Cover Letter Format

Writing a cover letter can be quite difficult because you have to evaluate yourself in order to sell yourself. Following this cover letter format will act as a guideline to help organise what to say, and extra tips and advice on writing a cover letter will be useful for extra guidance. Keep in mind when writing your cover letter that you want to make yourself look as good as possible to the person that will be reading it. As you will be handing in the cover letter with your CV, this would be a good starting place to help your memory think of all you have done and achieved.

Guidelines for Writing a Cover Letter

Writing a Cover LetterThe cover letter format serves the purpose of complementing all the information in your CV with an added personal touch. A CV is factual and does not allow an employer to get an idea of who you are personally. Follow this guide for a cover letter format and have a look at more advice on writing your cover letter to make sure you hit all the points and make a good first impression.

  • Contact details: at the top of the page, yours should be first with your name and email/phone number (address optional), the address details and department of employer if known comes after
  • Date: the date that you wrote the letter, make sure it is current if you are using a previously written document to customise for this job
  • Addressing: always know who you are writing to


  • Opening sentence: details of the job you are applying for
  • Opening paragraph: where you found the job listing, name any mutual contact (optional), how you heard about the company
  • Main body: why you are qualified for the post, what relevant experience you have, what you can offer the employer, refer to skills mentioned in the post description, explain career goals that are relevant
  • Closing paragraph: emphasize your interest, discuss proceeding with the application, draw attention to your CV, encourage them to contact you
  • Signing off: formal greeting, hand signature for printed letters, your name and contact details

Find out more by visiting our cover letter examples.

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