cover-letter

name	cover-letter
description	Write a tailored cover letter for a job posting. Paste the job description as the argument.
argument-hint	<paste full job description>
allowed-tools	Read, Glob, Grep, Write, Task

Write Cover Letter

Write a cover letter for Colton Williams tailored to the following job posting: $ARGUMENTS

Process

1. Analyze the job posting — Identify the company name, role title, required technologies, desired qualifications, and cultural values.
2. Read portfolio projects — Use Explore agents to read ALL portfolio project files in src/html/portfolio/*.njk to gather specific details, metrics, and technologies for each project. Do NOT skip this step. Every cover letter must be grounded in real project details.
3. Read the resume — Read scripts/resume-2026.html for current job titles, dates, and career timeline.
4. Read the template — Read cover_letter_example.md for tone, structure, and formatting.
5. Write the cover letter — Save as cover_letter_<company_name_snake_case>.md in the project root.

Template Structure (from cover_letter_example.md)

Follow this exact formatting pattern:

# Cover Letter - [Role Title]

**Colton Williams**
Full-Stack Software Engineer
Portfolio: [coltons-apps.tech](https://coltons-apps.tech)

---

**[Company Name]**
[Role Title]

---

To the [Company/Team Name],

[Opening paragraph — role applied for, years of experience, key stack alignment, why this company]

## [Section headers tailored to the role — 3-5 sections highlighting relevant experience]

[Each section leads with the MOST relevant project for that skill area, using **bold project names** and specific metrics/details from the portfolio]

## [If there are technology gaps, include an honest "Addressing the [X] Requirement" section]

## Working Style

[Remote experience, collaboration, mentorship — keep brief]

---

[Closing line specific to the company's mission or goals]

Thank you for your consideration.

**Colton Williams**

---

_References available upon request._

Colton Williams — Background

Years of Experience: 7+ Primary Stack: PHP/Laravel, Vue.js, Tailwind CSS, MySQL Work Style: Professional since 2018 (~8 years), both in-office and fully remote; distributed teams, daily standups, async communication Location: Central Time Zone

Current Work History

1. Roof Maxx — Senior Software Engineer III (promoted Sep 2025) — Dec 2024–Present, Remote
2. Colton Williams Ventures, LLC — Owner — Jun 2023–Present, Benton, AR
3. SOLTECH — Full Stack Developer (Contract) — Nov 2023–Dec 2024, Remote
4. Active Logic — Software Engineer — Oct 2022–Nov 2023, Remote
5. FLEX360 — Senior Full Stack Laravel/PHP Developer — Feb 2022–Oct 2022, Little Rock, AR
6. FLEX360 — Web Developer — Oct 2018–Feb 2022, Little Rock, AR

Contact

• Email: [e-mail]
• Portfolio: https://coltons-apps.tech
• GitHub: https://github.com/clwilliams8
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colton-williams7/

Key Projects (read the .njk files for full details)

