Featuring tips from career coach and educator Nikki Paterson, Accomplish Education · Published May 2024 · Updated 16 June 2026
A good cover letter is a short, personalised pitch — usually no more than one page — that tells an employer why you are the right person for this specific role. The strongest ones are tailored to the job, written in your own voice, and back up their claims with real examples rather than repeating your resume.
In real estate they always talk about position, position, position. In a job application the same applies to your cover letter, which is valuable real estate that helps make you stand out from the crowd when applying for that new job.
This is the most important writing you will do as part of the job application process. And yet cover letters are often overlooked or given very limited attention.
It’s your chance to shine, sell yourself, your story, and your unique skills and talents. This is not the time to be conservative, this is your time to ask for the job in the nicest possible way.
A cover letter is your number one marketing piece in your bid to land the new role.
Career Coach and Educator, Nikki Paterson from Accomplish Education is an expert when it comes to job applications and interviews.
What to put in a cover letter
Before the tips, it helps to know the parts of a strong cover letter. Keep it to one page and cover four things:
- A personal greeting — address the person who advertised the role by name wherever you can.
- An opening that states the role you want and a reason you are genuinely interested in this company.
- A short value proposition — why you are the right fit, backed by one or two specific examples that prove it.
- A confident close that invites the next step, such as an interview.
Everything below is about doing those four things well. Here is how.
7 tips to help you write an outstanding cover letter
These tips come from career coach Nikki Paterson.
1. Personalise it
Address your cover letter individually to the person who advertised the role. Wherever possible, use their name not just their title.
2. Make it ‘you’
This is your unique sales pitch so use your personality.
It should always be in 1st person; this is about you and your unique skills and abilities so write like you were talking to them face to face. Remember, you are trying to sell yourself on the page.
3. Do your research
Do your research and tell them why their company, the role, and the industry matters to you.
4. Make it a concise value proposition
Make it a value proposition, tell them why you are the one for them but also make sure that you use concise language without babbling on for too long.
5. Include relevant keywords
Wherever possible, match your statements to the job description and keywords of the role – this will keep AI and human recruiters happy!
6. Imagine you are the reader
Take the time to think about the letter from the point of view of the reader. What is going to grab their attention?
If it is a career change, make sure that you mention that in a positive way and how your previous experiences would enhance your skills in the new role.
7. And now here’s what NOT to do!
- Use the same generic cover letter with the same statement every time. It must be customised to each company and job description.
- Rehash your resume. There is no need to list the things that are already on your resume. This is the quickest way to lose their attention.
- Make sweeping statements that are impossible to prove or back up just in a letter. Saying that you are a ‘go-getter’ means nothing whereas giving a specific example of how you went above and beyond in your current role and how that might be relevant to the new position is far more valuable.
- Embellish the facts too far that you then can’t back them up if you do manage to get the interview.
- Don’t use AI to write your letter for you because if the potential employer is using ATS (applicant tracking systems) which in itself is AI it might reject your application at the very beginning. (It’s okay to use AI to help you review, restructure, and tidy up your cover letter but this is all about you so make it you.)
Cover letter skills to highlight
Recruiters skim for proof that you can do the job. Beyond the role-specific experience in the job ad, the skills worth showing in a cover letter are the ones employers value across every role:
- Communication — a clear, well-structured letter is itself evidence of it.
- Research and tailoring — showing you understand the company and the role.
- Problem-solving and initiative — demonstrated with a specific example, not a label.
- Teamwork and reliability — the soft skills that make you easy to hire.
Pick two or three that match the job description and prove each with a brief example. For more on the skills employers look for, see our guide to the key things employers want, and our tips for writing strong job applications.
A great cover letter gives you the ‘wow’ factor
Your cover letter has the possibility to make you the standout candidate for the job.
After reading your cover letter, your prospective employer should be thinking, “Wow! I want to know more about this person.”
Just imagine: you and one other person applying for the same job, both with similar experience and qualifications, but you’ve got a great cover letter – personally addressed to the correct person, written in your own unique voice, demonstrating your understanding of the company and the role, concisely stating why you are the one for the job, including relevant keywords that directly address the job ad and some eye-catching statements that you can back up in the interview?
That might just be the one thing that makes all the difference.
If you need a hand with your cover letter, resume or getting ready for that interview, reach out to Nikki.
Back your cover letter with qualifications that match your experience
The strongest cover letters back their claims with evidence — and nationally recognised qualifications are some of the most persuasive evidence you can offer. If your skills come from years on the job rather than a classroom, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can turn that experience into a formal qualification you can name in your application, with no exams or coursework.
Not sure which qualification fits? Take the free qualification finder, or apply for a free RPL appraisal to find out what you are eligible for.
And if you need qualifications that match your experience, that’s where we can help: apply here or give us a bell on 1300 793 002 for a free appraisal.
Cover letter tips: common questions
A good cover letter is personalised, concise and specific. It is addressed to the right person, written in your own voice, tailored to the role, and backs up its claims with real examples instead of repeating your resume. Kept to one page, it leaves the employer wanting to know more about you.
Four things: a personal greeting, an opening that names the role and shows genuine interest in the company, a short value proposition proving you are a good fit with one or two specific examples, and a confident close that invites an interview. Match your wording to the keywords in the job description.
No more than one page. Recruiters skim, so keep it tight — three or four short paragraphs that make your case without repeating everything on your resume. Concise, well-chosen examples beat a long letter every time.
Personalise it to the company and the person, write in your own voice, and prove your value with a specific achievement rather than a sweeping statement like “I’m a go-getter”. Show you understand the role and the industry, and mirror the keywords in the job ad so it lands with both human and automated recruiters.
Highlight the role-specific skills from the job ad, plus the transferable skills employers value everywhere: communication, research and tailoring, problem-solving, initiative and teamwork. Choose two or three that match the role and back each with a brief example. See our guide to the key things employers want for more.
Use it to review, restructure and tidy up — not to write the whole thing. A cover letter is your personal pitch, and many employers screen applications with applicant tracking systems (ATS) that can flag generic, AI-written letters. Keep the voice and the examples genuinely yours.
