Cover Letter vs Resume | Differences & Examples
Understanding the difference between a cover letter and a resume is important when applying for jobs. These documents both accompany an application, but there are key differences in their purpose and format:
- A resume summarizes your work history, skills, qualifications, and education.
- A cover letter is a business letter that complements your resume by highlighting why you’re the best candidate. It focuses on how your skills and experience will benefit the company in a more narrative way than a resume.
Another way to think of this is that a resume focuses on the past, outlining what you’ve done up until now. A cover letter focuses on the future, showing why you’d be a good fit for your potential employer.
When comparing a cover letter vs a resume, there are differences in objective, format, and what to include.
What to include in a cover letter
Contemporary cover letter format says to include the following elements:
- A header with your name and contact information (your city and state is optional)
- The date that you sent the letter
- A salutation (use “Dear” and the hiring manager’s full name)
- An introduction paragraph that says who you are, why you’re a good fit for the role, and why you’re excited about applying
- 2–3 body paragraphs that highlight experience and skills that illustrate why you’re a good fit
- A conclusion paragraph that restates your claim and enthusiasm and offers a call-to-action for the reader
- A complimentary close that signs off politely (“Best regards,” is a good option)
- Your name (signatures are generally not necessary nowadays)
A cover letter should be tailored to the specific job you’re applying for. Using keywords from the job posting not only helps your cover letter resonate with the reader but also improves your chances of passing first-round AI screenings.
Lena Brooks December 24, 2024 Dear James Collins, Please consider my application for the Product Manager role. NexGen Robotics is at the forefront of innovation, and I’m eager to bring my expertise in product management to your team. With a proven track record of overseeing the development and launch of cutting-edge tech products, I’m excited about the opportunity to drive the next phase of your product offerings and help bring your vision to life. In my role at CyberCore Tech, I led a cross-functional team that brought an AI-powered automation tool from concept to market in just under a year, surpassing initial project timelines and expectations. This involved coordinating with engineers, designers, and marketers to ensure that every aspect of the product met both user needs and business goals. The product’s successful launch resulted in a 40% increase in customer adoption within the first six months and secured a strategic partnership with a Fortune 500 company. Additionally, I collaborated with data analysts to fine-tune the product’s features based on real-time data, ensuring that we continuously met evolving customer needs and leading to an above-average customer retention for new tools in our industry. Beyond project execution, I take pride in fostering collaboration and efficiency among teams, and have been recognized by senior management for such. At CyberCore, I implemented an agile workflow that reduced development cycles by 20%, allowing us to iterate and respond to user feedback more quickly. I also spearheaded a cross-teams market research initiative that identified key customer pain points, leading to feature enhancements that boosted user engagement. I thrive in fast-paced environments where communication and adaptability are key, and I’m eager to bring this mindset to your team. My passion for emerging technologies, combined with my experience in agile project management, makes me confident in my ability to contribute to NexGen’s continued success. I’d love the opportunity to discuss how my background aligns with NexGen’s goals. Please let me know a convenient time to connect. Best regards, Lena Brooks
Austin, TX
lena.brooks@email.com
(555) 246-7890
If you’re sending your cover letter in the body of an email, skip the header and date. The timestamp on your email is enough, and you can include your contact information at the end, below your name.
What to include in a resume
When writing a resume, you should include the following sections:
- A header with your full name and contact information (link to your LinkedIn, website, or portfolio if applicable)
- A brief professional summary that summarizes who you are and your goals
- Past work experience with job titles, company names, and dates, focusing on specific results and accomplishments
- Your education with institution name and graduation year (higher education is usually sufficient)
- Your skills, like hard skills, soft skills, and languages
- Your qualifications, like any certificates, awards, or recognitions you’ve received
- Volunteer experience, if relevant to the job you’re applying for
Lena Brooks
lena.brooks@email.com | (555) 246-7890 | Austin, TX
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lena-brooks | Portfolio: lenabrooks.com
Professional Summary
Results-driven Product Manager with 7+ years of experience launching innovative tech products. Skilled in product strategy, cross-functional leadership, and data-driven decision-making. Passionate about user-centric design and agile development.
