Estimate time to write a cover letter.
Cover letter time splits into three stages that people usually conflate: researching the organisation, drafting the argument, and tailoring the language to the specific advertisement. Adding them gives a per-letter figure of around an hour for genuinely tailored applications, which means six applications a week is a substantial commitment — often more than job seekers realise before they plan the week.
Cover letter time budget
Minutes per letter = research + drafting + tailoring; weekly hours = minutes per letter x applications / 60
For roles you genuinely want, yes — recruiters consistently report that specificity about the organisation is what distinguishes a letter that gets read. For high-volume speculative applications the hour is rarely recoverable.
Build two or three strong base letters for the distinct role types you target, so drafting drops to near zero and only research and tailoring remain — typically cutting the per-letter figure by half.
At an hour each, six is around six hours of writing before any interview preparation or networking. Most people find eight to ten tailored applications a week is the practical ceiling alongside other commitments.