Resume & applications

Cover letter: when you need one and how to write it

Updated: August 16, 20266 min read

When it is needed (and when not)

Truth first: for most hourly jobs (retail, restaurants, warehouse, manufacturing) nobody reads cover letters, and sending one neither hurts nor decides anything. Where it does matter is office, supervisory, communications and nonprofit roles, and whenever the posting expressly requests one: there, not sending it means ruling yourself out.

In the federal process, the letter is optional in most USAJOBS announcements, the document that decides is the detailed federal resume. If the announcement lists it among required documents, that word governs: include it.

The three-paragraph structure

Paragraph 1 (why this job: name the exact position and company, and one concrete reason this organization interests you (not 'seeking professional growth', which applies anywhere). Paragraph 2) why you: pick two or three achievements from your experience that directly answer what the posting asks for, with numbers when you have them. Paragraph 3, the close: availability, how to reach you, and a courtesy line.

One page maximum, in the same language as the posting: if the announcement is in English, the letter goes in English. Reuse the structure, never the full text, the generic first paragraph with another company's name left inside is the classic mistake that sends everything to the trash.

Mistakes that sink it

Repeating the resume in prose is the most common mistake: the letter is not your history, it is the argument for why that history fits this position. Next come excess formulas ('I hereby address you...', half a page saying nothing), adjectives without evidence ('I am proactive and responsible') and any spelling error in a document whose entire purpose is to demonstrate communication.

If you use AI for the draft, edit until it sounds like you and verify every fact, and never put sensitive personal information into the tool. The recruiter reading twenty identical AI letters recognizes number twenty-one.

Frequently asked questions

Paper or digital?

Digital as a PDF, with a professional file name ('Cover-YourName.pdf'). At a job fair, bring it printed with your resume only if the role is office or supervisory; for production positions the resume is enough.

Should the letter be addressed to someone specific?

If the posting gives a name, use it. If not, 'Dear [company] recruiting team' is correct and current. Avoid 'To whom it may concern', the most impersonal formula there is.

Official sources

USAJOBS, Help Center

MyPRjobs is an independent job discovery platform. MyPRjobs does not process this application. You will be redirected to USAJOBS or the appropriate official website to complete your application.

Who writes this

MyPRjobs is made by one person in Puerto Rico who went through these processes: worked for a private agency, for the Government of Puerto Rico, and for the federal government. The guides are written from the official sources above and corrected when an agency changes a requirement.

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