Work Experience
Senior Product Manager | CyberCore Tech | Austin, TX | Jan 2020 – Present
- Led the end-to-end development of an AI-powered automation tool, bringing it to market in under a year and driving a 45% increase in user adoption.
- Defined and executed product roadmap, prioritizing features that improved retention and boosted revenue by 30%.
- Partnered with engineering, UX, and marketing teams to ensure seamless rollouts.
Product Manager | Visionary Software | Dallas, TX | May 2016 – Dec 2019
- Managed the development of a digital analytics platform, increasing client retention rates by 20%.
- Streamlined the product development lifecycle, reducing time-to-market by 25% through Agile best practices.
- Introduced data-driven decision-making processes, utilizing A/B testing and user feedback to optimize features.
Associate Product Manager | BrightWave Digital | Austin, TX | July 2014 – Apr 2016
- Supported senior PMs in developing product strategies and refining user stories.
- Collaborated with designers and developers to improve usability and engagement.
- Assisted in product launch campaigns, contributing to a 15% increase in customer acquisition.
Skills
Product Strategy & Roadmap Development | Agile & Scrum Methodologies | Cross-Functional Team Leadership | UX/UI Collaboration | Data-Driven Decision Making | Market Research & Analysis | Jira | Confluence | Trello | Figma | Amplitude
Education
University of Texas at Austin
B.S. in Business & Technology, 2014
Certifications
- Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Scrum Alliance – 2015
- UX Design Certificate, Google – 2017
Languages
- English (Native)
- Spanish (Intermediate)
Cover letter vs resume
A cover letter and resume differ in various ways. The table below walks through the key differences.
Remember that regardless of whether you’re writing a cover letter or resume, the document must be free of spelling and grammar errors. Use QuillBot’s Grammar Checker to be confident that your cover letter and resume are error-free before sending them.
| What | Cover Letter | Resume |
|---|---|---|
| Importance | A cover letter is necessary when the job posting specifically asks for one, or when you are applying to a mission-based organization. However, in most contexts, a cover letter strengthens your application. | A resume is always necessary when applying for a job. |
| Purpose | The purpose of a cover letter is to explain why you’re the ideal candidate for a specific job. | The goal of a resume is to give a broad overview of your employment and education history. |
| Length | Cover letter length should be ideally 300–400 words. It should almost always be one page. | Resume length should be one or two pages, depending on how much past work experience you have. In some cases, it may be longer. |
| Format | Business letter with full paragraphs | Outline with bulleted lists |
| Content | Contact info, date, salutation, intro, body, conclusion, complimentary close | Contact info, summary, experience, skills, education, qualifications |
| Writing style | Narrative explaining why you’re a great fit using examples from your resume, anecdotes, and enthusiasm for the company | Objective with action verbs highlighting your accomplishments |
| Tone | Professional, confident, and tailored to the company culture | Direct, factual, and action-oriented |
| File type | Some companies require a cover letter as a document, while others prefer it in an email. If submitting a document, use PDF format unless instructed otherwise. | Attach or upload your resume as a PDF to ensure consistent formatting across devices. |
The cover letter and resume examples in this article are fictional, but they can help you understand the differences between the documents.
Cover letter vs resume examples
Frequently asked questions about cover letter vs resume
- Should your cover letter match your resume?
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Your cover letter should match your resume format stylistically, but their content should not match.
Fonts, colors, and any design elements should match in both documents. Likewise, if you write a CV, your cover letter and CV should match in terms of style.
On the other hand, they should have complementary—not matching—content. Your resume outlines your qualifications and experience. The purpose of a cover letter is to showcase your personality and tailor your application to the specific job.
Both your cover letter and resume must be free of grammar and spelling errors, so run a QuillBot grammar check before sending.
- What can a cover letter explain that a resume cannot?
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A cover letter can explain various things that a resume cannot. For example, a cover letter can:
- Show your enthusiasm for the job and company.
- Give a hiring manager a sense of your personality.
- Share anecdotes about success or challenges.
- Provide context for career gaps or changes.
- Describe how your skills translate to new roles or industries.
- Address why you’re the best fit.
In general, resumes are objective, and cover letters are more personal. The same goes for when you compare a CV and cover letter.
That said, both your cover letter and resume must be error-free, so use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker before sending.
