How to write a cover letter that makes recruiters want to meet you
A four-paragraph method, example sentences and the mistakes that make recruiters stop reading: everything you need to write a short, convincing cover letter.
Updated on 21/10/2026 · 7 min read · By the MakeYouFirst team
Recruiters often skim a cover letter in a few dozen seconds. Its job is not to repeat your CV: in a few lines, it must prove that you understood the role and that you can deliver what it requires. Here is a simple method that works for any job offer.
Before you write: pick out three requirements
Read the ad again and underline the three requirements that come up most or look like priorities: a skill, a type of experience, a personal quality. Your letter must cover them, with one concrete example each. Also note one detail about the company: what it does, a recent project, its customers, its location.
- What the company does and for whom;
- The three main requirements of the role;
- One experience or result from your background for each.
The four-paragraph structure
1. The opening: why them, why this role
Skip “I am writing to apply for…”. Start with a fact that connects the company and you.
“Your clinic has specialised in exotic pets: that is exactly the field I discovered during two years in a pet store, and the one I now want to work in alongside a vet.”
2. What you bring
Take the requirements you noted and answer them with evidence: a figure, a situation, a result. One precise example beats three adjectives.
“In my last role I welcomed around forty customers a day and handled payments and stock orders on my own.”
3. What you want to build with them
Show that you can picture yourself in the job: what you would like to learn, how you plan to contribute in the first months. Keep it concrete and sincere.
4. The close: a simple request to talk
One sentence is enough: your availability and your wish to discuss the role. No need to stack formal phrases.
“I am available from 1 December and would be glad to discuss the role with you in an interview.”
The right length and tone
Aim for 200 to 300 words, about half a page. Write the way you would talk to a future colleague: short sentences, action verbs, no unnecessary jargon. If the ad is written in a relaxed tone, you can be relaxed too; for an accounting firm or a public body, stay sober.
Mistakes that make recruiters stop reading
- The one-size-fits-all letter: if your letter could go to ten companies without changing a word, it will convince none of them.
- The CV summary: the recruiter already has your CV. Choose two or three points and develop them.
- All “I”, no “you”: talk about the company and its needs as much as about yourself.
- Unprovable claims: “I am highly motivated and dynamic” proves nothing. An example does.
- Typos and the wrong name: read it aloud and double-check the company and contact names.
Attachment or email body?
When you apply by email, the message body is read first. Put a short version there (four or five lines) with your opening and your main strength, then attach the full letter and your CV as PDFs. Name your files clearly: “CV-Firstname-Lastname.pdf”, “Cover-letter-Firstname-Lastname.pdf”.
Tailor every letter without spending your evening on it
The longest part is not writing, it is tailoring: picking out requirements, finding the right example, rephrasing. That is exactly what MakeYouFirst does: from your profile (and only your profile, nothing is invented), it prepares a letter specific to each offer, which you review and edit before it is sent from your own mailbox.