just with teenagers instead of employees.
- I designed and taught a 10th-grade chemistry curriculum used by four teachers across our district, and rebuilt it as self-paced modules in Canvas during remote learning. Pass rates on our end-of-unit assessments rose from 71% to 84% over two years. This spring I finished a certificate in instructional design and built three sample eLearning modules in Articulate Rise, which are in my portfolio.
- I’d bring a habit of testing every lesson with real learners and changing what doesn’t land. I’d love to talk about how I could help Brightpath scale its onboarding courses. Thank you for considering my application.
- Sincerely, Maya Torres
Why it works: it translates teaching into the employer’s words (courses, subject-matter experts, self-paced modules), shows proof with a number, and closes the skills gap with a certificate and portfolio instead of apologizing for it.
Cover letter example after a layoff
Fictional example: Daniel Okafor, a marketing manager laid off in a restructuring, applying to a made-up software company, Harborline.
- Dear Ms. Patel,
- I’m applying for the Demand Generation Manager role at Harborline. Your focus on mid-market finance teams caught my eye, because that was the audience I built pipeline for over the last four years.
- At my last company I owned paid search, paid social and webinars for our mid-market segment, and grew marketing-sourced pipeline from $1.8M to $4.6M a year while lowering cost per opportunity by 22%. I rebuilt our HubSpot lead scoring with sales, which raised the share of MQLs that sales accepted from 38% to 61%. My role was eliminated in October when the company cut its marketing team by half after an acquisition.
- I’d bring a tested playbook for webinars and paid search to finance buyers, and I could start quickly. I’d welcome a conversation about Harborline’s pipeline goals for next year. Thank you for your time.
- Best regards, Daniel Okafor
Why it works: the layoff gets one factual sentence near the end of the proof paragraph, after the results. It doesn’t apologize or explain more than needed, and “I could start quickly” turns the situation into an advantage.
Cover letter example for a new grad
Fictional example: Priya Shah, a recent statistics graduate applying for an entry-level data analyst role at a made-up company, Fieldstone Health.
- Dear Fieldstone Health Recruiting Team,
- I’m applying for the Junior Data Analyst position. I graduated in May with a BS in Statistics, and your work on reducing missed appointments is exactly the kind of problem I want to spend my first years on.
- For my senior capstone, I analyzed 18 months of anonymized appointment data from a community clinic using SQL and Python. My model of no-show risk helped the clinic test reminder texts for its highest-risk patients, and missed appointments in the pilot group fell by 9%. As a part-time research assistant, I cleaned and documented survey data for a faculty study and built the Tableau dashboards the team used each week.
- I’d bring careful data work and a habit of explaining results in plain language for non-technical teams. I’d be glad to walk you through my capstone. Thank you for considering my application.
- Sincerely, Priya Shah
Why it works: no apology for lacking experience. It treats the capstone and part-time job as real work, uses the posting’s tools (SQL, Python, Tableau), and connects to the employer’s mission in one line.
How do you adapt an example without sounding copied?
- Replace every result with your own, even a smaller one. A real 9% beats an invented 40%.
- Change the first line to something specific to this company. If it could be sent to any employer, it’s not specific enough.
- Use the posting’s words for the requirements you meet, in your own sentences.
- Read it aloud. If a sentence sounds like nobody you know would say it, rewrite it.
- Run it through a checker. The free cover letter checker at eline-ai.com/tools/cover-letter looks at length, evidence, stock phrases, the company name, the job’s key requirements and a clear next step.
What should a short email cover letter look like?
When you apply by email or the form has a small text box, cut to three or four sentences: the role, your single strongest result, why this company, and a thank you.
- “Hi Jordan, I’m applying for the Customer Success Manager role (resume attached). I currently own renewals for 42 mid-market SaaS accounts and cut churn from 14% to 9% in two years. Your focus on onboarding-led retention is the work I enjoy most. Thanks for considering me. Alex Rivera”
What should you leave out of a cover letter?
- Openers like “I am writing to express my interest in”. Start with the role and a reason.
- A paragraph-by-paragraph retelling of your resume.
- Salary history, unless the application requires it.
- Long explanations of a layoff, a firing or a gap. One sentence, if any.
- Praise that fits any company (“an industry leader”).
Screenpass drafts a cover letter for each job from your real experience and the posting, in this same short structure, for you to edit before sending.