Are Cover Letters Dead in 2026?

Every year, someone declares the cover letter dead. And every year, hiring managers keep reading them. The cover letter is not dead, but it has changed. In 2026, the question is not whether you need one. The question is when you need one and what it should look like when you do.

For veterans, the cover letter plays a role that it does not play for most civilian applicants. It bridges the gap between military experience and civilian expectations. A resume full of military terms and acronyms leaves a civilian hiring manager guessing. The cover letter fills in the blanks in plain language. That function is more relevant in 2026 than it was five years ago, because hiring processes are faster and hiring managers have less patience for ambiguity.

I built BMR specifically because my own transition was a mess. Spent a year and a half applying for jobs with no callbacks. Part of the problem was my resume. But part of it was that I had no cover letter explaining what a Navy Diver actually does in civilian terms. Once I started including a tailored letter with each application, the response rate changed.

So no, cover letters are not dead. But the old-school, three-paragraph, "I am writing to express my interest" template is dead. What works in 2026 is different from what worked in 2015.

When Should Veterans Always Include a Cover Letter?

There are situations where skipping the cover letter is a mistake. If any of the following apply to your application, write the letter.

Career transitions. If your resume shows military experience and you are applying for a civilian role, the cover letter explains the connection. Without it, the hiring manager sees a list of military titles and has to figure out the translation themselves. Most will not bother.

Federal applications. USAJOBS postings sometimes list a cover letter as optional. Include one anyway. Federal hiring panels review dozens of applications, and a cover letter that references the announcement number, GS grade, and specific duties makes their evaluation easier. Easier evaluations work in your favor.

Employment gaps. If you have a gap between your separation date and now, a cover letter gives you one or two sentences to explain it. "Following my separation in 2023, I completed a Project Management Professional certification and relocated to the Denver area" is all you need. The resume cannot provide that context.

When the posting asks for one. This seems obvious, but veterans skip requested cover letters more often than you would expect. If the posting says "include a cover letter," include a cover letter. Not including one when asked is a disqualifying signal.

Dominic Landed a Six-Figure Role
With a Top Defense Firm.

"The most effective resource I used in my transition."
— Dominic, E-7, Marines

Read their story →

Federal (USAJOBS) & private sector formats Translates military jargon into civilian language Tailored to each job — not a generic template

Get My Free Resume

2 free tailored resumes, cover letters & LinkedIn optimization

When Can You Skip the Cover Letter?

There are situations where a cover letter adds nothing. Knowing when to skip it saves you time and lets you focus on applications where it matters.

Quick-apply job boards. If a platform like Indeed or LinkedIn has a one-click apply button and no option to upload a cover letter, do not go searching for a way to attach one. These applications are designed for volume. The hiring manager expects a resume only.

Staffing agencies and recruiters. When you are working with a recruiter, they become your cover letter. They pitch you to the client with their own summary. Sending them a cover letter is unnecessary. Spend that energy on your resume and on building the relationship with the recruiter instead.

Internal referrals. If someone inside the company is referring you and has already spoken to the hiring manager on your behalf, the cover letter becomes redundant. Your referral contact has already provided the context a cover letter would. A short email thanking them and confirming your application is enough.

High-volume technical roles. Some engineering and software development roles process hundreds of applications. The hiring manager is looking at your resume, your GitHub, and your portfolio. A cover letter adds friction to a process that is already code-focused. Unless the posting asks for one, skip it for these roles.

What Has Changed About Cover Letters Since 2020?

Several things have shifted in how cover letters function in the hiring process, and veterans should be aware of each one.

ATS Processing

Most ATS platforms now process cover letters separately from resumes. Some scan them for keywords, others store them for the hiring manager to review later. Either way, your cover letter keywords should match the job posting just like your resume keywords do. If the posting mentions "project management" five times, your cover letter should include that phrase at least once.

Shorter Is Better

The multi-page cover letter is gone. Hiring managers in 2026 spend less time per application than they did in 2020. Your cover letter should be one page maximum, and ideally three to four paragraphs. If it takes longer than 60 seconds to read, it is too long.

Personalization Matters More

Generic cover letters were never effective, but in 2026 they are completely invisible. Hiring managers can spot a template letter instantly. Every cover letter you send should reference the specific company name, the specific role, and at least one specific detail about the company or posting that proves you did your homework.

