When it matters
Some hiring managers never open the letter, and others read it before the resume. You cannot tell which one you have, so if the application marks the letter optional, write it. It matters most when your resume does not explain itself: a change of field, a move to a new city, a gap, a referral from someone inside, or a small employer where the owner reads every application personally.
The three paragraphs
- The opening names the job and gives one specific reason you want this employer, something you could not say about its competitors. If someone referred you, that person's name belongs in the first sentence.
- The middle takes the two requirements the posting stresses most and gives evidence for each: a short account of something you did, with a number in it. The resume lists what happened, and the letter explains how and why.
- The close says what you would want to work on in the first months, states when you can start or talk, and thanks the reader. It does not beg.
Lines to cut
Delete "I am writing to apply for," because the reader knows. Delete "I believe I would be a great fit," "hard-working team player" and any mention of passion that is not followed by proof. A useful test is portability: any sentence that could be pasted unchanged into a letter to a different company is filler. Do not apologize for what you lack. "Although I have no direct experience" hands the reader a reason to stop, while a sentence about the nearest thing you have done gives them a reason to continue. Leave salary out unless the posting demands a figure.
Format and delivery
Aim for 250 to 350 words on a single page, with the same font and contact header as your resume so the two read as a set. Address a person if the posting or the company's staff page gives you the hiring manager's name. "Dear Hiring Manager" is acceptable, and "To Whom It May Concern" reads as a form letter. When you apply by email, the letter is the body of the message and the resume is the attachment. When the application offers only a text box, paste plain text and check that the line breaks survived.
Tip Search the finished letter for the name of the last company you applied to. A leftover name from a reused letter is the most common fatal error, and spellcheck will never catch it.
