How to write a good cover letter

If you need to write one or want to, do it properly. The key points:

  • One page maximum. No recruiter reads more. Really.
  • No copy-paste phrases. "I am a communicative team player with high intrinsic motivation" lands in every inbox every day. It gets spotted immediately and works against you.
  • Specific over general. Not "I bring a lot of experience" but "over the past three years I did X and achieved Y".
  • Why exactly this company? That is the one question a good cover letter answers. Everything else is secondary.
  • Not a retelling of your CV. What is already in your resume does not need to be listed again.

In short: a good cover letter shows personality, genuine motivation and a concrete understanding of what the company actually needs. That sounds simple but in practice it is rare.

Now the twist: does anyone actually read it?

Here it gets interesting. I am not saying this to discourage you but because it is the truth and because I think applicants deserve to know it.

What the data shows: In a survey of 878 companies, 80% say they always start with the CV. And if that does not spark interest, nearly half (49%) do not read the cover letter at all.

Source: HR-ON survey, 878 companies

On top of that: 64% of companies now leave it entirely up to applicants whether they include a cover letter or not. The trend is clearly moving away from it being a required document.

Source: Human Resources Manager, 2025

As someone who has reviewed a lot of applications I can only confirm this. The CV makes the decision in the vast majority of cases. The cover letter at best adds a nice finishing touch to a strong first impression.

When it is still worth writing one

There are exceptions and they matter:

  • Public sector and government roles: Here a cover letter is often mandatory and actually read.
  • Unsolicited applications: If you are applying without a specific role in mind it is almost essential. You need to explain why you are there.
  • Career changes: If your CV does not obviously fit the role a cover letter is your chance to explain why it should.
  • Creative industries: Agencies, startups and creative companies often value a personal letter more than others.

What actually matters

A clear, well-structured CV tailored to the specific role is almost always more important than the best cover letter in the world. If the CV convinces them the interview follows and that is where you can show your motivation in person.

Spend your time actually tailoring your CV to the role rather than investing hours in a document that might never get opened.

One last thought

You can write the perfect cover letter and still hear nothing afterwards. No feedback, no rejection, just silence. That has nothing to do with your writing and everything to do with the company.

Before you invest a lot of time in your next application it is worth quickly checking how that company treats applicants. On Ghosted.Global you can anonymously and for free check how quickly others received feedback there. Or whether they received any at all.