Cover letters in India: when they matter and when they are a waste of time

A cover letter is a short note that goes with your CV. Many people spend an evening on one that nobody reads.

Here is when to write one, when to skip it, and a template you can fill in five minutes.

When to skip it

• The application form has no field for it, and the role is routine.
• You are applying on a portal that takes only a CV.
• Your CV already makes the fit obvious. For example, you are a brand manager applying for a brand manager role.
• The post says "no cover letter" or "CV only".

In these cases the CV does the work. A better CV matters more. See how to tailor your CV without making anything up.

When to write one

• You are changing function. Your CV alone does not show why. The letter does. See moving into a new function without an MBA.
• The company is small. A founder or a manager may read every application.
• You write to a named person. An email to a hiring manager is a cover letter, whether you call it one or not.
• The post asks for one. Follow the instruction.
• There is a gap or a story that a CV hides: a move to a new city, a break, a change of industry.

What a good one contains

Three parts. Under 150 words.

1. Why this role. One sentence about the work, not the company's logo.
2. Why you. One or two proofs from your work that match the first duties.
3. The next step. One line: you attach your CV and can talk this week.

Do not repeat your CV. Do not praise the company at length. Do not tell your life story.

A template

Subject: Application: Senior Brand Manager

Hi [Recruiter's name],

I am applying for the Senior Brand Manager role. I want to work on a brand where the manager owns launch and trade plans, as your post describes.

In my current role I run launches and agency briefs for two categories across Mumbai and Pune. I built the weekly trade report the regional head now uses.

My CV is attached. I can talk any day this week.

Thanks,

[Your name]

Check every fact. If a line is not true for you, change it. Never copy this one as it is.

The email is the cover letter

For most applications you send an email with the CV attached. The body of that email is where a cover letter lives. Put the three parts there and skip the extra file.

If you send a file, give it a plain name and keep it to one page.

Common mistakes

• "To whom it may concern". Find a name, or write "Hi team".
• Flattery with no fact.
• Pasting the job description back.
• A different company's name left in by mistake. Read it twice before you send.
• Claims that do not match your CV.

Use it with a referral

If someone referred you, write two lines to the recruiter: who referred you, and why the role fits. See how to ask a stranger for a referral and following up after you apply.

Do not let the letter replace a better search

An evening spent on a letter to a job you do not fit is wasted. Find roles that fit first. See why you applied to 50 jobs and heard back from none.

Short and specific beats long and warm

A reader gives a cover letter a few seconds. The first line decides if they read the second. Open with the role and the reason, not with "I am writing to express my interest".

Weak: "I am writing to express my keen interest in the position of brand manager."

Better: "I am applying for the Brand Manager role. I have run launches for two snack categories."

A checklist before you send

• Is the company name correct?
• Is the role title correct?
• Is every fact true and in my CV?
• Is it under 150 words?
• Did I read it aloud?

One wrong company name can end the application. Check it twice.

Where a letter can lift a weak match

If you are one duty short, say how you will close it. "I have not managed a team yet. I led a six-person project last year and trained two new joiners." Name the proof. Do not apologise.

Where Jobsift fits

Jobsift finds the ten jobs that fit what you want and your CV. Looking is free. For the job you pick, it rewrites your CV using only what is in your CV, and gives you the company name and apply link. You can use the facts in that CV to write your three-line note.

It cannot promise an interview.