Write a short cover letter
The short answer
A cover letter is the one place to explain a career change or a gap before anyone interviews you. Send one when it's optional and you're changing fields, have a gap, or have a contact to name. Keep it to about 150 to 250 words in three paragraphs: why this company, one or two results that prove you can do the job, and your change story in two lines. Write it yourself, and write a new one for each company.
On this page
Opinions on cover letters differ, and some recruiters never read them. I still suggest writing one in some situations, because when it is read, it can answer the question your resume raises.
When to send one
This is my view from coaching. Send a cover letter when:
- You're changing fields, so your resume alone could look like a mismatch.
- You have a gap you'd like to explain in your own words first.
- Someone at the company suggested you apply, and you can name them.
- The posting asks for one. Then it isn't optional.
If none of these apply and the letter is optional, spend the time on a note to a person on the team instead. The page on pairing outreach with applications shows how.
Keep it to three short paragraphs
MIT's career office says a cover letter should be no longer than one page, should open with its purpose, and should give a couple of examples from your experience before a short close[1]. I'd go shorter still: about 150 to 250 words.
- Why them. One or two sentences that are specific to this company: a launch, a problem they've described, a value you share. Say which role you're applying for.
- Proof. One or two results from your resume that match the posting's top requirements, with the numbers.
- The bridge. Your change story in two lines, from telling the story of your change, ending on why this role is the next step.
MIT's office also says to tailor each letter to the company, using the job description and the company's website or LinkedIn page to see what it values. Address it to the hiring manager by name where you can[1].
A generic example
Dear [hiring manager's name],
I'm applying for the operations manager role on your clinic openings team. Your plan to open four new sites next year is work I've done before, and done well.
At a 200-person software company, I cut customer onboarding from 14 days to 6 by rebuilding the handover checklist with sales. Before that, I opened three regional offices on schedule, coordinating vendors, hiring and IT.
I've spent nine years in software operations, and the part I've enjoyed most is getting new sites and teams running fast. Healthcare is where I want to do that next, and your openings are a close match for what I've done.
[Your name]
That's about 120 words. Fill in your own facts, and change the opening for every company.
When there's no upload
Many application forms have no place for a letter, only an "additional information" or "anything else?" box. Paste the same three paragraphs there, without the greeting. If the box has a character limit, keep the proof and the bridge.
Write it yourself
An AI draft can help you get started, but rewrite it so it sounds like you and contains facts only you would know. A letter that could be sent to any company tells the reader very little. The page on using AI in your search has more on where AI helps and where it costs you.
Questions to ask yourself
Take five minutes with a notebook. There are no right answers here, only useful ones.
- What would you want this employer to understand about you that your resume can't say?
- Which one or two results make the strongest case for this particular role?
- Why this company, in one sentence that wouldn't be true of its competitors?