A cover letter earns its place when it proves something the CV only lists. So lead with evidence: name the role, give one reason for this company, then two or three examples from your work that answer what the posting asks for. Enthusiasm reads better after the proof than instead of it.
This is for anyone writing a letter for a job in Europe, in any language. Public careers services say the same thing in their own words. England's National Careers Service tells applicants to back up any statement with facts. Germany's Bundesagentur für Arbeit says not to list what you're good at but to show where you learned it and used it. What changes by country is the frame around the evidence: the length, the subject line, the greeting and the order.
Why does evidence beat enthusiasm?
The person reading your letter has the posting open beside it. They are checking one thing: does this person do what we asked for? A line like "I am a passionate, results-driven team player" doesn't answer that, and every other applicant can write it too. An example can't be copied, because it happened to you.
Evidence also gives the interview a starting point. "You onboarded thirty accounts in a year. How did you plan the first month?" is a question you can answer well, because the facts are yours. Three habits push a letter the other way.
- A quality with no proof. "Strong communicator", "detail-oriented", "dynamic". Each one asks to be believed. Replace it with what you did that shows it.
- An opening about the letter. "I am writing to apply for…" tells the reader what they already know. The Bundesagentur für Arbeit warns against its German twin, "Hiermit bewerbe ich mich".
- A result your CV doesn't back. If the CV says renewals improved, the letter can't say they rose by a third. Recruiters read both side by side.
What goes in each paragraph?
Start with the posting, not the letter. Read it for its three or four must-haves. They decide which of your examples go in.
- Onboard new business customers and own their first ninety days.Must-have
- Run regular reviews that keep accounts renewing.Must-have
- Dutch or German at a working level.Nice to have
Then write it in four short parts, about a page in all.
- The opening
One or two sentences. Name the role, and give one specific reason for this company: something from the posting or its own pages, not a compliment that fits any employer.
- The evidence
Two or three examples, one per must-have, in the order the posting lists them. Each says what you did and the result your CV already states.
- Why this job
Now the motivation, in a sentence or two, tied to what the job involves. After the proof it reads as a reason, not as a claim.
- The close
Thank them, say you would like to talk, and sign off the way the country expects. Leave pay and perks for later, unless the posting asks.
How do you turn a CV line into evidence?
Take the CV highlight that answers a must-have and tell it as a short story: the situation in a few words, what you did, and the result as the CV states it. If you tailored your CV for the posting, the right lines are already at the top.
- I am a passionate, results-driven professional with a proven track record of building strong client relationships, and I believe I would be a perfect fit for your dynamic team.
- In 2024 I onboarded thirty new business accounts at a parcel network, each with a written plan for its first ninety days. I then ran a review with every account each quarter, and renewals improved over the year.
Romy asks: Your CV says renewals improved. Do you know by how much? Add a number only if you can back it.
Every result in the letter should be one the CV already states. The reader checks.
What changes from country to country?
The evidence travels. The frame around it doesn't, and these differences are conventions, not rules. Check the posting first: it often says what to send and how.
- UK and Ireland. A short letter, usually three to five paragraphs, says the National Careers Service. It suggests using the posting's own keywords and writing a new letter for each job.
- Germany. A subject line with the posting's job title, and its reference number if there is one. Open with your motivation, not "Hiermit bewerbe ich mich", and close with "Mit freundlichen Grüßen", as the Bundesagentur für Arbeit describes.
- France. One A4 page, in the order "vous, je, nous": the company first, then you, then working together, as the careers service of Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas sets out. Your evidence sits in the "je" part.
The CV around the letter changes too: photo, length and personal details differ by country. The guide to CVs across Europe covers those.
A five-minute check before you send
- The first lines name the role, with one reason that only fits this company.
- Two or three examples, each answering a must-have from the posting.
- Every result in the letter appears in your CV.
- No "passionate", "excited", "perfect fit" or "I am writing to apply".
- It fits on one page and follows the country’s greeting and sign-off.
Write the letter from your tailored CV
Open an application's Cover letter tab. Romy writes the letter from your CV and the posting, starting with a subject line and leading with examples that answer its requirements, using only facts your CV states. Click a paragraph to ask her about it, and accept or reject each change.
- A subject line that names the role from the postingSubject
- Two examples that answer the posting's first two must-havesEvidence
- Cut "passionate" and "perfect fit" from the openingRephrase
- Writing style Highlights: your results as two or three bulletsStyle
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