A graduate cover letter is the personal introduction that goes with your CV when you apply for a job (Prospects). Follow the employer's instructions before anything else: Youth Central says you should always include a cover letter unless the job advertisement clearly says not to.
What the letter is for
Your CV shows the evidence, and the letter explains what that evidence means. That is the split Prospects draws between the two documents.
The letter also links your experience to the role and to the organisation, explaining your motivation, your fit and the contribution you could make, as the same Prospects page on AI and applications sets it out. Read your draft back and ask whether each paragraph does that linking, or only repeats a line your CV already carries.
How long it should be
Prospects suggests three to five concise paragraphs, and says a cover letter should not exceed one A4 page. Plan to that shape before you start writing, so every paragraph you draft has something to do.
What goes in each part
Start with the position. Prospects advises stating the job you are applying for, where you saw it advertised and when you are available to start. Have those details in front of you before you write the first line.
Say why the role interests you and briefly why you are suitable. UNSW Careers suggests the body of the letter then goes into more detail about your background and how your experience and skills are a good fit.
Back up what you claim. Prospects advises supporting the claims in your letter with real evidence or examples that show how and when you used your skills and experience. Attach the example to the claim in the same paragraph, not in a separate list at the end.
If you say you have a skill or a piece of experience, Youth Central says you need to show how you used it or how you got it. Note that down beside each claim while you plan.
Close with a request. Prospects says the closing paragraph should round up the letter, repeat your interest in the role and indicate that you want an interview.
Youth Central suggests finishing by asking the employer to read your resume and to contact you about an interview.
Who to address it to
Address the letter to a person. Prospects advises addressing it directly to whoever will be reading it.
Youth Central advises against 'To whom it may concern', and suggests finding out the name of the person who will read your application. Put that name at the top before you draft, so the rest of the letter is written for a person rather than a category.
How to tailor it
Prospects says reading the job description thoroughly is essential when you prepare a cover letter, but not enough on its own, and advises rewriting the letter every time you apply so that it targets the company.
Borrow the advert's language. Prospects says that using keywords from the job advert lets the employer know you have read and understood the job description. Use the advert's own words for the skills it asks for.
Youth Central makes the same point about the whole document: use a different cover letter for each job you apply for. Start a fresh draft for each application rather than editing the last one.
Common mistakes
A letter you send everywhere rarely works. Prospects warns that a generic letter sent for all applications rarely yields positive results, and that recruiters can spot the lack of time and effort. Read your draft once and mark every sentence that could have gone to any employer.
Youth Central advises against cutting and pasting your resume into your cover letter, and suggests re-wording the information instead.
Proofreading too soon is its own trap. Prospects advises against proofreading straight after you write the letter, because mistakes are hard to spot at that point. Leave proofreading to a later sitting.
Where AI fits in
The Institute of Student Employers found that half of employers are comfortable with candidates using AI during recruitment, with its use largely restricted to drafting covering letters, CVs or online application answers. Keep your own use inside that drafting stage, then write the version you send yourself for the job in front of you.
What to do this week
Work through the 'essential' list in an advert you actually want to apply for. Youth Central says a cover letter needs to respond to all of the items on that list, so mark each item your draft answers and each one it skips.
Then get a second reader. Youth Central says it is even better to get someone else to read your letter and point out any mistakes or confusing things. Ask them to name the sentences that felt vague, and rewrite those first.
Before you send
If you want one more reader, the site's CV and cover letter check flags every sentence that could have been sent to anyone, and the site uses CV in the UK and resume in Australia. Once applications turn into interviews, you can run mock interview questions with Pip on the mock interview page.
Before anything goes out, read the letter against the advert one last time and take up the comments from your second reader. The advert tells you what the employer asked for; the other reader tells you what you stopped seeing.