How to Write a Graduate Cover Letter That Actually Gets Read
TL;DR: A graduate cover letter should be one page, tailored to the role, and written in your own voice. It is not a repeat of your CV. It is your chance to explain why you, why this role, and why this employer. Students and graduates with no experience can still write a compelling one by drawing on university projects, placements, part-time work, and society roles.
What Is a Graduate Cover Letter and Do You Actually Need One?
A graduate cover letter is a short piece of writing that accompanies your CV when applying for a job or graduate scheme. It explains who you are, what you bring to the role, and why you want to work for that specific employer.
Yes, you need one. Even when an application does not explicitly ask for one, including a well-written covering email significantly increases your chances of being invited to interview.
Key takeaway: A cover letter will not get you the job on its own. But a weak one, or no cover letter at all, can end your application before anyone has read your CV.
What Should a Student or Graduate Include in a Cover Letter?
A strong graduate cover letter covers four things: who you are, what you can do, why this role, and why this employer. Most students make the mistake of focusing only on the first two.
Every cover letter for a graduate or entry level role should include:
- Your degree, university, and expected or achieved grade
- Two or three specific skills or experiences directly matched to the job description
- A clear reason why you want to work for this employer in particular
- A confident, forward-looking close that invites the next step
Key takeaway: Employers are not looking for perfection. They are looking for evidence that you have read the job description carefully, understood what they need, and taken the time to show how you fit.
How Do You Write a Cover Letter With No Experience?
This is the question most students and graduates ask, and the answer is that you almost certainly have more relevant experience than you think.
A student cover letter with no formal work experience can still draw on:
- University assignments, dissertations, and group projects
- Society or committee roles where you led, organised, or communicated
- Volunteering or community involvement
- Part-time or casual work, even if unrelated to the sector
- Placements, internships, or shadowing, however brief
The key is to connect these experiences to the skills the employer is asking for. If the job description asks for communication skills, describe a specific moment where you communicated something clearly and what the outcome was.
Key takeaway: Do not write “I have no experience but I am a fast learner.” Every applicant says this. Instead, find a real example, however small, and describe what you did and what happened as a result.
How to Write a Graduate Cover Letter: Step-by-Step
- Read the job description: properly. Note every skill and quality the employer mentions. These are the things your letter needs to address.
- Research the employer: Visit their website, check their LinkedIn, and read any recent news. You need to know what they value and why you want to work there specifically.
- Open with purpose: State the role you are applying for, where you saw it, and one sentence about why you are a strong candidate.
- Match your experience: to the role. Choose two or three examples from your background that directly map to what the employer is asking for. Be specific and include outcomes where you can.
- Show you know the employer: Reference something real about the company, their values, a recent development, their training programme, or their reputation in the sector. Do not be generic.
- Close confidently: Thank them for their time, confirm your availability, and express that you look forward to discussing your application.
- Proofread: Then ask someone else to proofread it too. Check the company name and role title are correct throughout.
How Long Should a Cover Letter Be in the UK?
One page. That is the standard for graduate and entry level roles in the UK, and it applies whether you are writing a formal attached document or a covering email.
In practice, that means three to five focused paragraphs. If you are writing an email cover letter, three short paragraphs is usually enough. Recruiters and hiring managers spend very little time on each application, so brevity and clarity matter more than length.
Key takeaway: If your cover letter is longer than one page, it almost certainly contains repetition or content that does not need to be there. Edit it down.
How Should a Student Start and End a Cover Letter?
Starting: Do not open with “I am writing to apply for…” It is the most common opening line in graduate cover letters and the least memorable. Instead, lead with something specific: your strongest relevant experience, your connection to the company, or a confident statement about what you bring.
Example: “As a final-year Psychology student with two years of research assistant experience, I am applying for the HR Graduate Scheme at [Company] because of your commitment to evidence-based people practice.”
Ending: Close with clarity and confidence. Thank the employer for their time, confirm your availability, and say you look forward to hearing from them. If you have a named contact, sign off with yours sincerely. If not, yours faithfully.
Should Students Use AI to Write Their Cover Letter?
AI tools can help, but only if you use them correctly. The risk for students and graduates is that AI-generated cover letters tend to sound polished but hollow. Recruiters read hundreds of applications and they notice when a letter has no real personality or specific detail.
Use AI to get started when you are stuck, to check your grammar and phrasing, or to get feedback on a draft you have already written. Do not use it to generate a finished letter that you submit unchanged.
The best graduate cover letters sound like a real person who has thought carefully about the role. AI cannot replicate your actual experiences, your genuine reasons for applying, or the specific details that make your application stand out.
FAQs
Q: Do I need a cover letter for every graduate job application? Not always, but yes in most cases. If the application gives you the option to include one, always do. The candidates who skip it are immediately at a disadvantage with any employer who values attention to detail.
Q: Can I use the same cover letter for multiple applications? You can use the same structure, but never the same content. Every cover letter for a student or graduate role should be tailored to the specific job description and employer. Generic letters are easy to spot and rarely progress.
Q: What is the difference between a cover letter and a covering email? A covering email is written directly into the body of an email and sent alongside your CV. A cover letter is a separate document, usually attached as a PDF or Word file. For most graduate applications today, a well-written covering email is the norm unless the employer specifically asks for an attachment.
Q: How do I write a cover letter for an internship with no experience? Focus on transferable skills from university, part-time work, or extracurricular activities. Be specific about what you did and what you learned. Show that you have researched the organisation and explain clearly what you hope to gain from the internship and what you will bring to it.
Q: Should I include my predicted grade in my cover letter? Yes, if your predicted or achieved grade is strong or if the employer has specified a minimum requirement. If your grade is lower than the requirement but you have other strong experience, address this directly rather than hoping it goes unnoticed.
Article produced by Step Recruitment