coverletter

name	coverletter
description	Generate a strategic cover letter with requirements-matching table from Step 3 resume
disable-model-invocation	true

Configuration

Read .jobops/config.json. If missing, stop with:

JOBOPS NOT CONFIGURED Run /jobops:setup to initialize your workspace.

Use config.directories.<key> for all file paths in this skill. Use config.preferences.cultural_profile if this skill generates resume-style content. Use config.preferences.default_jurisdiction if this skill has jurisdiction-sensitive logic (crisis/legal skills accept --jurisdiction=<ISO-3166-2> to override).

Cover letter mode

Resolve the effective mode: the --mode= flag if present and valid, else config.preferences.cover_letter_mode, else retrospective (a config written before this key existed has no cover_letter_mode; treat the absence as retrospective). Reject an invalid --mode= value with: Invalid --mode value. Use retrospective or forward.

• retrospective → dispatch the step4-cover-letter agent (Step 3 below), unchanged.
• forward → run the forward intake interview, then dispatch the step4-cover-letter-forward agent.

Forward intake interview (mandatory for forward mode)

Forward mode never drafts without this interview, because the agent runs non-interactively and cannot ask the candidate anything mid-run. Before dispatch:

1. Prime the problem set cheaply. Read the JD ($2) and, if it exists, the specialist files under {config.directories.company_intelligence}/{Company}/ (corporate.md, legal.md, leadership.md, market.md). Do not run web searches here — the agent's Step 3a pipeline does the deep verification. Summarize the candidate-facing problem set in 2–4 bullets so the candidate reacts to evidence rather than inventing problems.
2. Ask the five questions, one at a time, in the main conversation:
   1. Role thesis / problem set — given the primed bullets, what is this role actually there to solve?
   2. First-90-days actions — the 2–3 things you'd do first to address that problem set, plus one line on the 6–12 month arc.
   3. Per-action proof — for each action, the past work that backs your ability to do it.
   4. Gap & plan — the real gap you carry and how you'd work with it (without trivializing it as quickly closeable).
   5. Company-specific notes — anything about the firm's situation to reflect in the context paragraph or problem set.
3. If the candidate declines or abandons the interview, do not draft. Tell them forward mode requires the interview, and that retrospective mode (--mode=retrospective) produces a letter without one.
4. Pass the answers and the primed problem set inline to the step4-cover-letter-forward agent in its dispatch prompt.

Templates

For each template used by this skill, resolve the full path as:

{config.templates.base_dir}/{config.templates.active.<template_name>}/

Application Path Resolution

This skill writes to a per-application folder. Before writing any output:

1. Parse {Company}_{Role}_{YYYYMMDD} from the job-posting filename, or honor --app=<slug> if supplied. The slug MUST be canonical: a leading PascalCase {Company} token (matching the Company_Intelligence/{Company}/ folder so OSINT links), a PascalCase {Role} (underscores between words allowed), and a trailing compact 8-digit date (20260519 — no hyphens, no time). Reject leading date/time prefixes such as 2026-04-15_214414_...; if the source filename carries one, recompose it into canonical form ({Company}_{Role}_{YYYYMMDD}) before composing the folder path.
2. Compose the app folder: {config.directories.applications_root}/{app_slug}/.
3. Resolve this skill's sub-folder by category:
   • resume-development (buildresume, provenance-check) → resume/
   • cover-letter (coverletter) → cover-letter/
   • rubric / assessment (createrubric, assessjob, assesscandidate, auditjobposting) → assessment/
   • briefing / interview prep (briefing, interviewprep) → interview/
4. If the app folder does not exist, mkdir -p it, then copy {config.directories.job_postings}/{filename} → {app_slug}/job_posting.md so the pinned JD cannot silently change under completed work. Ensure the pinned copy begins with YAML front matter carrying output_type: job_posting: if the source JD already has a front-matter block, add the key to it; otherwise wrap a new block (--- / output_type: job_posting / source_jd: {filename} / ---) above the JD body.
5. Exact-slug collisions (same Company+Role+Date) are not auto-suffixed. If the folder already contains the same output type, require the user to pass --app=<distinct-slug>.
6. Output filename (fixed; only the sub-folder above is resolved dynamically): write the cover letter to cover-letter/cover_letter.md.

