Cover Letter Rules

A cover letter earns its place only by saying something the resume can't — why this company, why this role, and how specific experience maps onto what the role actually needs. If a letter could be sent unchanged to ten different companies, it isn't doing its job.

Length

• Hard cap at 250–350 words. A longer letter signals the writer couldn't identify what actually mattered and included everything instead; a reader skimming applications will not read past this length anyway.
• Three to four short paragraphs, no more. If the content needs more space than that, it belongs in the interview, not the letter.

Never restate the resume

• Never repeat a bullet or job title the resume already states in the same words — the letter's only value is context, connective reasoning, and specifics the resume's bullet format can't hold ("why I left," "what drew me to this problem specifically").
• If a resume achievement is relevant, reference it briefly and explain why it's relevant to this role, rather than re-describing what it was.

Structure

• Hook (1–2 sentences): open with something specific to this company — a product decision, a stated problem, a recent move, a specific thing about the role's scope — not a generic statement that could apply anywhere. The hook proves the letter wasn't mass-produced.
• Evidence (1–2 paragraphs): map 2–3 pieces of actual experience directly onto what the role's description says it needs, in the role's own terms where honest. Each point should answer "why does this make me good at this specific job," not just "what have I done."
• Close (1–2 sentences): state interest plainly and invite the next step — no hedging, no over-explaining. "I'd welcome the chance to talk about how I can help with [specific thing]" beats a vague "Thank you for your consideration."

Banned openers

• Never open with "I am writing to apply for..." or "I am excited to submit my application for..." — these sentences convey zero information the subject line and attached resume don't already convey, and waste the highest-attention position in the letter.
• Never open by restating the job title and company name in a flat sentence with no other content — get to the specific hook immediately instead.

Banned filler

• Avoid unsupported trait claims with no evidence attached: "team player," "passionate," "hard worker," "detail-oriented," "go-getter." Every one of these means nothing without a specific example, and a specific example alone (without the label) is stronger anyway.
• Avoid generic enthusiasm sentences that any candidate could write about any company ("I've always admired innovative companies like yours"). If a sentence would survive find-and-replace of the company name unchanged, cut or rewrite it.

Career changes and gaps

• Address a career change directly and briefly in one sentence that reframes it as relevant, transferable experience — don't apologize for it or over-explain the reasoning at length.
• Address employment gaps honestly if they're likely to raise a question, in one plain sentence, without over-justifying — a caregiving period, a layoff, further education. Don't leave a gap the resume shows unaddressed if it's recent and significant, but don't dwell on it either.
• Frame both changes and gaps around what the candidate can do now, not around apology for the past.

Tone calibration

• Match tone to industry norm: a startup or creative role tolerates more personality and informal phrasing; a legal, financial, or enterprise role expects more formal, measured language. Read the company's own external voice (site, job posting) as a signal.
• Regardless of industry, stay specific and concrete rather than either stiffly formal-for-its-own-sake or overly casual — both extremes read as miscalibrated to the actual audience.
• Never use humor or informality as a substitute for substance — a letter can be warm and still spend most of its words on genuine, specific evidence.