Cover letter written from your CV

What a recruiter looks for in a letter

An answer to three questions: why this job, why you, what you bring in concrete terms. The rest (polite formulas, your life story, a repeat of the CV) does not help them decide.

A short letter wins: one page at most, three or four paragraphs, facts the recruiter can check in your CV. A generic letter, sent to ten companies with the name changed, is spotted from the first line.

The structure in four blocks

• The subject line: the exact job title as written in the ad, with its reference number if there is one.
• Why this job: one or two sentences showing you have read the ad and know what the company is looking for.
• What you have done that compares: two or three facts from your track record, with a measurable result when you have one, directly tied to what the ad expects.
• What you offer: your availability, what you can take on from day one, and one sentence to suggest a conversation.

The mistakes that get a letter binned

• Copying the CV: the letter must connect your track record to the ad, not repeat it.
• Adjectives without proof: « dynamic », « rigorous », « passionate » are worth nothing without a fact behind them.
• More than one page: it does not get read.
• A vague subject line: « Application » does not say which job you are writing about.
• The wrong company or job name, left over from a previous letter.
• No mention of the ad: nothing shows you have read it.

The letter from your CV, as the trial shows it

In Illuminagy CCO, the letter comes after the analysis and optimisation of your CV for the chosen job ad. Once the optimised CV is ready, a letter is written for that ad, on the same screen. Every sentence comes from your track record: what your CV does not contain does not go into the letter.

The subject line takes the job title from the ad, the letter is addressed to the company named in the ad, and you edit it before downloading. The free trial includes one letter, in French; paid plans add English and Spanish.

Before sending

• Reread the subject line: exact job title and reference number.
• Check every fact: it must be found in your CV.
• Remove adjectives without proof and stock phrases.
• One page, four paragraphs, a readable font, a text PDF.
• The file name: FirstName LastName Cover Letter.pdf.

Frequently asked questions