Write a cover letter that is not generic

Write a covering letter for this role. Short, specific, no filler.

The advert: [PASTE]
My CV: [PASTE]
Why I actually want this one: [THE REAL REASON, EVEN IF IT IS THE MONEY OR THE COMMUTE]
The single most relevant thing I have done: [ONE THING, WITH WHAT HAPPENED]
Anything I need to explain: [CAREER GAP, CHANGING FIELD, NO DIRECT EXPERIENCE — OR "NOTHING"]

Produce three sections.

1. THE LETTER — under 250 words, four short paragraphs at most. It must open with something about this role or this company that could not be said about another one. No "I am writing to apply for". No listing of adjectives about myself. If I gave you something to explain, deal with it in one sentence without apologising for it.

2. THE SWAP TEST — go through the letter you just wrote and quote any sentence that would still be true if I sent it to a different company. For each, either replace it with something specific or say it should be cut. Be strict with yourself here.

3. WHAT WOULD MAKE THIS MUCH STRONGER — the fact, number, or piece of research I do not currently have that would carry more weight than anything in the letter. Tell me where to find it.

If my real reason for wanting the job is not something to put in a letter, say so and write around it honestly rather than inventing enthusiasm.

A covering letter fails in one specific way, and adjectives are not it. It fails when every sentence in it would survive being sent to a different employer — passionate about the industry, drawn to your mission, keen to bring my skills to a dynamic team. None of that is untrue. All of it is unreadable, because the reader has seen it ninety times this week and it tells them nothing about whether to interview you.

So this prompt writes the letter and then attacks it. The swap test in section two quotes back any sentence that is portable between applications, which is a much harsher and more useful edit than "make it more compelling" — it converts a vague feeling that the letter is bland into a list of specific sentences to cut.

Section three is where the real improvement usually lives, and it is the part you have to do yourself. One concrete fact about their product, their market, or a problem they have visibly got, is worth more than any amount of rewriting. The prompt cannot look it up, but it can tell you what would be worth looking up.

1. Give the real reason, even if it is unglamorous

   Money, location, leaving a bad manager. It is not going in the letter, but it stops the model manufacturing an enthusiasm you would have to sustain in an interview — and it is instructed to tell you when the real reason needs writing around rather than stating.

2. Pick one thing, not five

   A letter is 250 words. One story told with a result beats four mentioned in passing, and choosing the one is a decision only you can make.

3. Do section three before you send

   It is a research task, usually fifteen minutes. A letter that names something true about their actual situation is in a different category from one that does not, and no amount of rewording gets you there.

4. Name what needs explaining rather than hoping it goes unnoticed

   A gap or a field change addressed in one unapologetic sentence stops being a question mark. Left out, it is the first thing the reader wonders about.

• When no letter is asked forSome processes ignore them entirely and some systems never show them to a human. Check whether this one reads them before spending the hour.
• Where a fixed format is requiredPublic sector and academic applications often specify structure, length, and sometimes the competencies to address in order. A good free-form letter scores badly against that.
• It cannot research the companyAnything specific it appears to know about the employer may be invented or years out of date. Every concrete claim about them has to be one you checked.

• Job searchApolloExplain a career gap or a layoffTurns a gap, a redundancy, or a short stint into one plain sentence, and flags where the explanation still sounds defensive.
• Job searchRagnarökEvaluate a job offer beyond the salaryValues the whole offer against your current situation and flags the terms that cost you something without looking like money.
• Job searchApolloRead a job rejection for real signalSeparates the parts of a rejection that tell you something from the parts that are standard wording, and says what to change next.
• Job searchRagnarökPrepare for an interview at one companyBuilds preparation around this specific role and stage, and lists the questions you currently could not answer.