Arguments

• $1: Step 3 final resume file path (required)
• $2: Job description file path (required)
• $3: Hiring manager name (optional, defaults to "Hiring Manager")
• --mode=retrospective|forward (optional): overrides config.preferences.cover_letter_mode for this invocation. Invalid values are rejected with a message listing the two valid values; the skill does not silently fall back.

Produces a compelling cover letter based on the validated Step 3 resume. In the default retrospective mode it features a strategic requirements-matching table that directly demonstrates fit for the role; in forward mode (--mode=forward) it produces a dual-anchored first-90-days plan instead (see Configuration). The retrospective process:

1. Load and analyze the validated Step 3 resume.
2. Extract critical requirements from the job description.
3. Create a requirements-matching table with evidence.
4. Generate a compelling narrative with cultural alignment.
5. Produce an interview-ready cover letter.

Step 1: Loading Final Resume

First, let me read your Step 3 final resume:

@$1

Step 2: Analyzing Job Requirements

Now loading the job description to extract critical requirements:

@$2

Step 3: Generating Cover Letter

Running Step 4 Agent...

If the effective mode is forward, run the intake interview (see Configuration → "Forward intake interview") before dispatching. Retrospective mode requires no interview; proceed directly to dispatch.

I dispatch the agent that matches the effective mode resolved in Configuration:

• retrospective → the step4-cover-letter agent: a contact header followed by seven body elements (fit-led opening, context/role reframe, Requirements Alignment table, "On X:" evidence paragraphs, honest-limitation, forward-looking close, signature), every claim traced to the Step 3 resume and verified primary sources.
• forward → the step4-cover-letter-forward agent, with the intake-interview answers and primed problem set passed in. It proposes a dual-anchored first-90-days plan: a First-90-Days Plan table (problem → action → proof) and "How I'd approach X:" paragraphs, where every proposed action sits on a real evidenced problem and a concrete past proof point. The fit-led opening, context paragraph, honest-limitation, voice discipline, primary-source verification, and Step 6a sub-agent review are shared with retrospective mode.

The Contact Header

The letter opens with a contact block sourced from config.candidate (set during /jobops:setup), rendered as two lines:

{name}, {credentials}
{location} | {phone} | {email} | LinkedIn: {linkedin} | GitHub: {github}

Phone is a distinct field joined with |; it is never concatenated onto the email. Empty fields are omitted cleanly with no orphan separators (a blank github drops the GitHub: … segment and its separator). Contact values are never hand-typed into the letter; they come from config so they stay consistent and never get fused.

The Seven-Element Structure

Applies to retrospective mode. Everything from here to the end of this skill (the seven-element structure, the requirements-matching table, and the gold-standard exemplar) specifies the retrospective letter. In forward mode the step4-cover-letter-forward agent is authoritative instead: it produces a dual-anchored first-90-days plan with a First-90-Days Plan table and "How I'd approach X:" paragraphs. The contact header (above), voice discipline, and provenance rules are shared across both modes; the seven-element structure and Requirements Alignment table below do not apply to a forward letter.

The agent writes the body in this order. Each element is mandatory unless explicitly marked optional in the agent.

1. Fit-led opening. Names the role in the first line, then leads with the candidate's own proven track record against the core of the job, and closes with an honest pivot if there is a gap ("The asset class is new to me; the discipline is not."). No "I am writing to apply for…", no "Please find attached…", and no diagnosing the employer's business — that reads as presumptuous to an insider and is demoted to element 2.
2. Context and role reframe. Company and market insight belongs here, as context that frames the role. Synthesizes 2–4 verified primary sources as their consequences, not their headlines, identifies the role's binding constraint ("That is this role"), and stakes the claim that this intersection is the center of the candidate's experience. Fit is inferred from positioning, not asserted.
3. Requirements Alignment table (mandatory). Two columns, capped at 5 rows. Each evidence cell carries a named system/project/counterparty and at least one quantity. Row construction varies — not every row is verb + quantity + result.
4. "On X:" evidence paragraphs (2–3). Each opens with a colon-led role-demand phrase ("On POC-to-production:", "On stakeholder negotiation:") and carries exactly one named, quantified accomplishment. One paragraph = one artifact. Each paragraph ties to the context paragraph's binding constraint.
5. Honest-limitation paragraph. Uses the move "What I do not bring is X. What I do bring is rarer: Y." Real gap named honestly; pivot to differentiated strength; tie back to the role's binding constraint. Never trivialize the gap as quickly closeable — phrasing like "X is learnable in a few weeks" or "I can pick this up fast" reads as a lack of humility toward genuine expertise and is banned. When the gap is an AI-built capability, the explicit AI-authorship split is required (candidate owns spec/schema/architecture; implementation is pair-programmed with Claude Code and Codex CLI by name).
6. Forward-looking close (3–4 lines). Ties to the role's near-term mandate and ends with a confident specific ask. No "thank you for your consideration," no "I look forward to hearing from you," no contact-info restatement.
7. Signature. Sincerely, / signature image / {Candidate Name}, {post-nominals}.

