How to Write a Cover Letter: The 3-Paragraph Rule + Example

A cover letter is a short, personalised message that explains why you are the right person for one specific job. The fastest way to write one is the three-paragraph rule: one paragraph about the company, one about you, and one about what you would do together. Keep it to a single page, roughly 250 to 350 words, and rewrite it for every application. Below you will find the full method, a step-by-step process, a complete example you can adapt, and the mistakes that get letters binned in the first ten seconds.

What Is a Cover Letter, and Do You Still Need One?

A cover letter is the document you send alongside your CV. Your CV lists what you have done. Your cover letter explains what you want, and why this employer specifically should care.

Not every application asks for one. Plenty of student jobs in Belgium let you apply in one click. But the moment a job posting mentions motivation, asks for a letter, or you are applying spontaneously, that letter becomes the thing separating you from 40 other candidates with a near-identical CV.

Short version: if there is a field for it, use it. A recruiter who reads one personalised letter after twenty copy-pasted ones remembers you.

The "You, I, We" Method: The Three-Paragraph Rule

Most people freeze because they try to write a cover letter from a blank page. The three-paragraph rule removes that problem. Each paragraph gets one pronoun and one job:

• You: the company. Show you know who you are writing to.
• I: the candidate. Prove you can do the work.
• We: the collaboration. Say what happens next.

Three paragraphs, three jobs. That is the whole structure. Writing a cover letter is a bit like a first date: you want to make a strong impression without overdoing it.

Paragraph 1: "You", the company

Right from the start, show that you have done your homework. Look up the company's activities, its values and its recent projects, then weave one concrete detail into your opening. A new office, a product launch, a sustainability commitment, an award: one specific fact is enough.

The goal is to prove you are not sending the same letter to every posting. Skip the clichés and get to the point. Your first two lines decide whether the rest gets read, so lead with something the recruiter recognises as theirs.

Weak opener: "I am writing to apply for the position advertised on your website."

Stronger opener: "Your new Ghent team is doubling in size this year, and the junior marketing role is exactly the kind of hands-on start I have been looking for."

Paragraph 2: "I", the candidate

Now talk about yourself, strategically. Pick the two or three skills and experiences that actually match the job description, and back each one up with a concrete example from your studies, your student job, a side project or a volunteer role.

Do not just list your qualities. "Organised and motivated" means nothing on its own. "I ran the ticketing for a 400-person student event, which meant managing a budget and a team of six" means something.

Leave a little on the table, too. You are not writing your autobiography. The aim is to make the recruiter curious enough to invite you in.

Paragraph 3: "We", the collaboration

This is where you look forward. Explain why you and the company would work well together, show you understand what the role needs, and make clear you are ready to deliver it. Confident, but not arrogant.

Avoid conditional phrasing like "I would love to meet you if that were possible", which sounds unsure of itself. Go for something assertive instead: "I look forward to discussing how I could contribute to your team."

Then close politely and naturally. Nothing overly formal is needed. "Looking forward to your reply, kind regards" does the job.

How to Write a Cover Letter, Step by Step

1. Read the job posting twice. Underline the three requirements that appear most often. Those are the ones your letter has to answer.
2. Spend ten minutes on the company. Its website, its LinkedIn, its news page. You are hunting for one specific detail to open with.
3. Write your header. Your name, phone number, email, and the city you live in. Add the company name and, where you can find it, the name of the person hiring.
4. Draft the "You" paragraph. Two or three sentences, built around the detail you found. No throat-clearing.
5. Draft the "I" paragraph. Two or three skills, each with a real example. Match the vocabulary of the posting where it fits naturally.
6. Draft the "We" paragraph. What you bring, what you want to build, and a clear request for an interview.
7. Cut it down. Aim for 250 to 350 words. Delete every sentence that could appear in anyone else's letter.
8. Proofread out loud. Reading aloud catches clumsy sentences and typos your eyes skip. Then have someone else check the company name is spelled correctly.

Cover Letter Example for a Student Job or First Job

Here is a complete example built on the three-paragraph rule. It is written for a junior marketing role, but the skeleton works for a student job, an internship or a first job. Swap in your own details.

Dear Ms Janssens,

I saw that your Ghent team launched its first Dutch-language podcast this spring, and that the junior marketing assistant role involves growing it further. Building an audience from scratch is the part of marketing I find most interesting, so this posting caught my attention immediately.

I am in the final year of my communication management bachelor at Artesis Plantijn. Over the past two years I have run the social media accounts for our 900-member student association, growing Instagram engagement by a third with a weekly content calendar I built and maintained myself. During my internship at a small Antwerp agency I wrote and scheduled newsletters for three clients, and I learned to work with real deadlines and real feedback. I write and speak Dutch and English fluently, and I manage in French.

What appeals to me about your team is its size: the chance to own a channel rather than watch someone else run it. I would like to bring my hands-on content experience and my curiosity for audience data to your podcast and your newsletter. I look forward to discussing how I could contribute.

Looking forward to your reply, kind regards,

Lotte De Smet

Notice what the example does not do. It never says "I am motivated and hard-working". Every claim comes with a number, a project or a place. That is the difference between a letter that gets read and one that gets skimmed.

