Paragraph by paragraph
I saw the Senior Frontend Developer role at Hargreaves Lansdown on your careers site, and I'd like to apply. I have built websites since 2020, first as a freelancer and since February 2022 at Dyson, where I work on the global shop used by more than 10 million people a month across 30 markets.
The scale of the site she works on
The role and employer, then her path and the size of the site. Ten million monthly visitors across 30 markets tells a lead what kind of traffic she is used to.
Performance has been a big part of my work at Dyson. With code splitting, lazy loading and better handling of images, we cut page load time by 40%, which makes a real difference to customers on slow mobile connections in some of our markets.
One performance result, with the methods
The three techniques are named, so the reader knows she understands where the time went. The last clause ties the number to customers.
I also led the move from an old jQuery codebase to React and Next.js, one section of the site at a time so nothing had to be frozen. Every customer facing page I build meets WCAG 2.1 AA.
Migration and accessibility
A productivity multiplier is hard for any reader to check, so the letter describes how the migration was done and names the accessibility standard with its level.
As a freelancer I built more than 20 sites for small businesses, from custom WordPress themes to headless builds with Next.js and Contentful. Two of those sites are still live, and the links are on my CV. Working directly with business owners meant explaining technical choices in plain English, and I still do that with our product managers.
Freelance work, used for a skill
The freelance years show range, and the plain English point is useful in any product team. Freelance revenue is left out because it tells an employer nothing about her code.
Your clients manage their savings and pensions on your site and app, and that is the kind of product I want to work on. I live in Bristol and can start after a month's notice.
A reason that fits their customers
A reason tied to what their customers do, then location and notice.
Performance numbers that hold up
A front end lead will ask how a performance number was measured, so say it before they ask.
- Core Web Vitals: Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift. INP replaced First Input Delay as a Core Web Vital on 12 March 2024, so a 2026 letter that quotes FID looks dated.
- Field or lab: the PageSpeed Insights score out of 100 is a Lighthouse lab score from one simulated visit. The field data on the same page comes from real Chrome users. Field figures are stronger, so say which you mean.
- Before and after: give both numbers, the page type and the period, such as "LCP on product pages from 3.8 to 2.1 seconds over three months".
- Your part: say "we" for team work and name the part you did.
A few lines for a form or a tech recruiter
Tech recruiters and many application forms want a short summary first. This keeps the scale, the performance result and the stack.
Accessibility work, said precisely
"Accessible websites" is in almost every front end CV. Specifics make it believable.
- The standard and level: WCAG 2.2 became the current W3C Recommendation in October 2023. Many organisations still test to 2.1 AA, so name the one you actually work to.
- What 2.2 added: criteria such as Focus Not Obscured, Dragging Movements, Target Size (Minimum) and Accessible Authentication. If you have handled any of them, say so.
- How you test: automated checks, keyboard only testing and screen readers such as NVDA or VoiceOver.
Other web development roles, other openings
Junior developer or bootcamp graduate
Point to one or two projects that are live, with the code available.
I finished a front end bootcamp in June, and the booking site I built for a Bristol climbing wall is live with its code on GitHub.
WordPress or agency developer
Give the number of sites, the kind of clients and anything you built from scratch.
At a small agency I have built 35 WordPress sites in two years, mostly custom themes for charities and local councils.
Full stack role
Show the back end work you have done, even if it was a smaller part of your job.
Most of my work is in React, but I also wrote the Node API behind our store locator and look after its database.
Accessibility specialist
Give the standard, the audits you have run and what changed.
I have audited 14 of our sites against WCAG 2.2 AA this year and fixed the issues in our shared components so every site benefits.
Moving from freelance to employed
Give a positive reason and show you can work inside a team’s process.
After four years freelancing I want to work on one product with a team, and for the last twelve months I have contracted inside a product team to get used to code review and sprints.
Freelance work on a developer application
Freelance years show initiative and range, and employers want to know you will fit a team.
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| Revenue earned | The number and type of sites, and the stack. |
| "Delivered 20+ websites" | Two or three live sites a reader can open, with the client's permission. |
| Average PageSpeed of 95 | Field data for one site, or the lab score labelled as a lab score. |
| Nothing about clients | How you worked with them, such as explaining technical choices plainly. |
Five mistakes in web developer letters
Multipliers no one can check
"3x developer velocity" invites a question you can’t answer with data.
Describe what changed, such as build times or release frequency.
A lab score sold as user experience
A PageSpeed score is one simulated visit, and front end leads know it.
Use field data, or label the score as a lab score.
Out of date metrics
FID stopped being a Core Web Vital in March 2024.
Use LCP, INP and CLS.
A wall of frameworks
Listing every library makes the main skills harder to find.
Name the stack the job uses and what you built with it.
Links that don’t work
Old client sites change, and a broken link reflects on you.
Check every link the week you apply.
Format, links and spelling
- Length: one page. Maya's letter is about 235 words.
- Links: GitHub or live sites written in full in the header, because some systems strip hyperlinks.
- Spelling: British English for UK employers; your code examples can stay as they are.
- Greeting: by name with Yours sincerely, or Dear Hiring Manager with Yours faithfully.
The main points from this page
- 1Give performance numbers with the method, the page type and the period.
- 2Use LCP, INP and CLS, and say whether figures are field or lab.
- 3Name the accessibility standard and level you build to.
- 4Describe how you did a migration, and skip productivity multipliers.
- 5Use freelance work to show range and client skills, and leave revenue out.
Frequently asked questions
What should a web developer cover letter include?
The role and company, the sites you work on and their scale, a result or two and how you got them, your stack, accessibility work and links the reader can open.
Which Core Web Vitals should I mention?
Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift. INP replaced First Input Delay on 12 March 2024.
Is a PageSpeed score a good thing to put in a cover letter?
Only if you label it as a lab score. Field data from real users is stronger.
Should I mention WCAG 2.2 or 2.1?
The one you actually build and test to. WCAG 2.2 is the current version, but many organisations still test to 2.1 AA.
How long should a web developer cover letter be?
Around 200 to 250 words on a single page, with links doing the rest.