Vocations · Career Resources

Match the posting,
one proof at a time.

A cover letter has one job: show the employer that what they asked for is something you have already done. Copy their asks, put your proof beside each, then write three short paragraphs in your own words. The builder counts the words, flags any ask without proof and prints the letter, ready to sign. It works as a cover letter builder for any job, first or fifth.

Start a letterWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Job search kit, $29 for 34 items.

Your letters

The worked example is made up: a high school student applying for a summer day camp counselor job, with three asks from the posting matched to proof. Letters save on this device only.

Loading the letter form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Vocations · Career Resources$5

What you finish with
A letter per job with the title, employer, contact, deadline and your details; the posting’s asks with your proof; an opening, a middle and a close; seven checks before sending. Counts the words, flags asks without proof, letters over 350 or under 120 words and unchecked steps; prints the finished letter.
Who it is for
High school and college students applying for first jobs, internships and summer work, and anyone writing a cover letter without a template.
Format
Browser letter builder with a saved record per letter. Prints the finished letter, the checklist, every letter as a table or a blank planning sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Job search kit ($29) and the Vocations Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Career Resources space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Copy the job title and employer exactly, and find a name to address.
  2. List two to four asks from the posting and your proof for each.
  3. Write the three paragraphs; use the starters if you get stuck.
  4. Run the checks, then print the letter or copy it into your own document.
  5. Send it the way the posting says.

Start a letter

Matching

From the posting to a paragraph1. Mark the asksAges 6 to 12CPROn timeSwims2. Keep the ones you can p…Reading clubRed Cross7 a.m. stand3. One sentence eachasks for … I have …certified in …count on you …Skip the asks you cannot prove yet; a letter with two real matches beats one thatclaims all six.From the posting to a paragraph1. Mark the asksAges 6 to 12CPROn timeSwims2. Keep the ones you can proveReading clubRed Cross7 a.m. stand3. One sentence eachasks for … I have …certified in …count on you …Skip the asks you cannot prove yet; aletter with two real matches beats onethat claims all six.
Skip the asks you cannot prove yet. Two real matches beat six claims.

Proof that counts

Proof does not have to be a past job. A class project, a club role, caring for siblings, a family business, volunteering or a sport all count, as long as it is specific: how many people, how long, what you did. Numbers make it believable.

What employers look for

Surveys of employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers regularly put problem solving, teamwork, a strong work ethic and communication near the top of the list. Name one of those in the middle paragraph only if you can back it with a real example.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop. Cover letters (careeronestop.org).
  2. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Cover letters (owl.purdue.edu).
  3. National Association of Colleges and Employers. Job Outlook survey: attributes employers seek (naceweb.org).
  4. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. YouthRules: work rules for teens (youthrules.gov).

The worked example is made up, including the employer and contact. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.