Middle paragraphs and evidence

The middle paragraphs should give evidence that you can do the job and explain why you want it. This is where you turn your claims into proof.

Typically:

• First middle paragraph: your strongest, most relevant experience or achievement, linked to the job's main requirement.
• Second middle paragraph: another relevant example, or your motivation for joining this employer.

Each paragraph should follow a simple pattern: a point, an example and a link back to the job.

Example:
"Your advert highlights accurate stock control. At Pearl Supermarkets, I was responsible for receiving and checking deliveries for a store with over 5,000 product lines. I introduced a simple double-check for high-value items, and our monthly stock differences fell noticeably within a quarter. I would bring the same care to your distribution centre."

Avoid listing every job you have held. Choose two or three points that matter most for this role, and give each one enough detail to be believable.

Start from the job advert. Pick the two or three requirements that matter most, then choose the example from your experience that best proves each one.

A simple selection process:

• List the advert's main requirements, usually the ones mentioned first or more than once.
• For each, write down two possible examples from work, study or volunteering.
• Choose the example that is most recent, most similar to the new job and has a clear result.
• Check that your examples show different strengths rather than the same skill twice.

Example: for a Hotel Duty Manager role asking for "guest recovery" and "team leadership", you might choose:

• A time you turned an angry guest's complaint into a positive review.
• How you organised staff rotas during a fully booked holiday season.

Leave out impressive examples that do not relate to this job. A smaller but relevant example is more convincing than a large one that does not connect to the role.

Two or three well-developed examples is usually right. Fewer can make the letter thin; more tends to turn the letter into a list and push it past one page.

Guidelines:

• One main example in detail, with context and result.
• One or two shorter supporting examples.
• Each example linked to a different requirement in the advert.

Example of a short supporting example: "I also trained four new cashiers on our point-of-sale system, which helped the team handle the holiday rush without extra overtime."

Quality matters more than quantity. One example the reader remembers is worth more than five they skim past.

Pick the most important requirements from the advert and address each one with a short, specific example from your background. Make the connection obvious so the reader does not have to work it out.

Steps:

• Highlight the key requirements in the advert, such as skills, tools, responsibilities and qualities.
• Choose the two to four most important.
• For each, write one or two sentences: what you did, where, and the result.
• Use the advert's wording naturally where it fits.

Example for a Procurement Officer advert asking for "supplier negotiation" and "SAP experience":
"Your advert asks for strong supplier negotiation skills. Last year, I renegotiated terms with our three largest packaging suppliers at Crescent Foods and secured longer payment terms without raising prices. I carry out all purchase orders and goods receipts in SAP MM, so I would be comfortable with your system from the start."

Another approach is a short list matching their needs to your evidence, but keep most of the letter in paragraphs. Be honest: do not claim a requirement you do not meet.

Use a shortened version: Situation, Task, Action and Result in three or four sentences. In a letter, keep the situation and task brief and spend most words on your action and the result.

Example:
"When our clinic's appointment system went down for a full day (situation), I had to keep 80 patient bookings on track (task). I switched to a paper log, called each patient to confirm times and briefed the doctors every hour (action). Every patient was seen that day, and the practice manager later asked me to write our backup procedure (result)."

STAR works well for one main example. For a second example, a shorter "action plus result" sentence is enough, so the letter does not feel repetitive.

Give the context, what you did and what changed because of it. A strong achievement sentence shows both your action and its effect.

Formula: "In [context], I [action], which [result]."

Examples:

• "In my role as a junior accountant, I set up a checklist for month-end closing, which helped the team finish two days earlier."
• "As shift leader at a fast-food restaurant, I reorganised the kitchen layout, which cut waiting times during the lunch rush."
• "During my internship, I cleaned and merged three customer lists, which gave the sales team one reliable contact database."

Then add a short link to the new role: "I would bring the same practical approach to your finance team."

Describe the change your work made, who benefited and how you know it worked. Results do not have to be numbers; they can be outcomes, feedback or responsibilities given to you.

Ways to show results without figures:

• Outcome: "The new filing system meant documents could be found in minutes instead of searching through boxes."
• Feedback: "Parents regularly mentioned the weekly newsletter I introduced at parent meetings."
• Trust: "After six months, my manager asked me to train all new receptionists."
• Recognition: "Our team received the branch's quarterly service award."

Never invent figures. If you have a real number, use it; if not, a clear description of the improvement is just as honest and still convincing.

Give one or two specific, genuine reasons that connect the employer to your experience or goals. Generic praise does not convince; a specific reason shows you have done your research and thought about the fit.

