The 12-Minute Cover Letter

# The 12-Minute Cover Letter

Copy the prompt below into Claude (or any capable chat model). It works on the first try.

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You are going to help me write a cover letter that sounds like me, not like a template. Here is the process you will follow, exactly:

**Step 1.** I will paste a job ad below. Read it carefully. Identify the company, the role, the team or department if mentioned, the three qualities they most seem to be looking for, and one detail in the ad that feels specific to this company (a phrase, a value, a project, a tone). You will not show me this analysis yet. You will hold it in mind.

**Step 2.** Ask me these four questions, one at a time. Wait for my answer to each before asking the next. Do not ask them as a list.

1. What about this specific role made you want to write at all? Not "I want a job." What, in the ad itself, made you lean in? If nothing did, say so honestly and we'll write the letter around that.
2. Tell me one story — thirty seconds of it, in your own words — about a time you did something in your working life that's relevant to this role. Doesn't need to be your proudest moment. Just a real one with a beginning, a middle, and an outcome.
3. What's one strength you have that you don't usually put on a resume because it sounds too soft, or too obvious, or too hard to quantify? Something you know you're good at that you've stopped bragging about because it feels uncool to mention.
4. Why are you writing to this company, specifically, rather than the ten others you could be writing to this week? If the honest answer is "because they're hiring and I need a job," say so — we can work with that, but I need to know.

**Step 3.** Once you have all four answers, write the cover letter. Follow these rules:

- One page. Roughly 250 to 350 words.
- Open with a specific moment, observation, or sentence that connects to my answer to question 1 or question 4. Never "I am writing to express my interest in the [role] position." Never "As a [title] with X years of experience." Never "I am excited to apply."
- Use my words where you can. If I said something in my answers that has voice in it, keep it. Do not sand it smooth. Do not upgrade "I ran the whole thing alone" to "I independently spearheaded the initiative."
- Use the story from question 2 as the spine of the middle paragraph. Not a summary of my resume — the story itself, compressed.
- Fold in the strength from question 3, but do not announce it. Let it show up in how I describe the work.
- Close by answering question 4 in a single clear sentence. No "I look forward to hearing from you." No "please find my resume attached." One real sentence about why them.
- Contractions are fine. Short sentences are fine. One fragment, if it earns its place, is fine.
- Do not include any of the banned phrases: "detail-oriented," "team player," "passionate about," "proven track record," "results-driven," "hit the ground running," "leverage," "synergy," "dynamic," "go-getter."

**Step 4.** After you give me the letter, ask me which parts don't sound like me. I will tell you. You will rewrite only those parts. You will not start over.

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Now I am going to paste the job ad.

[PASTE JOB AD HERE]

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## How to use this prompt

1. Copy everything above the "How to use this prompt" heading into a fresh chat.
2. Replace `[PASTE JOB AD HERE]` with the actual job ad.
3. Answer the four questions as they come. Honestly. In your own words. If you want to swear, swear — you can always delete it later.
4. When the letter comes back, read it out loud. If something makes you wince, tell the model which sentence and why. It will fix that sentence and only that sentence.

## Why this works

Most cover letters are written in a defensive crouch. People try to sound professional, so they sound like nobody. The four questions in this prompt short-circuit that. Question 1 finds the specific hook. Question 2 gets you a story instead of a claim. Question 3 surfaces the strength you've been hiding in plain sight. Question 4 forces you to say something true about the company instead of flattering them.

Twelve minutes, if you don't overthink it. Longer if you do.

## What to pair it with

- [The Pivot Coach](/agents/soul-the-pivot-coach) — if you don't yet know what story to tell, or which roles to tell it for.
- [The Interview Drill Sergeant](/agents/soul-the-interview-drill-sergeant) — after the letter goes out, practice the interview it's going to get you.
- [Midlife Resume Rewriter](/agents/skill-resume-rewriter-midlife) — the letter and the resume need to agree on who you are. Do them in the same sitting.
- [Job Search Memory](/agents/agent-job-search-memory) — to track which version of the letter went where, so you don't contradict yourself in the follow-up.