Cover letter template
A cover letter is read quickly, if it is read at all. The ones that work are short, specific to the job, and built around one real example from your work. This template gives you that shape in four paragraphs, so you spend your time on the part that persuades: the example.
Free template
A short cover letter in Word format with four bracketed paragraphs: opening, proof, fit, and close. It opens in Word and Google Docs.
Download the free cover letter template (Word)Download the filled example
Open it in Word, or in Google Docs choose File, then Open, then Upload. Replace each bracketed paragraph with your own words.
The opening line names the job and the reason
Say which role you are applying for and one honest reason this team or company in particular. Skip the sentence that announces you are writing to apply. The reader already knows.
If you were referred, say who referred you in the first line. That single detail is often the most useful thing in the letter.
The proof paragraph carries the letter
Pick the most important duty in the posting and tell one short story from your work that shows you have done it. What was the situation, what did you do, and what changed? Keep it to a few sentences.
One specific example is more convincing than a list of qualities. It also gives an interviewer something to ask you about, which is exactly what you want. Choose an example you could expand on for several minutes, with the details you would need to answer follow-up questions.
The fit paragraph uses their words honestly
Name one or two more things from the posting that you have done, in the posting's words where they are true for you. This is where you connect your background to their needs without repeating your resume line by line.
If the posting asks for something you do not have, do not pretend. Either leave it out or say briefly how you would close the gap. A reader trusts a letter more when it is clearly selective than when it claims a match on every line of the posting.
The close is short
Say you would welcome a conversation and how to reach you. That is enough, and it leaves the reader with the next step rather than a summary. Long closing paragraphs that restate the letter add length without adding anything a reader needs.
Use a plain sign off and your full name, and add your phone number and email under it if they are not already at the top. Check that the company name, the role, and the hiring manager's name, if you used it, are correct before you send. A wrong company name is a mistake readers are very likely to notice, and it can undo the rest of the letter.
One letter per job
Reusing a letter word for word across employers is usually obvious, because the proof paragraph does not match the job. Keep the template, but rewrite the opening and the proof for each posting.
Save each version with the company and role in the file name, alongside the resume you sent, so you know what each employer read. If an interviewer quotes your letter back to you, you will want to remember exactly what you said and why.
Write a cover letter from the template
Read the posting first
Find the one duty that matters most and the words they use for it.
Write the proof paragraph before anything else
One real example that shows you have done that duty.
Add the opening and the fit
Name the role and your reason, then one or two more matches in their words.
Close in two lines
Welcome a conversation and say how to reach you.
Check names before sending
Company, role, and the reader's name must be right every time.
The template and a filled example, as text
Copy either one into an email or a document. The example is for an invented person and company. Every claim in it is invented, so replace each one with your own from your real experience.
Template
Subject. Re: [Role] at [Company]
Dear [Hiring manager's name, or Hiring Team], [Opening: the role you are applying for, and one sentence on why this team or company in particular.] [Proof: one real example from your work that matches the most important duty in the posting. What you did, how, and what changed.] [Fit: one or two more things from the posting you have done, in their words where they are true for you.] [Close: you would welcome a conversation, and how to reach you.] Sincerely, [Your Name]
Filled example (invented)
Subject. Re: Operations Analyst at Example Outdoor Goods
Dear Hiring Team, I am applying for the Operations Analyst role at Example Outdoor Goods. Your posting puts late orders and inventory accuracy at the center of the job, and that is the work I have done for more than three years. At Example Supply Co., late orders were discussed every week without anyone agreeing on the cause. I built a report that split late orders by stage, and it showed most delays started at receiving, not packing. The warehouse leads now use that report to plan staffing each week. Your posting also asks for process mapping and work with vendors. I mapped our returns process with the support team and removed two manual handoffs, and I scheduled inbound deliveries for a three shift warehouse in my previous role. I would welcome a conversation about the role. My email and phone number are below. Sincerely, Jordan Rivera jordan.rivera@example.com
Related reading
Questions
- How long should a cover letter be?
- Short enough to read in under a minute: four brief paragraphs is plenty. Length is not what persuades. The example is.
- Do I need a cover letter if it is optional?
- For roles you care about, a short specific letter can help. For an application where it is optional and you have nothing specific to say, it is fine to skip it.
- Can I use this template in Google Docs?
- Yes. In Google Docs choose File, then Open, then Upload, and pick the downloaded file.
- Who should I address the letter to?
- Use the hiring manager's name if the posting or the company site makes it clear. If not, address the team, such as Dear Hiring Team. A wrong name is worse than no name, so do not guess.
Where ApplyASAP fits
When a job asks for a cover letter, ApplyASAP writes one around a real example from your history and sends it with the tailored resume.
ApplyASAP is one option when you want the sending done for you. It finds openings for the titles and places you name, tailors your resume to each posting, and does not invent employers, dates, degrees, titles, numbers, certifications, or people you managed. It answers the application questions, and the team sends and tracks each application. Skills it adds are ones your role and level usually carry, and you can take any of them off. The resume still has to be true.
Want to see how one resume lines up with one posting? Try the free resume keyword checker. It runs in your browser and saves nothing.