How to Write a Cover Letter: Short Structure and Example
To write a cover letter, read the posting, pick the two or three requirements you can prove, then write an opening that names the job, one or two body paragraphs that each tie one requirement to something you did, and a short closing that asks for a conversation.
This guide gives a structure you can follow today. Purdue OWL says the letter and resume should work together to convince an employer to give you an interview. The advice comes from university career centers and Purdue OWL, each named where it is used. They are recommendations from career professionals, not measurements. We found no study we could cite on how many employers read cover letters or how much a letter changes your odds of an interview, so that is Unknown here. Whether you need a letter at all is a separate question, covered in do I need a cover letter.
Step 1: Before you write, read the posting
By the end of this step you will have a short list of what you will prove.
Read the posting twice and mark the requirements. The University of Pennsylvania advises picking out the two or three most important skills the employer is looking for and describing your experience in the employer's language. Colorado College says a letter needs to be well thought out for each position, with specific reference to the position description.
Then write down, for each of your two or three requirements, one thing you did. A task, a result, a problem you fixed. If you cannot name one, drop that requirement from the letter.
Also find a name. James Madison University calls "Dear Sir/Madam" "very impersonal" and suggests calling the organization to get the right name and title. The University of South Carolina says that if you cannot identify a person, you can contact the company's human resources department.
Step 2: Write an opening that names the job
The opening has one job: say which role you want and why you are a fit.
The University of Illinois says to "Sell yourself in paragraph 1" and to name the position and how you learned of it. Penn adds that the opening should explain why you are writing. Purdue OWL's content tips ask for the position, where you heard about it, and two or three qualifications that match your resume.
The University of South Carolina suggests an opening of two to four sentences. Our recommendation: use three, naming the job, the source of the posting and your strongest proof.
Step 3: Write one or two body paragraphs, each with one proof
Each body paragraph takes one requirement and one thing you did.
Purdue OWL says to focus each paragraph on one qualification and support it with specific examples. Illinois puts it as "Show, don't tell." and says not to tell the employer you have a skill without evidence. Penn says it is not necessary to describe yourself in superlatives, so skip "excellent" and "passionate" and state what happened.
Where the sources differ is the paragraph count. Illinois describes two body paragraphs, South Carolina two to three, and JMU a letter of three to five paragraphs in total. One or two body paragraphs sits inside all three ranges.
Refer to your resume without copying it. Illinois, JMU and Purdue OWL all say this in their own words.
Step 4: Close with a clear next step
The closing asks for a conversation and makes it easy to reach you.
Sources differ on what the closing contains. Illinois wants interest in the position and a wish to discuss your application, with a brief summary of key points that avoids repetition. Penn wants you to explain why the position and the organization appeal to you. Purdue OWL lists a request for an interview, your contact information and thanks. JMU says to ask for an interview directly if you want one.
Our recommendation: ask for a conversation, give one way to reach you, say thank you, and stop.
Step 5: Cut, then check
Read the letter once for what to delete, then once for errors.
See the mistakes list below. Colorado College asks for a letter that is well organized, clear, concise and error-free. On layout, keep it short here and read the cover letter format guide. On length, Illinois, Penn and JMU all say one page, and the length guide gives the word range.
A complete worked letter
The posting and the applicant below are invented, written by us as an example. Do not copy the content. The wording follows Purdue OWL's advice to avoid contractions.
Invented posting: Customer Support Coordinator at Harbor Outdoor Supply. It asks for someone who can resolve customer problems in writing, keep clear records, and work with the warehouse team.
Dear Ms. Alvarez,
I am applying for the Customer Support Coordinator role at Harbor Outdoor Supply, which I found on your careers page. The posting asks for someone who can resolve customer problems in writing and keep clean records. I have done both for two years at a regional bike shop.
What it does: names the job, says where the posting was found, and states the two strongest matches.
At Ridgeline Cycles I handled the shop's email and chat inbox. Late-delivery questions came in daily, so I wrote a one-page reply guide with the three most common causes and the wording for each. The rest of the team began using it, and I updated it each month from the tickets I closed.
What it does: ties one requirement, written problem-solving with records, to one thing the applicant did.
You also want someone who works well with the warehouse. When one order shipped to the wrong address, I phoned the carrier, arranged a replacement and logged each step in the ticket. The new order arrived before the customer's trip.
What it does: ties the second requirement to a specific event, with a result and no adjectives.
I would welcome a conversation about how I could help your support team. You can reach me at dana.reyes@example.com or 555-0100. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Dana Reyes
What it does: asks for a conversation, gives contact details, thanks the reader and stops.
Common mistakes to cut
- A generic letter. Penn says a stock letter is fairly obvious to an employer, and JMU says mass-produced letters are unappealing. Swap in the employer's requirements each time.
- Claims without proof. Illinois gives "detail oriented" with no example as the kind of line to drop.
- Retyping the resume. Penn and JMU both say not to repeat it word for word.
- Clichés and flowery wording. JMU lists both as things to avoid.
- Pasted AI text. Illinois calls mass-produced or AI-generated letters "easy to detect". That is one career center's view, not a measurement. Use a tool for a first draft if you like, then rewrite it with your own examples.
- Typos. Colorado College asks for a letter free from errors and suggests workshopping it with a career consultant, the Writing Center or peers. South Carolina suggests bringing it to the Career Center for a final review.
Not sure what else belongs in the letter? The what to include checklist goes item by item.
Sources
All pages were read on 2026-11-12. Page dates are as shown on the page; "undated" means none was visible.
- Purdue OWL, "Cover Letter Overview" (undated): https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/skilled_labor_job_search_resources/cover_letters/cover_letter_overview.html
- Purdue OWL, "Quick Content Tips" (undated): https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/job_search_letters/cover_letters_1_quick_tips/quick_content_tips.html
- University of Illinois, The Career Center, "How to Write a Cover Letter" (undated): https://careercenter.illinois.edu/howtocoverletter
- University of Pennsylvania Career Services, "Cover Letter Writing Guide" (undated): https://careerservices.upenn.edu/cover-letter-writing-guide/
- Colorado College Career Center, "Cover Letters" (undated in our reading): https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/careercenter/applying/cover-letter.html
- University of South Carolina Career Center, "Cover Letters" (undated): https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/career_center/student_career_hub/write_a_resume/cover_letters/
- James Madison University, "Cover Letters & Letters of Inquiry" (2026-11-09): https://www.jmu.edu/career/students/career-prep/cover-letters.shtml
Not read: the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop cover letter page and the UC Davis Career Center page returned access errors to our reader, so nothing here is attributed to them.
Disclosure
coverletterdesk.com is published by the makers of AIHawk, a job application tool. The About page gives details.
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