Free cover letter checker
Use the free cover letter checker to review how your letter connects your experience to the company and advertised role.
Your result
What the cover letter checker reads.
Enter the company, the role, the job description and your letter. The checker reads the letter against that job: why this company, what this role needs, what you have done and whether it is easy to follow.
The four ratings
- Letter company. Whether the letter gives a reason for choosing this company, tied to a detail from the job description. The company's name or praise that fits any employer is level 1.
- Letter role. Whether it addresses a real requirement of the advertised work, rather than the job title or broad duties.
- Letter experience. Whether it connects a concrete example of your work to a requirement, rather than claiming experience in an area.
- Letter clarity. Whether the purpose of the letter and its supporting paragraphs follow an order a reader can follow.
The code checks
- Whether the letter names the company at all, and what it says instead, such as "your company".
- Every phrase from the checker's cliché list, such as "team player" or "add value".
- Whether the exact role wording appears, the letter's length and paragraphs, and repeated sentences or template placeholders.
How to read your result.
Each rating is a level from 0 to 3
Every dimension has four written levels, and the score says which one your text reached. 2 or more shows "Evidence shown", 1 to 1.9 "Make it clearer" and below 1 "Add evidence".
A rating below 2 says what is missing
It names what the grader found at that level, then what to add. When one of your sentences is the place to start, it quotes that sentence.
No score is better than a guess
"Needs a closer read" means the grader's answer was too spread to trust, so it gives no score. "Not assessed" means there is no usable grade for that dimension, for example when you chose the code checks only.
Code checks name the exact words
They run on your text in this tab and quote what they found, such as each cliché, so you can change those words directly.
What does the cover letter checker check?
Your letter against the job you enter. It rates the company reason, the role, your experience and clarity from 0 to 3. Its code checks name generic phrases and say whether the letter names the company.
Why does it need the job description?
The company and role ratings look for a detail from the job description in your letter. Without one, the checker cannot tell whether your reason for applying fits this job or any job.
Is naming the company enough?
No. A letter that adds the company's name to a general reason still rates 1 for company. Give a reason tied to something specific the company does, from the job description.
What is a good score?
2 or more on a dimension means the letter shows what that level asks for, such as one example of your work linked to a requirement. A rating below 2 tells you what is missing and what to add.
Should I use a cover letter template?
Use one for layout only. A template's sentences are written to fit any employer, which is what the company and role ratings mark down. See the cover letter examples for letters built around one job.