Project	Stack	Key Metrics
Roof Maxx	Laravel, Vue.js, Go, Shadcn, AWS S3, Google Cloud Pub/Sub, GitHub Actions	300+ franchise dealerships, monolith-to-microservices, Laravel Horizon, Pennant feature flags
ABA Toolbox	Laravel, GraphQL, Quasar/Vue.js, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, Docker	HIPAA/FERPA compliant, 1,000+ curriculum lessons, 13-step data migration, offshore team
Sunnybrook TMS	Laravel, Vue.js, Bootstrap 5, MySQL, Azure, Meilisearch	80% of codebase, $50M+ revenue client, 300+ daily shipments, 20-status state machine, sub-100ms search
Hank's Fine Furniture	Laravel, Tailwind, Storis eBridge API, MySQL	$70K first-month sales, 18 stores, real-time inventory sync, Haversine geolocation
Be Pro Be Proud	Laravel, Tailwind, Twilio SMS, Google Maps, MySQL	Multi-tenant, 6 state instances, student enrollment + sponsor matching
Tutor Chest	Laravel, WordPress REST API, Stripe/Laravel Cashier	Platform rescue after 2 failed contractors + agency
Arkansas House of Representatives	Laravel, Bootstrap, Google Maps, MySQL	Government CMS, long-term client, CSV exports, Find My Representative
Sunnybrook/AVECC	Laravel, Tailwind, FLEX360 CMS	WordPress-to-Laravel migration, dynamic mascot system
Montana Tags	Shopify, Liquid, JavaScript	Tax savings calculator, greenfield e-commerce
Fish 'N Stuff	Shopify, Google Sheets, CSV	45,000+ row product migration
Low's Bridal	Laravel, Tailwind, MySQL	2,500+ dress inventory, advanced multi-faceted filtering
Reed's Metals	Laravel, Bootstrap, Google Maps, MySQL	Intelligent quote routing, cookie-based location persistence, 10 locations
Union Corrugating	Laravel, Tailwind, Google Maps, FLEX360 CMS	~90% individual contribution, roof visualization tool, contractor locator
Hank's Mobile App	GoodBarber, PWA, HTML5/CSS3	Cross-platform, App Store + Google Play in 2 weeks
Arkansas Bride	Laravel, Tailwind, Passwordless Auth, MySQL	800+ vendor portal, revision-based approval workflow, print integration
Clinton School	Laravel, Bootstrap, CyberSource/Visa	2,000+ blog post migration, ADA compliance (WCAG)
SeaArk Boats	FLEX360 CMS, PHP, MySQL	Tournament module with datetime-based categorization
Professional Consulting Services	Laravel, Tailwind	First-ever website for 30+ year healthcare company
Kajacs Contractors	Laravel, Tailwind	WordPress rebuild, multi-state industrial contractor
AttendIT	Android SDK, Java, SQLite	Capstone project, native Android, UML/SRS documentation
OpenGL 3D Game	Java, OpenGL, GLSL	Custom vertex/fragment shaders, 3D rendering engine

Technical Skills Summary

Backend: PHP/Laravel (7+ years, 100s of production apps), GraphQL, Go microservices Frontend: Vue.js (Quasar, Pinia), Tailwind CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript/ES6+ Databases: MySQL (primary), PostgreSQL, Azure SQL Server, Meilisearch Cloud: AWS S3, Azure (VMs, SQL Server, Blob Storage, AD), Google Cloud Pub/Sub DevOps: Kubernetes, Docker, Laravel Forge/Sail/Horizon, GitHub Actions CI/CD Integrations: Twilio SMS, Stripe/Laravel Cashier, QuickBooks API, HubSpot CRM, Google Maps/Geocoding, Macropoint GPS, Storis eBridge, CyberSource/Visa Architecture: Multi-tenant (Tenancy for Laravel), monolith-to-microservices, event-driven, feature flags (Pennant), state machines Practices: PHPUnit, Agile/Scrum, Document-Driven Development (MkDocs), AI-assisted development (Claude Code)

Writing Guidelines

1. Be specific, not generic. Every claim must reference a real project with concrete details and metrics from the portfolio.
2. Tailor sections to the job. Don't use the same section headers every time. Name sections after the skills/values the job posting emphasizes.
3. Lead with the strongest match. The opening paragraph and first project section should highlight whatever aligns most directly with the role.
4. Be honest about gaps. If the role requires a technology Colton hasn't used extensively in production, include a section that honestly addresses it while framing transferable experience. Never fabricate experience.
5. Keep it concise. The cover letter should be scannable. Use bold project names, short paragraphs, and specific numbers.
6. Match their language. Mirror the job posting's terminology and values in section headers and descriptions.
7. Don't repeat the same intro. Vary the opening paragraph structure — don't always start with "I'm applying for the X position. With 7+ years..."
8. End with mission alignment. The closing should connect to the company's specific mission, not be generic.
9. Audience is recruiters, engineers, and CTOs. Write technically but accessibly. Show depth without jargon overload.
10. No emojis. Keep the tone professional and direct.