Voice and Style (enforced by the agent)

• Declarative, first-person, confident. Sentence fragments allowed for emphasis ("That is this role." / "The methodology is portable.").
• Em-dashes: zero per letter. Use commas, periods, parentheses, semicolons, or colons. Em-dashes are the most reliable AI-prose fingerprint.
• No explicit total-years-of-experience stamp ("25 years of experience"). It is an age proxy; convey seniority through named roles, dollar figures, and scope, which still clears "10+ years" requirements.
• Antithetical cadence ("X is new, Y is not" / "not A, but B") at most once. Repetition is a primary AI-detection tell; vary every other closer.
• Concrete metrics and named systems over adjectives. Banned clichés include "excited to apply," "passionate," "team player," "fast-paced," "synergy," "leverage" used as filler. Banned dead verbs include spearhead, orchestrate, drive, deliver, champion, unlock, empower, facilitate.
• Explicit AI-authorship split whenever AI-built work is cited. Never vague "AI-assisted" phrasing.
• Synthesize, do not recite. Convert institutional facts into operational insight; never quote the target's own figures (earnings, AUM, headcount, announced deals) back to them. Recitation reads as flattery and wastes lines.
• Address the hiring manager by first name when known.

Provenance and the Requirements-Matching Table

• The table maps the top 5 requirements to specific achievements from the Step 3 resume with quantified evidence.
• Every institutional fact used in the context paragraph or body must trace to a verified primary source. The primary_sources YAML block (see Output below) is the audit ledger; status: verified sources are the only ones that may appear in the letter prose.
• If a fact is cut during editing, the primary_sources block is reconciled so it stays accurate.

Quality Assurance

• All claims traced to Step 3 validated content. No new claims that haven't been validated.
• All institutional facts traced to verified primary sources (Step 3a acquisition pipeline in the agent).
• An independent sub-agent reviews the draft sentence-by-sentence using What / So What / Now What framing before the letter is written to disk (Step 6a in the agent). Every sentence must address a real hiring-manager concern and move the reader toward a decision; filler is flagged CUT.
• Company and role names verified for accuracy.
• Cultural tone matches resume style; optimized for ATS and human review.

Gold-Standard Exemplar (illustrative; names anonymized)

Imitate this letter for structure and voice, not for content. All names, firms, contact values, and product references below are placeholders (John Smith / ABC Inc. / XYZ Corp / [phone] etc.) — the real letter substitutes the actual hiring manager, target firm, prior employers, named systems from the candidate's record, and the contact values from config.candidate. Notice the contact header with a distinct phone field, how the fit-led opening leads with the candidate's own record (not a diagnosis of the employer), how company insight is demoted to the context paragraph, and how the honest-limitation paragraph uses the explicit AI-authorship split.

John Smith, CFA, FRICS Toronto, ON | [phone] | [e-mail] | LinkedIn: /in/johnsmith | GitHub: /johnsmith

May 28, 2026

ABC Inc.

Dear John:

I'm applying for the Associate Director, Customer Success and Innovation role. I have spent my career taking technical requirements all the way to running software that non-technical colleagues actually use: internal-facing systems, plain-language query tools, and the workshops that turn leaders into hands-on operators. Enterprise AI governance at this scale is new to me; the translation work between business demand and delivery is not.

