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The role of the cover letter has changed.
Not long ago, it was a standard part of almost every job application. Today, many hiring decisions start with a CV, a LinkedIn profile or an online application form. In some cases, a cover letter may not even be required.
Yet a cover letter can make or break an application. Recruiters and human resources professionals still come across cover letters that make an application easier to understand, and others that add very little.
The difference rarely comes down to writing style. More often, it's about relevance. The strongest cover letters help employers quickly understand why a candidate is interested in the role and what they could bring to it.
Before we get into what recruiters look for, it can be useful to see how employers are describing roles today. Exploring current vacancies can give you a better sense of the skills and experience organisations are looking for.
Use the links below to explore practical cover letter tips and the sections most relevant to you:
One of the easiest ways for an application to blend into the crowd is when there's no obvious connection between the candidate and the role.
Recruiters don't expect candidates to have a lifelong passion for every organisation they apply to. They do, however, want to understand why a particular opportunity appeals to you.
That doesn't mean writing paragraphs about the company's history or values. A few thoughtful sentences in the opening paragraph are often enough.
The role might align with where you want to take your career. It could offer the chance to work on projects you've been missing in your current position or build on experience you've spent years developing.
A cover letter should help the reader understand why this role makes sense for you, and why you make sense for the role.
Being able to explain that clearly isn't only useful when writing a cover letter. Employers often want to understand your motivation later in the hiring process as well, so it can help to prepare how you talk about your interest in a role during an interview.
A CV is designed to show experience, but it doesn't always explain the story behind it.
That's where a cover letter can add value, particularly when used alongside a strong CV. Taking time to review how your experience is presented on your resume can help ensure both documents tell a consistent story.
For someone moving into a new industry, a cover letter creates space to explain how their experience and transferable skills apply to the role. For someone relocating, it can answer practical questions before they're asked. For professionals returning to the workforce after time away, it can provide context that a CV alone may not capture.
These situations aren't necessarily challenges, but they often benefit from explanation.
Recruiters spend a lot of time connecting the dots between a candidate's background and a hiring manager's requirements. A well-written cover letter can make that easier.
Many cover letters rely heavily on broad descriptions, with candidates describing themselves as motivated, driven, adaptable or passionate. On their own, however, those qualities rarely leave a lasting impression.
What employers tend to remember are specific examples.
Whenever possible, support those examples with metrics. A hiring manager is far more likely to recall a candidate who improved retention rates, led a business transformation or launched a new market than someone who simply describes themselves as hardworking.
The strongest cover letters don't try to capture every achievement. Instead, they focus on a small number of examples that are particularly relevant to the role and explain why they matter.
The examples you choose matter just as much as the achievements themselves. The strongest ones tend to reflect what the employer is looking for and why you're interested in the opportunity.
Good cover letters feel specific, not because they repeat keywords from the job description, but because they show the candidate has taken the time to understand the role.
That often comes from researching the company, its priorities and the challenges the role is designed to address.
Many of the weaker applications recruiters see could be sent to almost any employer with only a few details changed. The language is often so broad that it reveals very little about what attracted the candidate to the opportunity in the first place.
A stronger application reflects some understanding of the challenges, responsibilities or opportunities the role presents.
That level of specificity signals genuine interest. It also helps an employer picture how the candidate might fit into the team.
Cover letters often become more formal than they need to be.
Many candidates feel pressure to sound impressive, which can lead to phrases they would never use in everyday professional communication.
In reality, clarity usually has more impact than formality and helps create a strong professional impression, as recruiters aren't assessing whether someone can write like a lawyer or an academic. They're looking at how effectively that person communicates ideas.
If a sentence feels overly complicated, simplifying it is rarely a mistake.
A cover letter should sound like a professional introducing themselves, not a template speaking on their behalf.
A common misconception is that a cover letter needs to tell an employer everything.
In practice, the strongest cover letters are selective, focusing attention on the experiences most relevant to the opportunity rather than attempting to summarise an entire career. That requires judgement about what to include, and just as importantly, what to leave out.
A concise cover letter respects the reader's time and demonstrates an ability to communicate with purpose.
Understanding what makes a cover letter effective is only part of the picture. Recruiters also see recurring patterns that can reduce the impact of an application.
Some of the most common include:
The most effective cover letters add context rather than restating what the reader can already see elsewhere in the application.
Employers want to understand what you're looking for, but they're also assessing how your skills and experience could contribute to the role.
Tip: Review your use of "I" throughout your cover letter. While it's natural to talk about your experience, try to balance personal achievements with examples of how your skills and experience can contribute to the role and organisation.
Describing yourself as motivated, driven or hardworking has limited impact unless those qualities are supported by examples.
Incorrect company names, outdated job titles and copy-and-paste errors can distract from an otherwise strong application and raise questions about attention to detail.
Generic applications can make it difficult for employers to understand why a candidate is interested in a specific role.
Not every application requires one.
In some hiring processes, a CV will carry far more weight. In others, a cover letter may only receive a quick review.
There are, however, situations where it can make a meaningful difference.
Career changes, relocations, portfolio careers, return-to-work applications and non-linear career paths often benefit from additional context. When there is a question that naturally arises from a CV, a cover letter offers the chance to answer it proactively.
Those answers don't need to be lengthy. Sometimes a few well-chosen sentences are enough to strengthen an application.
Despite frequent predictions about its decline, the cover letter still has a role to play in the job search process.
It gives candidates an opportunity to provide context, demonstrate intent and highlight the experience and qualifications most relevant to the role. The best cover letters don't try to say everything. Instead, they focus on what's most relevant and make it easier for employers to understand the person behind the CV.
Ultimately, that's what recruiters are looking for: a clear explanation of why you're interested in the role and what you can bring to it.
Ready to put your application into practice? If you're considering your next move, explore our latest opportunities and find a role that matches your skills and career goals.
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Carol is a Content Writer at Michael Page, creating content for audiences across the APAC region. She writes articles, contributes to annual salary reports, and helps maintain high standards of quality through editing and proofreading.With experience...