Cover Letter Length, Format and Layout

Recruiters spend well under a minute on a first read. Format for that reality.

• Length: one page maximum, 250 to 350 words. Three or four short paragraphs.
• Font: one readable font at 10 to 12 points. Match it to your CV so the two documents look like a set.
• Header: your contact details at the top, the company's below or beside them.
• Salutation: use a name if you can find one. "Dear hiring team" beats "Dear Sir or Madam" if you cannot.
• White space: leave a blank line between paragraphs. Walls of text do not get read on a phone.
• File: send a PDF, named clearly, for example "CoverLetter_LotteDeSmet.pdf".
• Email body: if you are applying by email, paste the letter into the body as well as attaching it. Many recruiters never open the attachment.

If your CV is not pulling its weight yet, fix that first. Our free CV Checker flags the gaps in a couple of minutes, and this guide on the order to arrange information on your CV covers the structure.

You do not need a designer template. A plain, well-spaced page in the same font as your CV looks more professional than a colourful layout. If you want a ready-made frame, the free Europass cover letter builder produces a clean, neutral document that Belgian recruiters read without friction.

Which Language Should You Write Your Cover Letter In?

In Belgium this question matters more than the layout. The safest rule: write in the language of the job posting.

• Flanders: Dutch, unless the posting is in English.
• Wallonia: French, same exception.
• Brussels: follow the posting. Bilingual employers often accept either, and mentioning your level in both is an advantage worth stating.
• International companies and startups: English is usually fine, and often expected.

If a posting is published in two languages, pick the one you write best. A flawless French letter beats a shaky Dutch one. And be honest about your language levels: they get tested in the interview.

Adapting Your Cover Letter to Your Situation

The three-paragraph rule holds. What changes is the content of the "I" paragraph.

If you have no work experience

Use what you do have. Group projects, a thesis, a sports club committee, volunteering, a personal project, a language you taught yourself. Employers hiring students expect little experience. What they look for is proof you show up and finish things.

For an internship

Lead with what you want to learn, and tie it to your course. Name the skills your programme requires you to develop, and say how this team could help you build them. Internship recruiters are choosing someone to train, not someone finished.

For a student job

Keep it short, four or five sentences is plenty, and be concrete about availability. Which evenings, which weekends, which weeks of the holidays. For most student jobs, reliability and clear availability beat polish.

For a spontaneous application

There is no posting to answer, so your "You" paragraph has to work twice as hard. Name the specific reason you are writing to this company now, and propose a concrete way you could help. Vague enthusiasm gets deleted.

Cover Letter vs Motivation Letter: What Is the Difference?

In practice, almost none. In Belgium the terms are used interchangeably: "motivatiebrief" in Dutch, "lettre de motivation" in French, cover letter in English. All three describe the same one-page document that sits next to your CV.

The only real distinction is context. Applications for a master's programme or a scholarship often ask for a motivation letter that leans heavily on your academic goals. A job application leans on what you can contribute. Same structure, different emphasis.

Seven Cover Letter Mistakes That Get You Rejected

1. Sending the same letter everywhere. Recruiters spot it instantly, usually in the first sentence.
2. Getting the company name wrong. The fastest way into the reject pile. Check it twice.
3. Repeating your CV. The letter should add context, not restate your dates.
4. Listing adjectives without proof. "Dynamic team player" is not evidence of anything.
5. Making it about you only. If the word "I" starts every paragraph, rebalance it.
6. Writing too much. Anything past one page will not be read in full.
7. Skipping the ask. Close by requesting a conversation. Do not leave the next step vague.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a cover letter always required?

No. Many student jobs and quick-apply postings skip it entirely. But when a posting asks for one, or when you apply spontaneously, it is not optional in practice: a missing letter reads as a lack of interest. If in doubt, send one.

Should I write a different cover letter for each application?

Yes. You can reuse your structure and your core "I" paragraph, but the opening and closing must be specific to that employer. Ten minutes of research per application is the difference between a reply and silence.

What if I do not have any work experience yet?

Write about studies, projects, volunteering, clubs and side projects instead. Focus on transferable proof: meeting deadlines, working in a team, handling responsibility. Employers hiring students are not expecting a career history.

How do I start a cover letter?

Open with one specific fact about the company and connect it to the role in the same sentence. Never open with "I am writing to apply for". Name the person you are writing to if you can find them.

How do I end a cover letter?

State clearly that you want to talk, in the present tense, then sign off simply. "I look forward to discussing how I could contribute to your team. Kind regards, [your name]" is enough. Avoid conditional phrasing that sounds unsure.

How long should a cover letter be?

One page, 250 to 350 words, three or four paragraphs. For a student job you can go shorter. Never go longer.

Can I use AI to write my cover letter?

Use it to structure and tighten your draft, not to produce the whole thing. AI-written letters read as generic because they have no access to your specific examples, and recruiters have become very good at recognising the pattern. Write the substance yourself, then edit hard.

Now Put Your Cover Letter to Work

The three-paragraph structure is not a rigid law, but it is a reliable starting point when you are staring at an empty page. Write the You, the I and the We, cut it to one page, and send it.

Then go find something worth applying to. Browse student jobs, internships and first jobs across Belgium, or create a job alert so the right postings come to you.

Good luck with your search. x