A cover letter has one job: give the reviewer a reason to open your resume with interest instead of duty. That takes three paragraphs and under 250 words. Anything longer gets skimmed; anything generic gets skipped. Here is the skeleton, then how to fill each slot.

The template

Dear {{Hiring manager name, or Hiring team if truly unfindable}},

{{Hook — one or two sentences: the specific reason this role at this company pulls you, tied to something concrete they do, plus your one-line credential.}} I am applying for the {{Role title}} role because {{Specific, checkable reason — a product you use, a market they are entering, a problem in the posting you have solved before}}. As a {{Your role identity}} with {{Years}} years in {{Domain}}, that is exactly the problem I have been working on.

{{Evidence — three or four sentences proving you can do this job.}} At {{Most relevant employer descriptor}}, I {{Strongest relevant achievement with a number}}. Before that, I {{Second achievement that covers a different requirement from the posting}}. The posting emphasizes {{Requirement from the posting}} — {{One sentence showing your direct experience with it}}.

{{Close — two sentences: what you would bring, and a confident, low-pressure next step.}} I would bring {{The capability the evidence just proved}} from day one, and I would love to talk about {{Specific challenge the team is facing}}. Thank you for your time.

{{Your name}} {{Email}} · {{Phone}} · {{Portfolio or profile link}}

Filling the hook

The hook fails when it could be pasted into any application. Test yours by swapping in a different company name — if the sentence survives, it is not a hook. Strong hooks reference something checkable: a product detail, a recent launch, a stated goal in the posting. Weak: I am excited to apply for this opportunity at your esteemed company. Strong: Your posting says the team is rebuilding onboarding from scratch — I spent the last two years doing exactly that, taking activation from 31% to 55%.

Filling the evidence paragraph

• Pick two achievements, not five. Choose the ones matching the posting's top requirements; the resume carries the rest.
• Every claim gets a number or a named outcome. Improved processes is filler; cut invoice processing time from five days to two is evidence.
• Mirror one phrase from the posting so the match is explicit rather than implied.
• Do not retell your resume. The letter selects and interprets; it never lists.

Filling the close

Skip apologetic endings (I hope to hear from you) and hard sells (I will call your office Thursday). One line of value, one line of thanks. Confidence without pressure.

Adaptation checklist per application

• Hiring manager name found on the company site or team page — or Hiring team, never To whom it may concern.
• Hook references something specific to this company.
• Both evidence achievements map to requirements in this posting.
• One phrase mirrored from this posting.
• Under 250 words, three paragraphs, zero typos — read it aloud once before sending.