A cover letter is the letter that goes with your CV. Its job is to make the person reading it want to open the CV, and to answer the question the CV cannot: why this job, and why you. One page, four paragraphs, written fresh for each application. Copy the template below and replace everything in square brackets.
The template
[Your name] [Your address] [Your postcode] [Your email address] [Your phone number] [Date in full: 3 March 2026] [Name and job title of the hiring manager or recruiter] [Company name] [Company address] Dear [Ms Okafor / Mr Patel / Sam Taylor / Sir or Madam], Re: Application for [job title], reference [number if given] [Paragraph 1: which job you are applying for, where you saw it, and one sentence on why you want it at this company.] [Paragraph 2: your two or three most relevant achievements, with evidence. Match them to the job description's main requirements. Numbers where you have them.] [Paragraph 3: what you know about the company or the role, and why you are a fit for the team and the way they work. This is the paragraph that shows the letter was written for them.] [Paragraph 4: your availability, notice period if relevant, and a polite request for an interview. Thank them for their time.] Yours [sincerely / faithfully], [Your name] Enc. CV
Paragraph by paragraph
Paragraph 1: the job and why
“I am applying for the Customer Support Specialist role advertised on your careers page on 1 March. I have used your app for three years and would like to help the people who rely on it.” Two sentences. Name the role exactly as the advert does so the letter is filed correctly, and give one honest reason you want it.
Paragraph 2: proof you can do it
Read the job description and pick the three requirements that matter most. For each, give one achievement that proves it, with a number if you can: “In my current role I answer around 60 customer queries a day and hold a satisfaction score of 96 per cent.” This paragraph is the heart of the letter. It should not repeat the CV line by line; it should pick out the parts of the CV that match this job.
Paragraph 3: why them
Show that you looked. Mention a product, a recent change, a value from their website or something a current employee has said publicly, and connect it to how you work. One paragraph is enough; the aim is to prove the letter was not sent to twenty companies with the name changed.
Paragraph 4: the ask
“I am available for interview at any time and could start with four weeks’ notice. Thank you for considering my application; I would welcome the chance to discuss the role.” Keep it to two or three sentences.
Rules that still apply
- Find a name. A recruiter’s or hiring manager’s name is usually on the advert, the company website or LinkedIn. “Dear Sir or Madam” is the last resort, and if you use it, close with “Yours faithfully”; with a name, close with “Yours sincerely”.
- One page. Around 250 to 400 words. Recruiters read cover letters in under a minute.
- Match the language of the advert. If they ask for “stakeholder management”, use those words, as long as they are true of you.
- No clichés: “hard-working team player with excellent communication skills” says nothing. Replace it with an example.
- Proofread twice, once on screen and once printed or on a phone, because errors hide in familiar text. Then get someone else to read it.
A worked example of paragraph two
Suppose the advert asks for experience of handling complaints, confidence with spreadsheets and the ability to work without supervision. A weak paragraph lists the three phrases back. A strong one reads: “At Riverside Dental I was the first point of contact for patient complaints and resolved most of them the same day, which cut the number escalated to the practice manager by about a third. I built the spreadsheet the practice still uses to track appointment reminders. For the last year I have run the front desk alone on Saturdays.” Three requirements, three pieces of evidence, two numbers, no adjectives. That is the whole technique.
Email and online applications
If you are emailing, put a clear subject line (“Application: Customer Support Specialist, ref 4821”) and use the body of the email as the cover letter, without the postal addresses at the top. Attach the CV as a PDF named with your name. If an online form has a “cover letter” or “supporting statement” box, paste paragraphs 1 to 4 without the addresses, date or sign-off. Keep a copy of every version you send.
Related guides
The full guide to writing cover letters, including common mistakes, is on the Cover Letters page. Pair this template with one of the CV Templates. The formal layout rules come from Formal Letter Format.