Cover letter format, length, openings, and closings

Search interest for "how to address a cover letter", "how to end a cover letter", and "cover letter generator" clusters around the same anxiety: looking unprofessional in the first five lines. Use a clean letter format — your contact block, date, employer block, greeting, three short paragraphs, sign-off — and stop decorating.

Aim for one page maximum; half a page is better for most corporate and retail roles. Graduate programs and academic applications may allow slightly more when they ask for motivation statements — still lead with proof, not autobiography.

Prefer a real name from the posting or LinkedIn. If unknown, "Dear Hiring Manager" or "Dear [Team] Hiring Team" beats "To Whom It May Concern". Close with "Kind regards" or "Yours sincerely" plus your full name and phone — the same contact details as your resume header.

Generators help when they draft from your real profile and the job ad. They hurt when they invent employers, inflate metrics, or sound like every other AI letter in the pile. In DocuResume, generate a draft, then edit until every claim maps to a CV bullet you can discuss.