Good sources of reasons:

• A product, service or project the company is known for.
• Its customers, sector or the way it works, such as its focus on training or community health.
• Recent news, such as a new branch, expansion or launch.
• Values or practices you have seen in action as a customer or from people who work there.

Examples:

• "Your hospital's investment in day-surgery services appeals to me, as I have spent three years in a day-surgery unit and enjoy the pace and patient contact."
• "I have used your accounting software in two companies, and I would like to help other small businesses get started with it as a Customer Onboarding Specialist."
• "Your plan to open five new stores in Oman this year is exciting, and I would like to help train the opening teams."

Keep it to two or three sentences, and link it back to what you can contribute. Motivation that only talks about what you will gain, such as a "great salary" or "a famous name on my CV", is less persuasive.

Show motivation through specific reasons and a clear link to your work, not through strong emotional words. Calm, informed interest sounds more professional than urgency.

Avoid:

• "I really need this job."
• "I will do anything to work for you."
• "This is my dream job."

Use instead:

• "I have followed your bank's move into digital services and would like to help customers adjust to the new app."
• "Working in a children's hospital is the reason I chose paediatric nursing, and your family-centred care model is close to how I already work."

One clear reason, backed by your experience, is enough to show you genuinely want the role.

Focus on achievements, and mention duties only to give context. Duties tell the reader what you were supposed to do; achievements show how well you did it.

Compare:

• Duty: "I was responsible for handling customer complaints."
• Achievement: "I handled escalated customer complaints and resolved most of them on the first call, which reduced repeat calls to our team."

If your job is very routine, show quality instead: accuracy, reliability, speed, trust or feedback.

Example: "In two years of processing visa applications for employees, none were returned for missing documents, because I created a checklist for each application type."

Describe a situation where you used the skill and what happened as a result. Soft skills are only believable when shown in action.

Examples:

• Patience: "I helped an elderly customer set up online banking over three short visits, and she now uses it to pay her bills."
• Organisation: "I planned the logistics for our company's annual conference for 300 guests, from venue booking to transport."
• Calm under pressure: "When a fire alarm sounded during a full lunch service, I led guests out calmly and helped the team restart service within the hour."

Avoid lists like "I am organised, patient and calm." Pick the one or two soft skills the advert stresses and show each with a short example.

Describe what the team achieved and the specific part you played in it. Teamwork is about your contribution to a shared result.

Examples:

• "During a hospital accreditation visit, I worked with nurses and pharmacists to update medication storage on our ward, and I prepared the checklists we all used."
• "Our four-person design team delivered a new website for a client in six weeks; I created the visual style and coordinated feedback rounds."
• "I covered extra shifts and trained two new colleagues when our café was short-staffed, so the team kept service running through the busy season."

Use "we" for the team result and "I" for your part, so the reader understands both.

Describe times you guided others, took responsibility or improved how a team worked. Leadership is about influence and responsibility, not only titles.

Examples without a formal title:

• "I trained every new sales assistant in our store for a year and created a short guide they still use."
• "When our project lead was on leave, I ran the weekly meetings and kept the client updated."
• "As president of my university's engineering society, I organised a robotics competition with eight participating colleges."

Examples with a title:

• "I manage a team of six maintenance technicians and introduced a weekly planning meeting that reduced emergency call-outs."

Pick examples close to the leadership level the new role needs.

Name a specific problem, explain what you did and give the result. A short, clear problem-solving story shows how you think.

Examples:

• "Our delivery drivers often missed addresses in new developments, so I created shared map pins for each building, and missed deliveries dropped noticeably."
• "When our team's shared drive became disorganised, I proposed a folder structure and naming rules, and colleagues began finding files far more quickly."
• "Students were struggling with fractions, so I introduced a weekly hands-on activity using measuring cups, and test results in that unit improved."

Choose problems similar to those the new job will face. Keep the explanation short and focused on your action.

Show it twice: in the way the letter is written, and through an example of communicating well at work. A clear, error-free letter is your first piece of evidence.

Examples:

• "I write the weekly project update for our client, summarising progress and risks in one page that the client's directors read before our meetings."
• "I explain medicine instructions to patients from many backgrounds, using simple English, Hindi or Malayalam as needed."
• "I presented our department's budget proposal to senior management, and it was approved with minor changes."

Pick the type of communication the job needs: written, spoken, presenting, negotiating or explaining technical ideas simply.

Give an example where accuracy mattered and your care made a difference, and make sure the letter itself has no mistakes. A typo in a sentence claiming attention to detail undermines the claim.

