Let's be honest — writing cover letters is the worst part of the grad job hunt. You've already spent hours tailoring your CV, and now you have to write another 300 words explaining why you're "passionate about [industry]" for the tenth time this week. It's exhausting, it's repetitive, and most of the time it feels like nobody reads them anyway.

But here's the thing: recruiters absolutely do read cover letters, especially for UK graduate schemes. When you're up against hundreds of applicants with similar degrees and grades, your cover letter is often the thing that decides whether your application lands in the "yes" or "maybe" pile. The problem isn't that cover letters don't work — it's that most graduates write terrible ones.

Here's how to fix yours.

Why Most Graduate Cover Letters Fail

I've spoken to graduate recruiters at major UK firms, and they all say the same thing. The biggest killer isn't bad writing — it's generic writing. When a recruiter reads "I am writing to express my interest in the graduate scheme at [Company]," they already know you've copied and pasted that opening from somewhere else.

Most grads make these three mistakes:

  • They don't reference the company. If you can swap the company name in your letter and it still makes sense, you haven't done enough research.
  • They rehash their CV. The cover letter is not your CV in paragraph form. It's where you explain why your experience matters for this specific role.
  • They're too long. Graduate recruiters spend 30-60 seconds per cover letter. If you're not making your point by paragraph two, you've lost them.

The Fix: Tailor Every Single One

I know — you're thinking, "Tailoring every cover letter takes forever, I'm applying to fifteen roles a week." And you're right. Doing it manually for every application is unsustainable. But that doesn't mean you should send the same generic thing to everyone.

Use the AI Cover Letter Generator on padgrad. Paste in the job description, pick your tone — Professional, Passionate, Concise, or Evidence-Heavy — and get a draft in seconds. Then spend five minutes editing it to make it sound like you.

Here's the workflow I'd recommend:

  1. Run the job description through the AI CV Checker first — get your CV optimised for the role so your credentials match what they're looking for.
  2. Use the Cover Letter Generator with the same job description. Pick "Evidence-Heavy" for competency-based grad schemes, or "Passionate" for smaller companies where culture fit matters more.
  3. Edit the output to add one or two specific things about the company — a project they're working on, a value that genuinely resonates with you, something from their recent news or blog.
  4. Log the application in the Application Tracker so you can keep tabs on where you've applied and which version of your letter you used.

Three Cover Letter Templates That Work

1. The Competency-Heavy (Graduate Schemes)

For big firms that use competency-based hiring. Open with a specific achievement that matches one of their requirements, then explain why you want their programme specifically.

"When I led a team of four to deliver our final-year research project two weeks ahead of schedule, I learned that I work best under pressure with clear deadlines. That's why I'm applying to [Company]'s graduate scheme — your structured rotation programme would let me apply that same discipline across different business areas while building the commercial awareness I'm still developing."

2. The Culture-First (SMEs & Startups)

Smaller companies care less about your grade and more about whether you'll fit in. Show you've done your research on their culture and values.

"I've been following [Company]'s work in sustainable packaging since your partnership with [Client] last year. I know you're a small team, and I'm looking for somewhere I can take real ownership from day one — not get lost in a cohort of fifty other grads."

3. The Career Pivot (Non-Traditional Applications)

If your degree doesn't obviously match the role you're applying for, your cover letter needs to bridge that gap explicitly. Connect the dots for them.

"My History degree taught me to analyse complex information and construct evidence-based arguments — skills I've been applying directly in my part-time role managing social media for a local charity, where I grew engagement by 40% in six months. I'm ready to bring the same research-driven approach to [Company]'s marketing team."

Quick Checklist Before You Hit Send

  • [ ] Did you mention the company by name more than once?
  • [ ] Can you point to something specific about the role or company?
  • [ ] Is your opening line unique — not "I am writing to apply for..."?
  • [ ] Did you keep it under 400 words?
  • [ ] Have you spell-checked? (Yes, it matters — grad schemes get hundreds of applications and a typo is an easy filter)
  • [ ] Is your CV also tailored for this role? (Use the CV Checker to confirm)
  • [ ] Did you log the application in your tracker?

The Truth

Nobody enjoys writing cover letters. But they're one of the few parts of the application process where you can actually stand out. Most graduates send the same generic letter to every company and wonder why they never hear back. The ones who get offers are the ones who took an extra ten minutes to make it personal.

Use the tools to save time on the mechanical parts — generating drafts, checking your CV, tracking where you've applied — so you can spend your energy on the parts that actually make a difference.

— Ori