If you’re an employer (and any other employers reading this) you could say somewhere in the application process that you actually read the letters. I think most people assume nobody ever opens them.

If that becomes something that's expected, in order to get people to continue to send in cover letters, it will be abused. Everyone will say they read the letters—but no more companies will read them than do now.

Can you share more on how to write a good two paragraph cover letters? I try to write good cover letter but at the end of the day sentences feel generic and the job description never usually contains enough meat to bite onto. How can I convince an employer that I am actually interested to have a conversation with them about the job?