JobOwl

Check your cover letter before you send it

A free cover letter checker: paste your letter, and the job posting if you have it. See what works and what to fix, each point quoted from your letter. No sign-up.

4.9/5 from 528 reviews on Trustpilot · Updated

Example: a template letter checked against a job posting

A made-up letter for a Marketing Coordinator job. Every check quotes the letter.

Passes 1 of 8 checks

✓ 1 pass≈ 2 almost✕ 5 to fix

Opening

To fix
Opens with a formality
I am writing to express my interest in the Marketing Coordinator position.

Fix: Lead with your strongest fact. You have one: Instagram from 4,000 to 11,500 followers in a year.

Why: 41% of hiring managers say the introduction leaves the biggest impression. Resume Genius, 2023

The job's main requirementsTo fixNames 2 of 4, backs none

Not in your letter
To fix
2+ years in marketing coordination
In my current role at Brightline Retail, I manage our social media accounts and help with email campaigns.
Almost
Klaviyo or a similar email platform
I am responsible for creating content calendars, coordinating with designers, and reporting on campaign performance.
Almost
Google Analytics 4
Not in your letter
To fix
Ecommerce

Fix: If you've run email campaigns in Klaviyo or a similar platform, add one sentence that shows it, like the Instagram line. If you haven't, leave it out.

Why: Tailored letters got about 50% more callbacks than no letter, generic ones about 17% more. ResumeGo, 2020

Closing

Almost
Hopes for a reply, doesn't ask
I look forward to hearing from you.

Fix: Ask for the next step: "I'd welcome a call to talk about the role."

Why: Career offices advise ending with a polite request for an interview. Boston College

Plus 5 more checks: greeting, company and role, why this company, stock phrases and length.

How to check a cover letter

Read it the way a hiring manager does: the first lines, the evidence, then the close. To check yours by hand:

  1. Read the first two sentences. Do they name the job and give one specific reason to keep reading? "I am writing to apply" doesn't.
  2. Find your best result. A number, a named project, an outcome. If it sits in the third paragraph, move it up.
  3. Hold it against the posting. Pick the job's two or three main requirements and find the sentence that backs each one.
  4. Test your "why them" sentence. If it would work for a competitor, it isn't specific yet.
  5. Read the last line. It should ask for a conversation, not only thank them.

This cover letter checker does these steps for you and quotes the line behind each result.

What the cover letter checker looks for

  • Greeting: a name or a team, or "Dear Hiring Manager" when there's no name to find.
  • Opening: a specific reason in the first lines, not a formality.
  • Company and role: named, and with a posting, the right ones.
  • Evidence: results, not duties. With a posting, the sentence that backs each of its main requirements.
  • Why this company: a reason that wouldn't fit a competitor.
  • Closing: an ask for the next step.
  • Stock phrases: "results-driven", "team player" and others that say nothing.
  • Length: one page, 250 to 450 words.

Length, greeting and stock phrases are counted by fixed rules, so they're exact. An AI model reads the rest, and every line it quotes is checked against your letter.

A cover letter grader that counts instead of scoring

Most free cover letter graders give a score out of 100. On November 11, 2026, we ran the same template letter through three of them: it scored 75, 38 and 33. A count is easier to act on. "Passes 5 of 8" tells you which three to fix, and each comes with the line from your letter, so you can check the result yourself.

Do hiring managers still read cover letters?

Most do. In a 2023 Resume Genius survey of 625 US hiring managers, 83% said they read most cover letters, and 45% read the letter before the resume. What counts is a letter written for the job: in a ResumeGo study of 7,287 applications, tailored letters got callbacks 16.4% of the time, generic ones 12.5% and no letter 10.7%.

Your resume and cover letter for the same job

A letter that answers the posting needs a resume that does too. JobOwl tailors your resume to the job description using only what's in it, and the first 3 are free. With JobOwl Pro, it also writes a cover letter for the same job from your resume and the posting. To see which of the job's requirements your resume shows first, match your resume to the job description. To see whether an ATS can read your resume at all, use the free ATS resume checker.

Questions about checking your cover letter

Is this cover letter checker free?
Yes, and you don't need an account. Paste your letter, add the job posting if you have it, and you get all eight checks with the lines from your letter they're based on. You can run 5 checks a day.
Is my cover letter saved?
No. It's sent to our AI provider only to run the check, and JobOwl doesn't keep it.
How long should a cover letter be?
One page. Most advice says 250 to 400 words, and hiring managers in a 2023 Resume Genius survey preferred about 400 on average. The checker passes 250 to 450 words, counted between the greeting and the sign-off.
Is "Dear Hiring Manager" okay?
Yes, when you can't find a name. Career offices like MIT's suggest the hiring manager's name when the posting or LinkedIn shows it, and "Dear Hiring Manager" when not. Skip "To Whom It May Concern".
Can it tell if my cover letter was written by AI?
No, and no tool does it reliably: OpenAI withdrew its own AI text detector in 2023 for low accuracy. What makes a letter read as AI-written is what this checks: stock phrases, no reason for choosing the company, no real result.
Can it check my cover letter against the job description?
Yes. Paste the posting and the checker finds its main requirements, shows the sentence in your letter that backs each one, and checks that you named the right company and role.
Is there an ATS cover letter checker?
An applicant tracking system stores your letter with your application for a person to read, so this checker looks for what that reader looks for. To see which of the job's keywords your resume shows, match your resume to the job description.
Can JobOwl write my cover letter?
Yes, with JobOwl Pro. It writes a letter for a specific job from your resume and the posting. Tailoring your resume to a job is free for the first 3.

Sources