Sample cover letter for job application: a UK example and template

Example letter

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Example

Hannah Okafor

Leeds

hannah.okafor@example.com

07700 900147

9 November 2026

Mr David Hughes

Office Manager

Brookfold Housing

Leeds

Re: Office Administrator, ref. BH-0412

Dear Mr Hughes,

I am writing to apply for the post of Office Administrator advertised on Indeed (ref. BH-0412). Your advert says the team will move to a new tenant enquiry system next year. I have just helped a busy dental practice through the same kind of change, and I would like to bring that experience to Brookfold Housing. Please find my CV attached.

For the past three years I have worked as a receptionist and administrator at Millbeck Dental Practice in Leeds, where I manage the diary for four dentists and handle around 120 calls a day. When we moved to online booking, I set up text reminders and cut missed appointments from 9% to 5% in six months. I also reconcile the petty cash every week, order supplies within budget and have trained two new receptionists.

Your advert asks for strong Excel skills and experience of dealing with members of the public who may be worried or upset. I use Excel every day for staff rotas and monthly reports, and I am used to reassuring patients who are anxious or in pain, which is not so different from speaking to a tenant who is waiting for an urgent repair. I also hold a Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration.

Thank you for considering my application. I am available for interview at any time and can start after a four-week notice period. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Hannah Okafor

This UK cover letter example follows the job advert closely. The opening gives the job title, the reference number and where the advert appeared, then links the candidate to something the employer is about to do. The second paragraph proves the experience with figures, the third answers the two requirements of the advert one by one, and the last mentions the notice period and asks for an interview.

To adapt it, change three things: the fact about the employer in the opening, the achievement in the second paragraph and the requirements you answer in the third. The rest works for almost any cover letter for a job application.

A cover letter, also called a covering letter, introduces you to an employer and asks them to consider your application. The National Careers Service describes it as a short letter, usually 3 to 5 paragraphs, and advises including one whenever you apply for a job with a CV. You can write it as an email if you apply online, or print it to go with a paper application.

• It answers the job advert: on Indeed, Reed, LinkedIn, the employer's own careers site or a university jobs board.
• It explains what your CV cannot: a career change, a gap in employment, why this employer and this job.
• It proves you have done your research: one detail from the company's website or recent news shows the letter was written for them.

The rule from the National Careers Service is simple. If you know the name of the person you are writing to, end with “Yours sincerely”. If you started with “Dear Sir or Madam”, end with “Yours faithfully”.

• Dear Mr Hughes → Yours sincerely
• Dear Sir or Madam → Yours faithfully
• Dear Hiring Manager → Yours faithfully: Prospects treats a job title like any general greeting.

Some recruiters now find “Dear Sir or Madam” dated: Unitemps, the University of Warwick's recruitment agency, recommends “Dear Hiring Manager” when you cannot find a name. More closing lines are in our guide on how to end a cover letter.

1. Read the job advert twice and highlight the essential and desirable criteria, the software, the hours and the reference number.
2. Research the employer: its website, recent news, its LinkedIn page, people you know who work there. One recent fact is enough for your opening.
3. Choose two achievements from your CV that answer the essential criteria, with a figure where you can: a volume, a time saved, a result.
4. Write 3 to 5 short paragraphs: the job, what you offer, why them, the next step. Back up each claim with an example, as the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) encourages.
5. Use the words of the advert: if it asks for “stakeholder management”, write “stakeholder management”. Many employers filter applications with an applicant tracking system.
6. Check every name and spelling, then save a copy: the National Careers Service reminds you that interviewers may ask about your letter.

This template follows the sample above. Replace each bracket with your own details and delete any sentence you cannot back up with an example.

The layout does not change from one candidate to another; the evidence in the middle does. Swap these paragraphs into the template, with your own greeting and sign-off.

Your CV matters as much as the letter. See our student CV examples, our graduate CV examples and our guide to writing a CV personal statement.

You have two options. Use the email itself as your covering letter and attach your CV, or write a short email and attach both the CV and a separate cover letter. If you attach the letter, do not repeat it in the email. Save both files as PDFs with clear names, such as “Hannah-Okafor-CV.pdf”.

• References: there is no need to list referees or write “references available on request”. Acas advises employers to ask for references at the final stage, when they make a job offer, partly so your current employer does not find out you are applying elsewhere.
• Right to work: you will need to prove your right to work in the UK before you start, as GOV.UK explains. If you hold a visa, one line in the letter can reassure the employer, but it is not required.
• Notice period: if you are in work, say when you could start (“after a four-week notice period”).
• Disability: the National Careers Service notes that you do not have to mention a disability at this stage if you prefer not to.
• Personal details: no photo, date of birth or marital status. They are not expected on a UK CV or cover letter.

• Sending the same letter to every employer and changing only the company name.
• Forgetting the job title or the reference number from the advert.
• Retelling your CV instead of matching it to the advert.
• Starting with “I hereby apply for” or ending with “Cheers”: too formal, then too casual.
• Mixing “Dear Sir or Madam” with “Yours sincerely”.
• Claiming skills (“excellent communicator”, “team player”) without one example.
• Spelling the recruiter's name or the company wrongly.

Once the letter is sent, prepare for the next step with our guide on how to prepare for an interview, and check that your CV gets past screening software with the AI CV checker.