Examples:

• "While checking invoices, I noticed a supplier had been charging an old rate for months, and I recovered the overpayment."
• "I proofread all patient letters in our clinic before they are sent, and I created a template that reduced errors in names and dates."
• "During a site inspection, I spotted that reinforcement bars did not match the drawings, which allowed the issue to be fixed before concrete was poured."

Choose examples where the detail had a real effect on cost, safety or quality.

Describe a time you had to learn something new or adjust to a change, and how quickly you became effective.

Examples:

• "When our company switched to a new ERP system, I learned the purchasing module within weeks and became the go-to person for questions in my department."
• "I joined a new school mid-year and adapted to its curriculum and assessment system while keeping my classes on schedule."
• "After moving from retail to a call centre, I learned the billing system during training and was handling complex queries within my first month."

Link the example to something new in the role you are applying for, such as a new system, market or responsibility.

Describe how you helped a customer or improved their experience, ideally with a result such as repeat business or positive feedback.

Examples:

• "A regular guest mentioned she was travelling for a medical appointment, so I arranged a quiet room and an early breakfast; she wrote to our manager to thank the team."
• "I noticed many customers asked the same questions about our warranty, so I made a one-page guide for the sales floor."
• "I follow up with each new client after their first month, which has helped me keep long-term accounts."

Customer focus matters in many roles beyond service jobs, including finance, IT support and engineering.

Show the skill in use: what you built, fixed or improved with it. Your resume can list tools; the letter should show what you did with them.

Compare:

• List: "I know Excel, SQL and Tableau."
• In use: "I wrote SQL queries to pull monthly sales by region and built a Tableau dashboard that regional managers now use in their weekly meetings."

More examples:

• "I use AutoCAD daily to produce shop drawings for steel structures."
• "I configured user accounts and permissions in Microsoft 365 for a 120-person office move."

Focus on the tools named in the advert, and one or two examples are usually enough.

Focus on the requirements you meet strongly, then briefly address any important gap with related experience or a plan to close it. Many people are hired without meeting every point in an advert.

How to handle a gap:

• Do not draw attention to minor gaps at all.
• For an important gap, show transferable experience: "While I have not used Workday, I manage HR records daily in a similar system and pick up new software quickly."
• Show you are working on it: "I am completing an online course in Python for data analysis."

Never claim a requirement you do not meet. Spend most of the letter on your strengths.

No. Focus on the most important two to four. Trying to cover every point turns the letter into a long checklist and leaves no space for detail.

How to prioritise:

• Requirements listed first or repeated in the advert.
• "Essential" over "desirable" criteria.
• Requirements where you have a strong example.

Your resume can show the remaining skills. The exception is a criteria-based application, for example in some public-sector roles, where you are asked to respond to every criterion; then follow the instructions exactly.

Yes, if they show skills the job needs. Volunteering, student projects, clubs and part-time work are valid experience, especially if they are recent or directly relevant.

Examples:

• "As a volunteer at a food bank, I organised weekend shifts for 20 volunteers and kept stock records."
• "For my final-year project, I designed a solar-powered water pump and presented it to a panel of industry engineers."
• "As treasurer of the student union, I managed the society budget and prepared reports for the finance committee."

Present them the same way as work examples: what you did and what it achieved. Make it clear where the experience took place.

Only if it clearly relates to the job and shows a real skill. Most hobbies are better left out of a cover letter, but a relevant one can be a useful supporting example.

Good examples:

• A marathon runner applying to a sports retailer: "As a regular runner, I can advise customers on running shoes from personal experience."
• A hobby photographer applying for a social media role: "I photograph local events and post them on my own page, which has taught me how to plan content."

Keep it to one sentence and link it directly to the role. Avoid hobbies that reveal unrelated personal information.

Recent examples, usually from the last five years or so, are the most convincing. An older example can still work if it is highly relevant and you have nothing more recent that shows the same skill.

Guidelines:

• Prefer examples from your current or most recent role.
• Use an older example only if it clearly matches a key requirement.
• If you use one, add a sentence showing the skill is still current.

Example: "Earlier in my career, I set up a new branch's accounts from scratch, and I have since applied the same structured approach as finance lead for two company acquisitions."

Take one or two items from your resume and add what the resume leaves out: context, the reason behind your action, how you did it, and what it meant for the employer.

Example resume bullet:
"Reduced patient waiting time in outpatient clinic."

Cover letter version:
"When I joined the outpatient clinic, patients often waited a long time to see a doctor. I suggested staggering appointment times and calling patients the day before to confirm. Within three months, waiting times had clearly dropped, and patient complaints fell. Your advert mentions improving patient flow, and I would bring the same practical approach."

The letter tells the story and links it to the new job; the resume keeps the summary.