Digital Delivery Has Changed the Format

In 2026, many cover letters are pasted into text fields rather than uploaded as documents. This means your formatting needs to be simple enough to survive a copy-paste into a plain text box. Avoid heavy formatting, tables, or graphics. Clean paragraphs with clear structure work in any delivery format.

How Do Veterans Write a Cover Letter That Works in 2026?

The formula is straightforward. Start with a strong opening that leads with your results and references the specific role. Write two body paragraphs that each match one key requirement from the posting with a translated military example. Close with two sentences stating your availability and interest.

Every sentence should earn its place. If a sentence does not connect to the job posting or demonstrate a qualification, delete it. A five-sentence cover letter that hits every mark is better than a full-page letter padded with filler.

Use numbers wherever possible. Dollar amounts, team sizes, percentages, timelines. Numbers cut through ambiguity and work regardless of whether the reader understands your military background. "Reduced processing time by 40% for a 200-person unit" communicates value instantly.

Tailor every letter to the specific posting. This is the rule that separates veterans who get interviews from veterans who do not. One of our Army logistics NCOs was applying to 10+ jobs per week with the same cover letter and getting no responses. When she switched to tailoring each letter to the specific posting, she got four interview requests in the next two weeks. Same qualifications. Different approach.

Can BMR Help You Write Cover Letters Faster?

BMR includes two free cover letters with every account. You paste the job posting, and the tool generates a tailored cover letter that matches the language of the position. It handles the military-to-civilian translation, matches keywords from the posting, and formats everything for 2026 hiring standards.

The free tier also includes two tailored resumes, LinkedIn optimization, elevator pitches, an email signature generator, two company reports, and a job tracker. Having the resume and cover letter generated from the same job posting ensures consistency between both documents, which hiring managers notice.

Cover letters are not dead in 2026. But the way you write them has to match how hiring actually works today. Short, specific, tailored, and loaded with numbers. If your cover letter does those four things, it is doing its job.

What Do Hiring Managers Actually Do With Cover Letters?

Understanding how cover letters are used in the hiring process helps you write better ones. Most hiring managers do not read cover letters during the initial screening. They read them after the resume passes the first filter. Your resume gets you into the consideration pile. Your cover letter moves you up within that pile.

Hiring managers typically scan the cover letter in under 30 seconds. They look for the answer to one question: does this person understand what we need? If your opening paragraph addresses the role directly and your body paragraphs connect to the job requirements, you pass the scan. If your letter is a generic introduction that could apply to any company, it gets skipped.

Some hiring managers use cover letters as a tiebreaker between similar candidates. When two resumes look equally strong, the cover letter often decides who gets the interview. This is especially true for veterans, because a well-translated cover letter removes the ambiguity that military resumes sometimes create. It tells the hiring manager exactly what your military experience means in their context.

For interview preparation, your cover letter also serves as a reference. Hiring managers often pull questions from cover letter claims. If you wrote that you managed a $5M budget, expect them to ask about that. If you mentioned leading a 40-person team through a major project, that becomes an interview topic. Write your cover letter with the assumption that every claim will be discussed in the interview.

The bottom line: cover letters in 2026 are a second-round tool, not a first-round filter. They matter most when the hiring manager is already interested in you based on your resume and wants more context before scheduling an interview. Make that context specific, translated, and backed by numbers.

What Role Does LinkedIn Play Alongside Your Cover Letter?

In 2026, hiring managers check your LinkedIn profile after reading your resume and cover letter. If your LinkedIn tells a different story than your cover letter, it creates doubt. Make sure your LinkedIn headline, summary, and experience section align with the narrative in your cover letter.

For veterans, LinkedIn serves as an extended cover letter. Your summary section can include the transition context that a one-page cover letter cannot fully cover. Use LinkedIn to expand on your military-to-civilian story, showcase recommendations from colleagues, and demonstrate industry engagement through posts and articles.

When your cover letter references specific achievements, your LinkedIn should back them up with more detail. If your cover letter mentions managing a $15M budget, your LinkedIn experience section should include that role with expanded bullet points. This consistency builds trust with hiring managers who are evaluating your candidacy across multiple touchpoints.

BMR includes LinkedIn optimization in the free tier specifically because cover letters and LinkedIn profiles work together. A strong cover letter gets you the interview. A strong LinkedIn profile reinforces the decision to interview you. When both documents tell the same story in consistent language, you present a polished, credible candidacy that stands out from applicants who send a tailored cover letter but have a bare or military-jargon-heavy LinkedIn profile.

Write yours now: Build a military cover letter in minutes with the free BMR Cover Letter Builder.