Originally published January 2021, updated June 2026.
A cover letter is also known as a letter of motivation, which is attached to a resume or CV. The purpose of a cover letter is to provide further detail on how your skill set might align with a role, why a company is the right fit for you, and what you can bring to the team. In essence, it's a great way for recruiters to get to know you a bit better beyond the lines on your resume.
When planning your cover letter, ensure you follow the proper structure of a letter while also tailoring it to the company.
Contact information
The contact information part of a cover letter follows the standard format of a formal letter. Make sure you provide all the necessary information. Addressing the recruiter directly by name is preferred, however, "X Company Graduate Recruitment Team" is fine if you are unable to. Basically, anything that is a little more personalised than "to whom it may concern" will do.
Introduction (first paragraph)
The first paragraph should explain why you are writing. This means you should include things like how you found the position, what the position is, why you are interested in the job, and a short introduction about who you are as well. This section will be similar to your graduate pitch, which includes your career goals and how your personal values tie in with the employer's values.
Body (middle paragraphs)
The body section of your cover letter should explain why you are qualified for the position. Here you should choose a few skills, experiences or attributes that closely match the ideal candidate for the position and highlight them. Try and sprinkle some keywords for the ATS such as leadership, customer service and adaptability. Avoid repeating your resume directly by focusing on important aspects of an experience and tailoring your response accordingly. Ensure that you demonstrate how your knowledge and experience will help you fulfil the job requirements. As a bonus, show some personality through a relevant personal story.
Ending
Briefly summarise your motivations for applying and then conclude your cover letter by thanking the employer for their consideration and letting them know you look forward to hearing back. Include some professional closing words such as "Kind regards" or "Sincerely" followed by your signature to round off your cover letter.
Once you have the structure down pat, you can focus on perfecting the content of your cover letter. Here is a list of tips that will help you write a great cover letter for your graduate applications.
Research the company first
Before you actually begin writing your cover letter, learn more about the company and the position you are applying for. On top of your general research on the company website, try reaching out to some hiring managers or current employees on LinkedIn or other professional channels so you can foster an interaction that you can speak about. This is also a great way to show that you are genuinely interested in the company.
Start strong
A cover letter gives you only one page to convince a recruiter that you should progress to the next round. Recruiters also won't spend too much time on each letter as they need to go through a stack of applications. Starting with a strong opening sentence about your experience, goals or passion will grab their attention.
A good opening should quickly answer three things: who you are, what role you are applying for, and why you are interested. The stronger and more specific you can be here, the better. This is not the place for generic lines that could apply to any employer.
Focus on the future
Make sure when you are selling yourself that you focus on the future instead of only the past. Whilst your cover letter touches on your past experiences, keep the emphasis on what you want to achieve and what you want to do in the role.
Go beyond your resume
Be selective about what you talk about. Choose two or three skills you want to highlight and offer examples of when you demonstrated them. Whenever possible, include quantitative measurements of how you made an impact.
Your cover letter should add to your resume, not repeat it. If your resume shows what you did, your cover letter should help explain why it matters and why those experiences make you a strong fit for the role.
Use a natural, professional tone
Try to use professional and personable language, similar to what the hiring manager would use with customers or colleagues. Sometimes it can be hard to critique your own writing, so get a second opinion from someone about your tone. The best way to get through to the hiring manager is to be authentic and genuine instead of sounding desperate or overly formal.
Tailor it properly
When you are writing your cover letter, you want to make sure you are tailoring it as much as possible. A great way to test if your cover letter is too generic is by seeing whether you could easily replace the company name with a different one. If you can, then it is probably not tailored enough and may be screened out.
Check for mistakes
These kinds of errors stick out like a sore thumb, especially when hiring managers are comparing cover letters side by side. A great way to check for spelling and grammar is to copy and paste your text into a proofreading tool or get another person to read it over before you submit it.
Using AI to help with your cover letter in 2026
In 2026, it is completely normal to use AI as a support tool when writing your cover letter. It can help you get started, improve the structure of your draft, pull out keywords from a job ad, or suggest clearer ways to phrase a sentence.
That said, AI should support your thinking rather than replace it. Recruiters can usually tell when a cover letter sounds too generic or does not match the rest of an application. The strongest approach is to use AI to brainstorm, refine and proofread, then make sure the final version still sounds like you and reflects your real motivations, examples and strengths.
Those are our tips for writing a compelling cover letter for your application: keep it brief, tailored, specific and human.