How to write a cover letter that matches the job offer

A cover letter that repeats the CV line by line wastes the reader's time. The letter answers three things the file cannot: why this team, which one proof matters most, and that you read the posting. Do the CV first. The letter borrows from that version, not from last year's generic file.

Four short paragraphs

1. Open with the role and one fact about the team or product. Skip "I am writing to express".
2. Name one result from your CV that maps to a must-have in the posting.
3. Add a second proof or a constraint you already meet (language, stack, sector).
4. Close with availability and a plain sign-off. No paragraph about being passionate.

Reuse the keyword list, do not paste it

If you already built a list for How to pull resume keywords from a job offer (without stuffing), pick two or three must-haves and write them into sentences. "I ran PCI-DSS reviews for a 12-person payments team" beats a comma list. The filter may never parse the letter. The human who opens it will.

Do not invent a story

If the posting wants five years of Kotlin and you have one, the letter cannot fix that. Say what you did. Leave the gap on the CV. A model that drafts from your file should stay inside those facts. That is the same rule as How to improve your resume with AI (without sounding generic): the first draft can be faster; you still own every claim.

When you can skip the letter

Many US forms have no upload slot. Some UK and EU postings still ask for one. If the field is optional and the posting is a volume screen, spend the time on the CV. If a person is named, or the market expects a lettre de motivation, write the four paragraphs. Curribellum drafts a letter from the same CV and offer you already uploaded, in the language of the analysis. You edit before you send.