How to write a cover letter

A cover letter (or covering letter) introduces you to an employer and asks them to consider your application. The National Careers Service says you should always include one when you apply with a CV, as an email or as a printed letter. Your CV lists what you have done; the letter explains why it matters for this role, at this organisation.

1. Read the job advert and the person specification, and note the essential criteria.
2. Research the employer: its website, recent news, people you know who work there.
3. Find the right person to address the letter to.
4. Open with the role, where you saw it and the reference number.
5. Show you fit: two or three criteria, one example each.
6. Close politely, sign off correctly and proofread before you send.

A letter that could go to any employer reads like one. Before writing, find out what the organisation does, what it has announced recently and what it says about its values. Prospects also suggests looking at who will read your letter, the sector and the employer's competitors. Pick one or two facts you can mention in your opening paragraph.

Address the letter to a named person whenever you can, with their title (Ms, Mr, Dr). If the advert gives no name, check the company website or LinkedIn for the head of department or the recruitment manager; Prospects adds that you can phone and ask.

More closing lines, and when to use them, in how to end a cover letter.

1. Opening: the job title, the reference number, where you saw the advert, and when you can start (mention your notice period if you have one).
2. Why you fit: the skills and experience that match the essential criteria, each backed by an example.
3. Why them: what draws you to the organisation and what you would bring to it.
4. Close: thank them, say your CV has the details, and say you look forward to hearing from them.

The National Careers Service suggests the STAR method: the situation, the task, the action you took and the result. “Excellent organisational skills” proves nothing; “cut month-end close from eight working days to five” does. Use the advert's keywords where they describe what you have really done, and don't copy whole sentences from your CV.

If you have a gap in your work history, you can say what you learned during it. Mentioning a disability is your choice: you do not have to at this stage.

No more than one A4 page, according to Prospects. Use the same font and size as your CV so the two look consistent. Save it as a PDF unless the advert asks for Word. If you apply by email, Prospects suggests putting the letter in the body of the email rather than as an attachment. Mention salary only if the employer asks for it.

Kandiq's review aims for 900 to 2,600 characters: below that, the letter adds nothing your CV doesn't say; above it, it spills onto a second page.

Draw on what you have done outside paid work: a Saturday job, a school or university project, volunteering, a society you helped run. Link each one to a skill in the person specification, such as reliability, teamwork or dealing with customers. For a graduate scheme or an apprenticeship, add your course, your expected grade and your availability. A full letter is in the cover letter for a job application.

• British spelling (organise, programme) and dates written as 31 October 2026.
• No photo, date of birth or marital status, in the letter or the CV.
• A speculative letter is fine when there is no advert: say what kind of role you are looking for.
• Follow up after two weeks if you have heard nothing, as Prospects suggests, with a short email.

• The organisation's name and the recruiter's details are correct.
• The job title and reference number match the advert.
• No name or placeholder from another application is left.
• At least one figure backs up your claims.
• It fits on one page.
• You have kept a copy: the National Careers Service notes you may be asked about it at interview.

Want to see finished letters first? Browse the cover letter examples, and check your CV tells the same story.

The cover letter generator follows this method. Start from a blank page with the preview and the review alongside, or from a first draft written by AI from the full advert and your CV. Your CV is the only source of facts it may use: when something is missing, the letter shows a [to complete] placeholder rather than an invented figure.

• A scored review, with no AI: length, company named in the body, terms from the advert, filler phrases, a figure, placeholders left behind.
• Layouts that match your CV: same accent colour, same font, no columns, no photo.
• One letter per job: duplicate the last one and paste the new advert.
• In English, French or Spanish. Writing and reviewing cost nothing; PDF download is part of Kandiq Pro (£2.99 for the first week, then £18.99 a month, or £29.97 every three months).