How to Write a Cover Letter (With Example)

A cover letter is your chance to explain, in your own voice, why you want this particular job and why you are a good fit. Your CV lists the evidence; the cover letter connects it to the role. In the UK and Ireland a short, tailored letter is still expected for many jobs, and a good one can make a recruiter read your CV more favourably. This guide covers structure, length, tone and local conventions, with a short example you can adapt.

Do you still need a cover letter?

Usually, yes. Send one whenever:

• The advert asks for one, or the application form has a "covering letter" or "supporting statement" field.
• You are applying by email: the email itself becomes a short cover letter.
• You are changing career, returning after a break, relocating or have anything else that needs a sentence of context.
• You are applying speculatively to a company that has not advertised a role.

Some online systems give you no place for one, and some high-volume roles do not read them. But where there is an option, a tailored letter rarely hurts and often helps. A generic one, on the other hand, can do more harm than none at all.

Note that public-sector jobs in the UK and Ireland, including NHS and HSE roles, often ask for a supporting statement instead. This is longer and should address each point of the person specification in turn, with examples.

How long should a cover letter be?

Keep it to one side of A4, roughly 250 to 400 words, in three to five paragraphs. Recruiters read many applications; a concise letter shows you can communicate clearly. If your cover letter is in the body of an email, aim for the shorter end.

Before you write: three questions

A strong cover letter starts with research, not with typing. Answer these three questions first, in a few notes:

1. What does this employer need most? Look at the first few requirements in the advert and anything repeated. These are the problems the role is meant to solve.
2. Which two or three of my achievements prove I can solve them? Pick the strongest, most relevant examples from your CV.
3. Why do I want to work here, specifically? Find one or two concrete reasons on their website, in news coverage or from people who work there.

Once you have these answers, the letter almost writes itself: each answer becomes a paragraph.

The structure, paragraph by paragraph

Header and greeting

For a letter attached as a document, put your name and contact details at the top, followed by the date. You do not need the employer's full postal address for an online application.

Address a named person if at all possible. Check the advert, the company website or LinkedIn for the hiring manager's name. Use their title and surname: "Dear Ms Byrne", "Dear Mr Patel", "Dear Dr Evans". In British English there is no full stop after Mr, Ms or Dr. If you cannot find a name, "Dear Hiring Manager" is widely accepted; "Dear Sir or Madam" is formal and now feels old-fashioned, and "To whom it may concern" is best avoided.

Opening paragraph: the role and your hook

Say which job you are applying for and give one strong reason you are a good match. Skip "I am writing to apply for…" as a whole sentence on its own; get to the point.

I'm applying for the Senior Customer Service Adviser role advertised on your careers page. With four years in a busy telecoms contact centre and a record of training new starters, I'd like to bring that experience to your growing support team.

Middle paragraphs: your evidence

Choose two or three requirements from the advert and show, with specific examples, that you meet them. This is the heart of the letter. Do not repeat your CV line by line; pick the most relevant achievements and explain the context.

In my current role I handle around 60 calls a day across billing and technical queries, and I've kept a customer satisfaction score above 90% for the past two years. When our team moved to a new CRM system, I wrote the quick-reference guide that is now used for all new starters, and I've trained six colleagues on it.

Why this employer

One short paragraph showing you know who they are and why you want to work there specifically. Mention something concrete: a product, a value, a recent project, the way they work.

I'm particularly drawn to your focus on resolving issues at first contact, which reflects the way I like to work, and to your plans to expand live chat support, where I have recent experience.

Closing paragraph and sign-off

Thank them, express interest in an interview, and mention your availability if useful. Then sign off.

• If you addressed a named person, use "Yours sincerely".
• If you wrote "Dear Sir or Madam", use "Yours faithfully".
• "Kind regards" or "Best regards" is fine for emails and less formal sectors.

Tone and style for UK and Irish employers

• Professional but natural. Write as you would speak in a good interview: clear, polite, confident. Contractions such as "I'm" and "I've" are acceptable in most sectors; use full forms for very formal employers such as law firms.
• Understated rather than boastful. British and Irish readers tend to respond better to evidence than to big claims. "I increased sales by 12%" works; "I am an exceptional salesperson" does not.
• British spelling: organise, programme, centre, behaviour.
• Short paragraphs of three to four sentences.
• No personal details such as age, marital status or a photo.

If you are applying in English to employers elsewhere in Europe, the same structure works, but some countries expect a more formal tone. Follow the style of the advert.

Common mistakes

• Sending the same letter everywhere. If you could swap the company name and nothing else, it is too generic.
• Getting the name or company wrong. Check every detail, especially if you reuse a draft.
• Repeating the CV. Add context and motivation instead.
• Focusing on what you want. The employer wants to know what you can do for them.
• Apologising for missing experience. Show what you do have and how quickly you learn.
• Typos. Read it aloud before you send it.

Short example cover letter

Here is a complete example for a warehouse team leader role. Adapt the structure, not the words.

Dear Ms Walsh,

I'm applying for the Warehouse Team Leader position at your Dublin distribution centre. I have six years' experience in warehouse operations, the last two as a shift supervisor, and I'd welcome the chance to lead a team at a site of your scale.

At my current employer, a third-party logistics provider, I supervise a night shift of twelve pickers and packers. I introduced a simple daily briefing and a revised pick-path layout, and the shift now consistently meets its dispatch targets. I hold counterbalance and reach truck licences, carry out weekly safety walks, and train all new starters on our warehouse management system.

Your focus on safety and on developing people from within appeals to me strongly. I started as a picker myself, and I enjoy helping team members move up in the same way.

Thank you for considering my application. My CV is attached, and I'd be glad to discuss the role at interview. I'm available to start with one month's notice.

Yours sincerely,

Daniel Kowalski

That letter is around 200 words: short, specific and tailored. You can see a matching CV in the warehouse worker CV example.

Special situations

No work experience

Focus on your studies, part-time jobs, volunteering and motivation. Explain why the role is the right next step for you. Our guide to a CV with no work experience shows where to find evidence.

Career change

Explain the change briefly and positively, then link two or three transferable skills directly to the new role's requirements.

Career break or gap

One or two sentences are enough, followed by what you have done to stay current. See our guide to explaining gaps in your CV.

Speculative application

Explain why you are interested in the company, what kind of role you are looking for and what you could contribute. Keep it especially short.

Format and sending

• Use the same font and header as your CV so the two documents look like a set.
• Save it as a PDF named Firstname-Lastname-Cover-Letter.pdf, unless asked for Word.
• If applying by email, paste a shorter version into the email body and attach your CV, or attach both documents with a brief two-line email.
• Use a clear subject line: "Application: Warehouse Team Leader, Daniel Kowalski".

To save time on layout, start from one of our cover letter templates and keep it visually in line with your CV from our CV templates. And before you apply, make sure your CV is in good shape with our step-by-step guide on how to write a CV.