NodusTechCover Letter Checklist
21 checks across the opening, the evidence, the tone, the close and the mechanics — each one verifiable with your letter open. No upload, nothing stored.
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Work down the list with your document open. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is saved.
Basics
Opening
Body
Tone
Close
Mechanics
This is a checklist, not a score — the items are not equally weighted, and no checklist can guarantee any particular system will parse your document. It removes the known common failures.
What a cover letter is actually for
A CV lists your history; a cover letter argues the match. The whole letter is doing one job: take the two or three requirements the advert cares about most, and put one concrete outcome against each. Everything else — the personalised opening, the organisation-specific line, the confident close — exists to make that argument feel written for this reader rather than mailed to fifty.
That is why the most damaging failures are the generic ones: an opening that could start any letter, a body that repeats the CV, and the reused letter with the previous company's name still in paragraph two. The checklist puts those where you will catch them.
How to use it
Draft the letter first, then run the checks — writing to a checklist produces stiff letters. Work the body group hardest: if you cannot name two requirements from the advert and evidence them with outcomes, the fix is in the content, not the polish. Run the mechanics group last, immediately before sending, every single time.
Want a matching letter and CV to start from?
The bundle includes an editable cover letter template structured the way this checklist checks — named requirements, evidence paragraphs, confident close — alongside the matching ATS-safe CV, in Word with a Google Docs edition included.
ATS-Friendly Resume & Cover Letter Bundle — €10.99
Or browse the full CV & Career collection for other career stages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I still need a cover letter?+
When the application asks for one, yes — and it is read most at the shortlisting margin, exactly where you want something working for you. When an application explicitly says no cover letter, respect that; sending one anyway reads as not following instructions.
How long should a cover letter be?+
One page at most, and three to five short paragraphs is the working norm. It is a targeted argument for one role, not a second CV — if it runs longer, you are usually repeating the CV instead of evidencing the advert's requirements.
What if I can't find a name to address it to?+
Address the specific team — "Dear Hiring Team" or "Dear Operations Team" — rather than "Dear Sir/Madam", which signals a mass mailing. A few minutes on the company site or LinkedIn often turns up the hiring manager's name.
Should the letter repeat my CV?+
No. The CV lists your history; the letter argues the match. Pick the two or three requirements from the advert that matter most, and give one concrete outcome against each — that is the whole job of the letter.
Do I need a different letter for every application?+
The structure can stay; the substance must change. The named requirements, the organisation-specific line and the role title are different for every advert — which is also why the "organisation name correct throughout" check exists.
Related Career Resources
25 checks covering file format, layout, structure and keywords — find what stops an ATS reading your CV.
CV Length GuideOne page or two? The honest answer by career stage, what to cut first and what never to cut.
General guidance based on common hiring practice — individual employers and sectors differ.