Cover Letters Are Not Dead, They Are Just Usually Bad

Ask ten hiring managers whether they read cover letters and you will get four yeses, three nos, and three who say "only if the resume is borderline." That last group is the whole argument. Borderline is exactly where most applications sit.

The letter that gets skipped

It opens with "I am writing to express my strong interest in the Senior Engineer position at your company." It then restates the resume in paragraph form, and closes by hoping to hear from you soon. It contains no information. Skipping it costs the reader nothing, which is why they do.

The letter that gets read

A resume raises questions it cannot answer. Why the two-year gap. Why someone senior is applying to something that looks lateral. Why a backend engineer is applying to a data role. The letter's job is to answer the most obvious one before it becomes a reason to pass.

If your resume raises no such question, the letter's job is different: demonstrate that you understand the specific problem the team has. Not the company's mission — the team's problem. One paragraph showing you read the posting closely enough to infer what is actually hard about the role does more than three about your passion.

A structure that works

1. One sentence on what you are applying for and the single most relevant thing about you.

2. One paragraph answering the obvious question, or naming the team's problem.

3. One paragraph of specific evidence — a thing you did, with the outcome.

4. One line to close. No hoping, no thanking in advance.

Under 200 words. If it is longer than the resume section it supports, it is doing the resume's job badly rather than its own job well.