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Cover letter that does not sound like everyone else's

When the application asks for a letter and you're tempted to reuse the same one.

Longcover-letterwritingapplications
Write a cover letter for this role, roughly 250 words, four short paragraphs.

Banned openings: "I am writing to apply", "I was excited to see", "I am a passionate". Banned throughout: passionate, dynamic, synergy, leverage, thrilled, journey.

Structure:
1. One specific thing about this company or role that I can respond to concretely, taken from the material I give you. If I have not given you anything specific, say so and ask, rather than inventing praise.
2. The single most relevant thing I have done, with the outcome.
3. What I would want to work on here, framed as a view rather than a plea.
4. A short close. No grovelling, no "I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience".

Use only facts from my notes. Mark any sentence you are not confident is supported.

Role and company notes:


My background:

Making it yours

  • Paste your own material where the prompt asks for it. Everything above that line is instruction, not content.
  • Delete any rule that does not apply to you. A shorter prompt that fits beats a thorough one that does not.
  • If the answer comes back vague, add a line saying what you do not want. Constraints work better than encouragement.

Applications. Aiming at one specific role: tailoring, cover letters, explaining a gap or a change of industry.

Related prompts

Tailor my CV to this job descriptionApplying for a specific role and your CV is currently generic.Explain a gap in my CV honestlyThere is a visible gap and you keep rewriting the sentence about it.Translate my experience for a different industryChanging sector and your CV reads as insider language nobody there recognises.A networking message that is not cringeworthyReaching out cold to someone whose work you actually rate.Match me against this job adApplying for a specific role and wanting an honest read on the fit.Three cover letter openingsThe first paragraph is the only one they are guaranteed to read.

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