About this template
The Minimal Graybox template is a minimal cover letter where the contact details sit in a single light-grey rectangle at the top left. The body stays pure plain text — the box is the only structural device and lets the recruiter locate contacts without scanning. Compatible with the ATS systems of technical scale-ups (Greenhouse at Stripe, Datadog, Algolia, Vercel; Lever at Linear, Notion; Workable at SaaS B2B start-ups; BambooHR at growth-stage tech).
Who is it for?
It suits candidates whose profile already carries many contact channels (LinkedIn, GitHub, portfolio URL, Mastodon, Bluesky, personal site, Stack Overflow profile) and who want to group them without weighing down the page. Right for software engineers, UX/UI designers, technical freelancers and anyone juggling multiple online presences. Out of place in applications to traditional organisations where the grey box would read as design neglect.
How to use it
The grey box (Pantone Cool Gray 1 or hex #F5F5F5) contains only contact details — no tagline, no slogan. Limit yourself to five channels maximum: email, phone, LinkedIn, GitHub, portfolio URL. The hook enters the subject directly without an opening formula ("I am applying for the Senior Backend Engineer role at..."). Paragraph 2 cites your technical stack in shorthand ("Go, Rust, TypeScript, Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, observability stack"). The signature stays textual, no paraph.
Frequently asked questions
How many links in the grey box?
Five maximum: email, phone, LinkedIn, GitHub (or GitLab), portfolio URL. Beyond that, the box becomes illegible and signals a scattered profile. Choose links based on the target role — for backend, GitHub + Stack Overflow take priority; for design, Dribbble + Behance + personal portfolio.
Is it suitable for tech scale-ups?
Yes for Stripe, Datadog, Algolia, Mistral AI, Hugging Face, Vercel, Linear, Notion, Figma — which appreciate the minimal-graybox register for engineering and product roles. Mention your technical stack and open-source contributions in paragraph 2.
Is the letter suitable for freelance applications?
Yes for tech, design and consulting freelancers. Mention your status (sole proprietor, LLC, Ltd, contractor via Toptal/Crème de la Crème/Malt) next to your tax-ID number in the grey box. Tech procurement committees recognise these legal formats.
