> Career > Resume & LinkedIn Advice > How To Write A Cover Letter (Examples, Templates & Guide)
By: Irene McConnell
Edited by: Steven McConnell
Last updated: April 21st, 2024
Australia’s job market is competitive. You will sell yourself short if you don’t submit a compelling cover letter in your job application.
Your application must give hiring managers confidence that you’re the ideal person to meet their needs — even if your skills and experience aren’t a perfect match.
Guess what? A clear and convincing cover letter can help you do that.Sure, you can download a cover letter template and plug in some generic information.
But a better strategy is to use the best cover letter examples and templates (including ours below) as a starting point for crafting a tailored and impactful cover letter.
A cover letter is an introductory note that accompanies your resume as part of a job application, to communicate why you’re the best candidate for a job.
This isn’t a business document. It’s a reflection of your personal brand.
You’re personally writing to another human being, so use personal pronouns like ‘I’ and ‘you’. And keep your language natural – resist the temptation to sound like a corporate robot.
To articulate why you’re the best fit — before you start typing — take the time to:
Use your company research to identify the best person to address your cover letter to (if it’s not listed in the ad). This personalises your approach and makes you seem clued in and ready to step into a team.
Unless you have an insider connection, your cover letter can make or break your chances of getting an interview. Every word needs to earn its place.
Here’s what to include and avoid as you write each part of your cover letter.
What to include:
Here’s an example:
Before you submit your application, use this checklist to ensure your cover letter includes key details:
| Logical Consistency | Does it flow and make sense? |
| Correct Details | Have you spelt the hiring manager’s name right? |
| Tailoring | Is the cover letter aligned with the role? And your resume? |
| Look & Feel | Break up and simplify dense or verbose sections. Make your cover letter look approachable and scannable. |
A second set of eyes is always helpful when it comes to spotting mistakes or inconsistencies. Ask someone with superior writing skills to proofread your letter.
Additionally, I recommend sharing it with 2-3 people in your network to get their general feedback on whether you’ve made a compelling case to be hired.
Ideally, choose one person who knows you well professionally, one person who knows you peripherally, and person who knows you well personally.
There’s nothing like fresh eyes to speed up, and dial in, your final draft.
Here’s a quick tip that will double the impact of your job application – keep your cover letter’s design and format consistent with that of your resume.
This achieves a couple of objectives:
Don’t go too fancy or complex with your cover letter design or formatting, as it will distract the reader from the meat of your content.
See below for a side-by-side example of a branded set (resume and cover letter):
One reason that some recruiters don’t read cover letters is because they’re too generic, long-winded and boring.
A 2024 survey found that most people gloss over the cover letter and focus their attention on the CV/resume.
Around 30% of hiring managers said they rarely read cover letters — but more than 30% said a cover letter was either ‘nice to have’ or a deciding factor when it was ‘well-crafted’.
Regardless of recruiter behaviour, you need to decide whether or not a cover will be valuable for your situation. You have 3 options:
You’re probably better off not writing a cover letter than writing a bad one. However, going the extra mile to write a great cover letter puts you well above candidates who choose options 1 and 2.
If you’re keen to use AI as a writing tool, we recommend that you only use it to produce a quick first draft that you can then edit and enhance using your human smarts.
Depending on how skilled you are with prompts, a cover letter composed by an AI — such as ChatGPT or Google Bard — could provide a starting point and mimic the right professional tone.
The major drawback of an AI-generated cover letter is that it’s unlikely to be distinctive or tailored to the role.
So, you’ll need to review every sentence to add personality and specificity, and align the message with what the job-poster is looking for.
By now, I’m trusting that most of your questions have been answered when it comes to writing a cover letter to accompany your resume for a specific job application.
But cutting through the candidate clutter is no easy feat. And unless you’re a professional writer, the task of creating a standout cover letter can feel overwhelming.
If that’s you, I’m here for you. If you have more questions about how to write a cover letter, feel free to ask me in the comments below.
Wishing you all the best in your upcoming job search, and your career.
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