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Cover letter: a short letter in your own words

Some job applications ask for a cover letter, and some have a box that says “message” or “tell us about yourself”. Either way it is a short letter: which job, what you bring, why this place, how to reach you. This page takes it in four small parts, offers a few ways to start a sentence when the first words will not come, and lays it out as one plain page that you can print, save as a PDF, or copy into the box. There is no account, no price and no step where the file is held back.

Private by design. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. What you write is kept in this browser on this device from the first time you press a Keep button, and one button erases it. This page runs no analytics or tracking. How we handle privacy. Anyone who uses this browser on this device can read what you wrote, so on a shared or public computer print or download it and use Erase everything before you go.

This tool needs JavaScript. You can do the same thing on paper: your name and how to reach you at the top, the date, the name of the place and the job, then four short paragraphs (why you are writing, what you bring, why this place, how to reach you and a thank you), and your name at the bottom.

Good to know

How it works

From me: your name and how to reach you. If you made a resume with the Resume builder on this device, a button offers to copy your name and contact lines from it.
Who it goes to: the job, the place, the date, and how the letter opens. A button puts in today’s date.
The letter: four parts, each with four ways to start a sentence. A button puts those few words at the end of the box; the rest of the sentence is yours, and you can change or delete the start.
My letter shows the page as it prints, with a count of the words in the four parts.
Print or save as PDF opens your device’s print window. On most computers and phones that window has a choice named Save as PDF, or something close to it, which makes a file you can upload or email.
Copy as text and Download (.txt) give plain text to paste into an email or the box of an online application.
Start another letter clears the job and the four parts for the next application, and keeps your name and contact lines.

What this page can’t do

It does not write your letter. There is no AI inside this tool, and nothing here reads the job posting or your resume’s work history.
It does not check spelling or facts. Your browser may underline words; a person you trust reading it once is better.
It cannot make a Word file. It makes a printed page, a PDF through the print window, and plain text.
It cannot promise a job, an interview or an answer.
It holds one letter at a time. Print or download a letter before you start the next one.
It does not send your letter to any employer or job site. You do that.
Your letter does not move to another phone or computer by itself. Print it, download it, or use My data on this device to carry a backup across.

Which words are yours, and which are the page’s

The four parts are yours. The page does not change them.
The sixteen sentence starters are a fixed list, written ahead of time with AI. If you press one, those few words are in your letter until you change them.
The page adds a line that names the job (Re: and the job you wrote).
If you leave the opening empty, the page opens the letter with “To the hiring team,”.
The page adds the closing you pick (Sincerely, Thank you, or Respectfully) and your name under it.
Nothing on the printed page names this website.

If you are not sure what to say

Short is fine. Two or three plain sentences in each part make a whole letter, and any part can stay empty.
Unpaid work counts in “What I bring”: raising children, caring for a relative, volunteering, odd jobs, work done in prison or jail.
A plain reason is a real reason. The hours fit, the place is close, you know the work.
This page has no part for a record or a gap, and it does not ask about either. Whether a letter is the place for that is your call. The Fair chance job kit is the page about when and how to talk about a record.
The same questions can come up in person. Interview practice has them, with room for your notes.

These are everyday ideas in our own words. They are not advice from a career counselor, and they do not suit every job or every country.

Tools that go with this

Resume builder: four short steps to one plain page, to send with this letter.
Job search log: every application, who you spoke to and the next step, on one list.
Interview practice: common questions, your notes, and a clock for saying them out loud.
Fair chance job kit: looking for work with a record.
Ask for what helps you work: words for asking an employer for a change.
When you’ve lost your job: unemployment pay, health cover and the first steps.
All the free tools, and how to save them on your phone.

A page, not a promise. This tool lays out your words. It does not know the job, the employer or you. If the search has worn you down to the point of thinking about ending your life, call or text 988 (in the U.S.), or open Get help now. In an emergency, call 911.

The tool, the sentence starters and the wording around it were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy); the letter itself is written by you. The layout and the ideas on this page were not reviewed by anyone who hires people or by a career counselor. Also in Spanish: Carta de presentación; both pages keep the same letter on this device, and each adds its fixed words in its own language. The page holds one letter and keeps it until you erase it. Found a mistake? Email [email protected].