Cover letter examples and a free template
A strong cover letter opens by naming the role and one clear reason you fit, uses one or two body paragraphs to match specific achievements to the job's requirements, and closes with a confident request for an interview. Below is a reusable template and an example you can adapt to any application.
A fill-in-the-blank template
Dear [Hiring Team], I am applying for the [role] at [company]. As a [your title] with [X years] in [field], I was drawn to this role because [specific reason tied to the job]. In my current role at [employer], I [achievement with a number]. I also [second achievement mapped to a job requirement]. I would welcome the chance to bring this to [company]. Thank you for your consideration - I am available to talk at your convenience. Sincerely, [Name].
An annotated example
"Dear Marketing Team, I am applying for the Content Lead role at Northwind. As a content strategist with six years in B2B SaaS, I was drawn to your focus on developer audiences. At my current company I grew organic traffic 140 percent in a year by rebuilding the content architecture, and I led a three-person team to ship weekly. I would welcome the chance to do the same for Northwind." Notice the named role, a specific metric, and a requirement matched directly.
Common mistakes to avoid
Do not open with "I am writing to apply" - it wastes the strongest line. Do not restate your resume in prose. Do not use the same letter for every job. Do not exceed one page. Each of these signals low effort to a reviewer.
Adapting the template fast
Swap the bracketed fields per job and rewrite the "specific reason" line using language from the posting. If you would rather not start from the template each time, you can generate a tailored draft from the job description and edit it.