Ask ten recruiters whether cover letters still matter and you’ll get ten slightly different answers. The honest one is: it depends on the employer, the role, and the application system — and a bad cover letter is worse than none at all. Here’s how to tell which situation you’re in, and how to write one worth reading if you need it.
When you genuinely don’t need one
Many online application forms don’t include a cover letter field at all, and a growing number of employers, especially for high-volume or junior roles, have moved away from expecting one. If there’s no obvious place to attach it and nothing in the job ad requests it, don’t force one in — a well-written CV and personal statement is doing that job already.
When it still matters
Some sectors and some employers still expect one as standard — this is especially common in the public sector, charities, and more traditional or senior corporate roles. It’s also worth writing one whenever you’re making a case that your CV alone can’t make clearly: a career change, an unusual gap, or a genuine and specific reason you want this role at this company rather than any other. In those situations, a cover letter is doing real work a CV format simply isn’t built for.
The test that actually matters
Before deciding whether to include one, check the job ad and application instructions directly — if a cover letter is requested and you skip it, that’s usually read as not following instructions, which is a worse signal than any letter you could have written. If it’s explicitly discouraged or there’s no field for it, respect that too.
What makes a cover letter worth reading
A short, well-targeted cover letter does three things and nothing more:
- Names the specific role and, ideally, something specific about the employer
- Makes one or two clear connections between your experience and what the role actually needs — not a repeat of your whole CV
- Explains, briefly, why this role specifically, not roles in general
That’s it. A cover letter isn’t the place for your full career story — it’s a short, direct pitch that makes a recruiter want to open the CV behind it.
The one that does more harm than good
A generic letter that could be sent to any employer, in any industry, for any role — no company name, no specific detail, just restated CV content — is worse than sending nothing. It signals a mass application rather than genuine interest, which is exactly the opposite of what a cover letter is meant to do. If you’re not going to tailor it, it’s better left out where that’s an option.
Worth knowing
If you’re unsure whether your CV alone is making a strong enough case, that’s often more valuable to fix first. See our guide to writing a UK CV and our personal statement examples for the section that does most of the heavy lifting on a first read.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a cover letter be?
Half a page to a page at most — three or four short paragraphs. If it needs a second page to make its case, it's doing the CV's job instead of its own.
Should I write a new cover letter for every application?
Yes, at least in the sense that it needs to reference the specific role and employer. You can absolutely reuse a strong structure and adapt the details each time — what you shouldn't reuse is a generic letter that never mentions the job you're applying for.
What's the difference between a cover letter and a CV personal statement?
A personal statement sits at the top of your CV and summarises who you are professionally in a few lines. A cover letter is a separate document that makes a specific case for this role at this company. They serve different purposes and shouldn't just repeat each other. See our guide to writing a strong personal statement for more on that section specifically.
Is it ever better not to send a cover letter?
If the application explicitly says not to include one, follow that instruction — ignoring it can read as not paying attention. Outside of that, a short, genuinely relevant letter rarely hurts your application and often helps it.
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