By design, ABC Inc. has front-loaded the hard parts. The demand, the governance, and the delivery capacity already exist, and oversight of AI now sits at the Board-committee level against a policy that draws a hard line between Custom and Public AI. What does not arrive with capacity is translation. The binding constraint is no longer capability but the customer-facing function inside the technology group that turns business-unit demand into governed, delivered tools. That is this role: triaging internal AI requests, framing build-vs-buy against Custom-versus-Public obligations, taking POCs to production, and running the workshops that turn leaders into builders. That intersection is the center of my experience.

[Requirements Alignment table maps each requirement to one evidence cell with metrics: enterprise SaaS rollout 90% adoption month 1; 25 production systems / 3,000+ commits; production SQLite schema design with FTS5 + sqlite-vec; XYZ Corp to DEF Inc. to GHI Holdings VP plus CFA/FRICS; CEO/executive quarterly reporting over a nine-year VP tenure.]

On POC-to-production: I have already built the kind of system this role describes, an internal-facing tool that sits next to a non-technical user and answers their questions on demand. My relationship-intelligence system lets me query a database in plain language and get structured answers back, the same pattern ABC Inc. would use to seat AI beside a property asset manager or an investment analyst. A second system took a piece of my own consulting methodology and turned it into a tool a colleague can actually run. The through-line is that I take ideas to working software people use, not slideware, which is exactly where most internal AI programs stall.

On the workshop side: at JKL Corp. (2022 to 2024) I designed and delivered an AI-powered property-acquisitions onboarding program (600+ pages of training content and twenty fifteen-minute audio episodes, built in two months). The program cut new-hire ramp-up time by 50%, validated with new hires. I have since formalized the underlying methodology into a CRE AI training curriculum for commercial real estate professionals. The methodology is portable. The same architecture would convert ABC Inc. analysts and managers from prompt-readers into agent-builders inside their respective customer domains.

What I do not bring is enterprise-scale data-warehouse experience; I own the specification, schema, and query architecture, and pair-program the build with Claude Code and Codex. What I do bring is rarer: institutional CRE fluency at platform depth, plus a track record of taking requirements all the way to running systems. That is the exact intersection where the AI Governance Policy now needs translating into customer-facing work.

The exemplar is a model for form, not for content. The agent will not copy its institutional facts into a letter for a different firm, and will not reuse this exemplar's primary_sources: block.

Output

Your strategic cover letter will be saved as: {applications_root}/{app_slug}/cover-letter/cover_letter.md

Before the letter content, write this YAML metadata block with actual values. The primary_sources ledger is mandatory whenever the context paragraph (element 2) uses verified primary sources; it is the audit trail that lets the hiring panel confirm the candidate did the work.

---
job_file: $2
role: <role title>
company: <company name>
candidate: <full candidate name>
generated_by: /coverletter
generated_on: <ISO8601 timestamp>
output_type: cover_letter
status: final
version: 1.0
primary_sources:
  - title: <document title>
    date: <YYYY-MM-DD>
    url: <public URL fetched during verification>
    status: verified | unverified
    verified_on: <ISO8601 timestamp when WebFetch confirmed the document; null if unverified>
    used_in: <context-paragraph | body-paragraph-2 |   
          

Rules for the primary_sources block (enforced by the agent):

• Only status: verified sources may appear in the letter prose. Unverified candidates may be listed for reference but never cited.
• If a fact is cut during editing, the primary_sources block is updated so it stays accurate.
• If the same primary_sources block appears verbatim across letters to different firms, the letter is not firm-specific and must be rewritten from a fresh acquisition.
• When fewer than 2 verified primary sources are available, set primary_sources: [] and have the agent write the leaner fallback context paragraph (the fit-led opening is unchanged). Valid skip conditions: private_firm_no_public_record, generic_role_any_firm, ats_screened_pipeline, insufficient_verified_primary_sources.

Update timestamps and increment version on subsequent iterations.

The cover letter will:

• Demonstrate insight into the firm's actual situation, not state intent
• Provide visual proof of requirements match via the alignment table
• Name real gaps honestly and pivot to the differentiated strength
• Maintain a verified provenance chain from primary sources through master documents
• End with a confident, specific ask tied to the role's near-term mandate

Next Steps

After generation, you'll have:

1. A compelling, evidence-based cover letter
2. A requirements-matching table for quick scanning
3. Consistent messaging across all application materials
4. Strong positioning for interview success

The cover letter and resume work together as a cohesive application package, with every claim defensible and every achievement traceable to your comprehensive work history.