cover-letter

Getting Started

1. Install the skill using the command above
2. Open your AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Cursor)
3. Reference the skill in your prompt
4. The AI will use the skill's capabilities automatically

Example Prompts

• "Generate a professional invoice for the consulting work done in January"
• "Draft an NDA for our upcoming partnership with Acme Corp"

Overview

Create polished, personalized cover letters tailored to specific job postings, companies, and roles. Analyze the job description, match the candidate's experience to requirements, and produce a compelling narrative that highlights relevant qualifications while demonstrating genuine interest in the role.

Instructions

When a user asks you to write or improve a cover letter, follow these steps:

Step 1: Collect inputs

Gather the following information from the user:

• Job posting: The full job description text or URL
• Resume/CV: The candidate's resume or key experience details
• Company name: The target company
• Hiring manager (optional): Name and title if known
• Specific points (optional): Anything the user wants to emphasize or avoid
• Tone preference (optional): Formal, conversational, enthusiastic, etc.

Step 2: Analyze the job description

Extract from the job posting:

• Key requirements: Must-have skills and qualifications
• Preferred qualifications: Nice-to-have skills
• Company values: Mission, culture, and values mentioned
• Role responsibilities: Core duties and expectations
• Keywords: Technical terms, tools, and frameworks mentioned

Step 3: Map candidate strengths to requirements

Create a mapping between the candidate's experience and job requirements:

Requirement: "5+ years Python experience"
  -> Match: "7 years building Python microservices at Acme Corp"

Requirement: "Experience with distributed systems"
  -> Match: "Designed event-driven architecture processing 2M events/day"

Requirement: "Team leadership"
  -> Match: "Mentored 4 junior engineers, led cross-functional projects"

Identify the 3-4 strongest matches to feature in the letter.

Step 4: Write the cover letter

Structure the letter with these sections:

Header:

• Candidate name and contact info
• Date
• Hiring manager name and company address (if known)

Opening paragraph (2-3 sentences):

• State the specific role you are applying for
• Include a compelling hook: a relevant achievement, shared connection, or genuine enthusiasm for the company
• Mention how you found the role

Body paragraph 1 (3-4 sentences):

• Highlight your most relevant experience matching the top requirement
• Use a specific accomplishment with quantifiable results
• Connect this directly to what the role needs

Body paragraph 2 (3-4 sentences):

• Address 1-2 additional key requirements
• Demonstrate knowledge of the company's products, mission, or recent news
• Show how your skills solve their specific challenges

Closing paragraph (2-3 sentences):

• Reaffirm enthusiasm for the role and company
• Include a clear call to action (interview request)
• Thank the reader for their time

Sign-off:

• "Sincerely," or "Best regards,"
• Full name

Step 5: Save the output

Save the cover letter in the user's preferred format:

# As a text file
cat > cover_letter.txt << 'EOF'
[cover letter content]
EOF

# As a markdown file for further formatting
cat > cover_letter.md << 'EOF'
[cover letter content with markdown formatting]
EOF

Examples

Example 1: Software engineer applying to a startup

User request: "Write a cover letter for this senior backend engineer role at Stripe. Here's the job posting and my resume."

Output structure:

Dear Hiring Team at Stripe,

[Opening: Mention the specific role, reference Stripe's payment
infrastructure mission, and lead with a relevant achievement]

[Body 1: Highlight experience building high-throughput APIs that
aligns with Stripe's scale requirements, include metrics]

[Body 2: Connect distributed systems experience to Stripe's
technical challenges, mention familiarity with their developer
tools and API design philosophy]

[Closing: Express enthusiasm for Stripe's mission to increase
the GDP of the internet, request an interview]

Best regards,
[Name]

Example 2: Career changer entering a new field

User request: "I'm transitioning from teaching to UX design. Help me write a cover letter that addresses the career change."

Approach:

1. Identify transferable skills: communication, curriculum design, user empathy, presenting complex information clearly
2. Reframe teaching experience as UX-relevant: "Designing lesson plans for diverse learners parallels designing user experiences for diverse audiences"
3. Highlight any UX-specific training, bootcamps, or portfolio projects
4. Address the transition directly and positively in the opening

Example 3: Refreshing an existing cover letter for a new role

User request: "I have a cover letter I used for a PM role at Google. Adapt it for a similar role at Microsoft."

Steps:

1. Read the existing cover letter
2. Replace all Google-specific references with Microsoft equivalents
3. Research Microsoft's current priorities and products
4. Adjust the company-knowledge paragraph to reference Microsoft-specific initiatives
5. Update the opening hook to reflect Microsoft's mission
6. Save as a new file preserving the original

Guidelines

• Keep the letter to one page (300-400 words). Hiring managers spend 30 seconds on average reading cover letters.
• Never use generic phrases like "I am writing to apply for..." as an opener. Start with something specific and engaging.
• Every sentence should either demonstrate a qualification or show knowledge of the company. Remove filler.
• Use the same keywords from the job description naturally in the letter to pass ATS screening.
• Include at least one quantifiable achievement (percentage, dollar amount, user count, time saved).
• Do not repeat the resume verbatim. The cover letter should complement the resume by adding context and narrative.
• Match the tone to the company culture: formal for finance/law, conversational for startups, balanced for tech.
• If the hiring manager's name is unknown, use "Dear Hiring Team at [Company]" rather than "To Whom It May Concern."
• Proofread for spelling of the company name, hiring manager name, and role title. Getting these wrong is an immediate rejection.
• Always save the output file and confirm the path to the user.