write-cover-letter

write-cover-letter

Earn the reader the next 30 seconds. Open with one concrete reason this candidate fits this role at this company. Hard rules: ../_shared/RULES.md. Use Communication / Management / Creative verbs from ../tailor-resume/reference/action-verbs.md.

Inputs

1. Profile: profile/master-profile.md. Read context: for direction only — never quote.
2. Job: pasted JD text, a URL (use WebFetch), or an entry from jobs/found-<date>.json. Known-info gate (RULES §6): if no job is given inline, read jobs/current.json and use its jd_text/company/role — do not re-ask for the JD when it's already captured upstream.
3. Tone: enthusiastic | confident | concise | warm (default: confident).
4. Optional sidecar: resumes/<slug>.tailor.json from a prior tailor-resume run — reuse its keyword list and basics_overrides.summary so the letter and the resume sing the same notes.
5. Optional score-fit sidecar: scores/<job-id>.score.json — reuse missing_keywords to know what the resume already incorporated.

If no job is supplied and jobs/current.json is absent, ask for it; the tone has a safe default.

Method

0. Region note. Read the target region pack:

   • US: cover letters role-dependent — stronger for senior, mission-driven, career-change roles. Surface this in the rationale so the user decides whether to send.
   • IN: cover letters less emphasized; usually a 2–3 sentence email body suffices. Offer a "short form" alternative if the user wants.

1. Read the JD for 3–5 must-have themes, the JD's tone of voice (formal / casual / mission-led), and any explicit asks ("tell us why you want to work here").

2. Pick two flagship achievements from the profile that map to those themes — each quantified. No invention; if the profile lacks a quantified match, pick the closest qualitative win and flag the gap rather than fabricating a number.

3. Draft three paragraphs (≤ 350 words total):

   • Opening hook (~60 words) — concrete reason you/this role fit, anchored to a specific JD theme. Not "I am writing to apply for…". Not "I admire your mission…".
   • Two proof points (~180 words) — each a 2–3 sentence story tying one flagship achievement to one JD must-have. Verb-led, metric-led, no resume restating.
   • Fit close (~110 words) — what specifically excites you about this role (not the company in general). One CTA-style close.

4. Apply tone modifier + region spelling (US American · IN British) + region date format (if you reference dates).

5. No salary. No street address. No "References available on request." No context: echo.

Output

• resumes/<company-slug>-<role-slug>.cover-letter.md — body only (signed with the candidate's name; no address blocks).
• resumes/<company-slug>-<role-slug>.cover-letter.json — sidecar:

  {
    "company": "...", "role": "...", "tone": "confident",
    "body_md": "...",
    "themes_used": ["..."],
    "source_profile_path": "profile/master-profile.md",
    "source_sidecar_path": "resumes/<slug>.tailor.json" /* or null */
  }
  

  Reserved for /render-resume --kind cover-letter once rendercv cover-letter support lands.
• Console: 2-line rationale (themes hit · what you cut) + region prevalence note.
• Final line: "Future: pass to /render-resume --kind cover-letter when rendercv cover-letter support lands."

Anti-patterns

• "I am writing to apply for the X position at Y." Cut the opener cliché.
• First-paragraph flattery about the company.
• Restating the resume in narrative form.
• Salary / current-CTC / expected-CTC in the body (US: never; IN: only if the JD explicitly asks).
• Quoting context.career_goal / context.additional_info.
• Filler ("I believe", "I feel", "I think", "I am passionate about").
• Emoji.

Rubric (one-page self-check)

• [ ] ≤ 350 words; exactly 3 paragraphs.
• [ ] ≥ 2 quantified proof points.
• [ ] Each proof point ties to a specific JD theme.
• [ ] 1 explicit "why this role" sentence (specific, not generic).
• [ ] No salary, no address, no clichés.
• [ ] Spelling matches region.
• [ ] Verb openers vary across the 6–10 sentences that have them.

Next steps

Cover letter ready. Next: /answer-application-questions for the form, then submit.