Cover letter

What It Means

A cover letter is a short letter or email you send with your resumeResumeA short document that sums up your work history, skills, education and results for an employer, usually sent with a job application. See more when you apply for a job. It names the job, connects your experience to what the employer asked for, and says why you want to work there. CareerOneStop, the U.S. Department of Labor's career site, says it's a good place to show your match to the job, explain a gap in employmentResume gapA stretch of months or years with no paid job on your work history, often from caregiving, health, study, a layoff or a long job search. See more or another issue, and describe your interestInterest rateThe yearly percentage a lender charges for borrowing money, not counting fees; the APR adds certain fees to show a fuller cost. See more in that particular job and employer.

How People Say It at Work

• "Do they even read cover letters anymore?"
• "The posting says a cover letter is optional."
• "I'll send my resume and a short cover letter."

The Breakdown

How to write one (Buhata's suggestion, built on CareerOneStop's guidance)

1. Read the posting and mark the two or three things it asks for most.
2. Research the employer, as CareerOneStop advises before an interviewJob interviewA conversation in which an employer asks about your experience and skills to decide whether to offer you a job, and you learn about the role. See more, so you have one specific reason to want this job.
3. Address it to a named person if the posting or the company's site gives one.
4. Open with the job title and where you found it.
5. Write a paragraph matching your experience to what they asked for, with a real example for each point.
6. If you have a gap or a career change, give it one or two plain sentences. CareerOneStop lists explaining gaps as one job a cover letter does.
7. Say why this employer, then close with thanks and how to reach you.
8. Keep it to one page, read it aloud, and check the company name is right.

Try it today. Take a posting you're interested in and write only Part 2: two requirements, two examples. That paragraph does most of the work in any cover letter.

When the posting says optional. CareerOneStop still calls a cover letter a good idea when you want to show your match, explain a gap or show your interest, so for a job you really want, Buhata suggests sending one.

Good to Know

Use the cover letter for context your resume can't give, and leave out what you'd rather discuss later. CareerOneStop advises against bringing up pay until the interviewer raises it or an offer is made, so salary requirements usually stay out of the letter unless the posting asks for them.

Related Terms and Categories

• Resume

  A short document that sums up your work history, skills, education and results for an employer, usually sent with a job application.

• Resume gap

  A stretch of months or years with no paid job on your work history, often from caregiving, health, study, a layoff or a long job search.

• Job interview

  A conversation in which an employer asks about your experience and skills to decide whether to offer you a job, and you learn about the role.

• Salary negotiation

  Discussing pay and other terms with an employer before you accept a job offer, to reach a starting salary that fits the role and your skills.

• Email etiquette

  The shared habits that make work email clear and courteous, from a specific subject line and short paragraphs to careful use of reply all.

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