What to Include in a Cover Letter: The Essential Checklist

A complete cover letter includes five elements: a professional header, a tailored opening paragraph, evidence-backed body paragraphs, ATS-friendly keywords, and a closing call to action. Missing any one of these weakens your application.

According to Robert Half (2025), 78% of hiring managers look more favorably on candidates who include cover letters — even when the posting does not require one. But a poorly structured letter can hurt more than it helps. NACE (2025) reports that employers rank "relevance to the position" as the single most important quality in a cover letter, above writing quality and formatting.

Here is the complete checklist:

• ☐ Professional header with your contact information
• ☐ Tailored opening that names the role and company
• ☐ Body paragraphs with specific achievements matched to job requirements
• ☐ Keywords mirrored from the job posting
• ☐ Closing paragraph with a clear call to action
• ☐ Professional sign-off with your full name

The rest of this guide breaks down each element with examples and best practices. For a step-by-step writing walkthrough, see our complete cover letter guide.

Your cover letter header should include:

1. Your full name — Match the name on your resume exactly
2. Phone number — Use a professional voicemail
3. Email address — Use a professional format (firstname.lastname@domain.com)
4. LinkedIn URL — Optional but increasingly expected; LinkedIn Talent Solutions (2025) reports 87% of recruiters check LinkedIn profiles
5. City and state — Full street address is no longer necessary unless specifically requested
6. Date — The date you are submitting the application
7. Recipient information — Hiring manager's name, title, company name, and company address if known

What to leave out:

• Personal photos (can trigger bias, and ATS systems cannot parse them)
• Social media links that are not professional
• Full home address (city and state or remote preference is sufficient)
• Decorative graphics, logos, or text boxes that confuse ATS parsers

For detailed formatting guidance, see our guide on cover letter header format. Keep the header clean and simple — ATS compatibility starts at the top of your document.

The body of your cover letter is where you make your case. It should contain two paragraphs, each 3-5 sentences, connecting your experience directly to the job requirements.

Body paragraph 1 — Your strongest match:
Identify the most important requirement from the job posting and match it with your most relevant achievement. Include a specific metric.

• "The posting emphasizes scaling SaaS platforms, which is exactly what I did at [Company] — growing the platform from 10,000 to 150,000 active users while maintaining 99.9% uptime."

Body paragraph 2 — Your complementary strength:
Address a second key requirement or demonstrate a different dimension of your candidacy.

• "Beyond the technical work, I built and mentored a team of six engineers, establishing code review practices that reduced production bugs by 35%."

What each body paragraph must include:

• A direct reference to a job requirement (shows you read the posting)
• A specific achievement with a number or outcome (makes your claim verifiable)
• Context that explains the relevance (connects the dots for the reader)

According to CareerBuilder (2024), quantified achievements are 40% more memorable to hiring managers than general statements. "I improved efficiency" means nothing. "I reduced processing time from 3 hours to 20 minutes" is a story.

For more on writing with numbers, see our guide on how to quantify achievements in your cover letter.

Your cover letter must include the right keywords to pass automated screening. According to NACE (2025), 56% of employers rank relevant keywords as the most important cover letter factor during initial screening.

How to identify the right keywords:

1. Read the job posting and highlight every skill, tool, and qualification mentioned
2. Note which terms appear more than once — these are high-priority
3. Include the exact job title as written
4. Use industry-standard terminology rather than informal alternatives

How to incorporate them naturally:

• "I led cross-functional collaboration between engineering and design teams" (keyword embedded in context)
• "My experience with React, TypeScript, and GraphQL spans four years of production development" (technical keywords in a natural sentence)

What to avoid:

• Keyword stuffing — cramming terms without context signals spam to both ATS and humans
• Acronyms without context — write "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" on first use
• Synonyms when the posting uses a specific term — if they say "project management," do not write "PM"

Aim for 60-70% keyword match with the job posting. Test your letter before submitting using an ATS compatibility checker to see your score. For a deeper dive into keyword strategy, see our guide on cover letter keywords for ATS.

Knowing what to leave out is as important as knowing what to include. These elements weaken your application:

• Salary expectations — Unless the posting explicitly asks, do not mention compensation. It limits negotiation and can disqualify you.
• Reasons for leaving your current job — Negative framing about a current or past employer raises red flags.
• Personal information — Age, marital status, religion, and health are irrelevant and can trigger bias.
• Apologies for gaps or missing qualifications — "Although I do not have experience in..." draws attention to weaknesses. Focus on what you bring instead.
• Your entire work history — The cover letter complements your resume; it should not repeat it. Highlight 2-3 key achievements. For understanding the difference, see cover letter vs resume.
• Generic praise — "Your company is amazing" without specifics feels hollow.
• Humor or controversial opinions — What seems witty to you may not land with the reader.

Robert Half (2025) found that the most common reason hiring managers discard a cover letter is irrelevant information — content that does not address the role or the company's needs. Every sentence should answer the question: "Does this help the hiring manager see me in the role?"

The best cover letters are edited ruthlessly. If a sentence does not directly support your candidacy for this specific role, cut it.