How to write a cover letter

What does a cover letter look like?

The UK's National Careers Service describes it simply: “A cover letter introduces you to an employer and asks them to think about your application. It's a short letter, usually 3 to 5 paragraphs long.” On the page, that means:

1. Header: your name and contact details, the same as on your resume, so the two read as one application. Then the date, and the employer's name, title, company and address if you have them.
2. Greeting: “Dear Ms Rao,” or, without a name, “Dear Hiring Manager,” (below).
3. Three to five short paragraphs: why you are writing, why you fit, why this employer, and a close.
4. Sign-off and your name.

Use the same font and size as your resume, single-spaced with a blank line between paragraphs. Double spacing makes a one-page letter run to two; don't use it unless the employer asks. Ready-to-fill layouts are on the cover letter templates page.

How long a cover letter should be

One page, and usually less: three to five paragraphs, as the National Careers Service says. A two-page cover letter is almost never needed for an ordinary job; if yours runs over, cut the paragraph that repeats your resume (the guide on how many words a cover letter should be shows three trims). The exceptions are academic and some senior or government roles where the posting asks for a longer statement addressing each criterion; follow the posting.

Canada's Job Bank puts the standard well: a cover letter “should be concise, well written and tailored to the company and job you are applying for.”

Choosing who the letter goes to

A name is best, when you can find it; the guide to addressing a cover letter goes deeper on greetings. In order:

1. The name in the ad (“Send applications to Dana Brooks, HR Manager”).
2. The hiring manager for the team, from the company's website or LinkedIn, if you can identify them with confidence.
3. A role, if no name: “Dear Hiring Manager,”, “Dear Recruitment Team,” or “Dear Head of Finance,”.

What goes in each paragraph

The National Careers Service's structure, with what each part should do:

1. Opening. “Introduce yourself and explain how you found the advertised job. You can mention the job title, and reference number if there is one.” Add one line on who you are now: “I am a final-year BCom student”, “I have four years in telecom customer support”.
2. Why you fit. “Highlight the skills and experience you have that match what the employer is looking for.” Pick the two or three requirements the ad stresses most, and give one proof for each: a result with a number, from your resume.
3. Why this employer. One or two sentences that could only be written to this company: its product, its customers, a project you read about, its values. This is the part that shows you didn't send the same letter to fifty places.
4. Anything to explain (optional). The National Careers Service suggests this is where you can address a gap in employment or, if you choose, a disability and any support you need.
5. Close. “Thank the employer for considering your application”, say you would welcome an interview, and give your phone and email.

An outline you can follow: (1) job, source, who you are · (2) requirement 1 + proof · requirement 2 + proof · (3) why them · (4) thanks, availability, contact.

The opening deserves the most care, because it decides whether the rest is read closely. Cover letter opening lines work when they name the job and give one fact that proves the fit: “I am applying for the operations analyst role on your careers page; in my last job I cut weekly reporting time by 40%.” Among the best ways to start a cover letter, a specific result or a specific reason for this employer beats a formula such as “I am writing to apply for…” on its own, which tells the reader nothing new.

A cover letter example

Under 200 words, every claim checkable, and the third paragraph could only go to this employer. For letters by job, see the cover letter examples; for an internship, the internship cover letter.

The sign-off: Yours sincerely or Yours faithfully?

The National Careers Service gives the UK rule, which India and most Commonwealth countries follow:

• If you wrote to a named person, end with “Yours sincerely”.
• If you wrote “Dear Sir or Madam”, end with “Yours faithfully”.

In the US and Canada, “Sincerely,” works in every case; “Best regards,” is fine in an email. Then your full name, and on a printed letter, your signature above it.

Sending it with your resume

• Online form: paste or upload the letter where the form asks; if there is no box, upload it combined with your resume only if the form allows one file.
• By email: the National Careers Service notes “you can write it as an email if you're applying online”. Put the letter in the body, attach your resume as a PDF, and use a subject line with the job title and reference: “Application: Senior Customer Service Representative, ref. CX-2041”. Applicants in India can find more subject lines and sample bodies in the email for a job application guide.
• On paper: print it to go with the paper application, on the same paper as your resume, letter on top.

A cover letter is not a CV, and a CV is not a cover letter: the CV or resume lists everything; the letter picks the two or three things that matter for this job and says why. Send both unless the employer asks for only one.

Creating a cover letter for a resume you already have is quick if you work from the ad: list its top three requirements, find the matching line on your resume for each, and build the middle paragraphs from those. A cover letter also differs from a letter of introduction. The cover letter answers a particular vacancy; a letter of introduction is sent with no vacancy in mind, to start a conversation with an employer or a contact. If a job is advertised, write the cover letter.

Mistakes that sink a cover letter

• The same letter to every job. The National Careers Service: “write a new one for every job you apply for and make sure it's tailored to the company and the specific role.”
• Repeating the resume. Pick two or three proofs; the resume has the rest.
• Making it about you. “This job would be great for my career” is true for every applicant. Say what you would do for them.
• The wrong name or company. The fastest way to the reject pile when you reuse a letter.
• Typos. “Double check spelling and grammar before you send it,” says the National Careers Service. Read it aloud once.

If you want more cover letter help, the cover letter templates show layouts and the examples by job show whole letters. A letter built from the ad's own words and your own results is easier to talk about when an interviewer asks about it.

Sources

Checked on 12 October 2026.

• National Careers Service (UK): How to write a cover letter
• Job Bank, Government of Canada: How to apply for jobs (cover letter)