the.com/cover letter
A sales pitch nobody taught you to write, graded by someone skimming for ten seconds.
means A short letter you send with your résumé to introduce yourself and explain why you're right for the job.
from The term is literally functional: the letter that 'covers' the main document, originally in the postal sense of an envelope or note accompanying enclosed papers. 'Cover' has carried this sense of 'something that accompanies and introduces an enclosure' since at least the 19th century, in phrases like 'cover note' and 'covering letter' (still common in British English). As job applications shifted from walk-in inquiries to mailed and later emailed submissions, the cover letter became the standard introductory note riding alongside the résumé — the paper equivalent of a handshake before handing someone your file.
- actual purpose
- proves you can follow basic instructions
- real reader
- an algorithm, before any human sees it
- biggest sin
- restating the resume in paragraph form
- best opener
- a specific result, not enthusiasm