A cover letter template you can actually use (UK)

Here is a UK cover letter template you can copy, paste and fill in. It is a one-page skeleton of five short paragraphs with bracketed gaps for the bits that change per job. Replace every bracket with your own words, match the two skills you name to the advert, and delete the notes in italics. That is the whole job.

The copy-paste template

Copy the block below. Everything in [square brackets] gets replaced.

[Your name]
[Your town] | [Your phone] | [Your email]

[Date]

Dear [hiring manager's name, or "Hiring Manager"],

I am writing to apply for the [job title] role at [Company], which
I saw on [where you saw the advert]. [One line on who you are and
your current or most recent role.]

In my current role at [current or recent employer], I [one concrete
thing you did that matches the job]. This gave me strong [first skill
from the advert] and [second skill from the advert], which are two of
the things this role calls for.

I want to work for [Company] in particular because [one specific,
genuine reason: something about the team, the work, the location, the
values]. [One line linking that to what you would bring.]

I have attached my CV, which sets out my full experience. I would
welcome the chance to talk it through. Thank you for considering my
application.

Yours [sincerely if you used a name, faithfully if you did not],
[Your name]

Here is what each part is doing, so you know what "good" looks like when you fill it:

• Header block: your name and contact details. Make these match your CV exactly, same name, same email, same phone. Mismatched details look careless.
• Greeting: a real name if you can find one. It shows effort and it is the single easiest way to not look like a mailshot.
• Opening paragraph: what you are applying for and where you saw it. Gets you filed against the right vacancy straight away.
• Middle paragraph: proof. One thing you actually did, tied to the two skills the advert asks for. This is the paragraph that earns the read.
• "Why this employer" paragraph: shows you did not send the same letter to forty firms. Be specific or cut it.
• Close: points them to your CV and asks, politely, for a conversation. No begging, no over-promising.

A short filled-in demo

Here is the same skeleton with the gaps filled, for an imaginary warehouse role. It is illustrative, not a real person or firm.

Jordan Blake
Bristol | 07700 900123 | jordan.blake@email.com

14 August 2026

Dear Ms Okafor,

I am writing to apply for the Warehouse Operative role at [a regional
distribution firm], which I saw on the JobDog board. I am a reliable
picker-packer with two years on a busy fulfilment floor.

In my current role at [a local logistics depot], I hit a daily pick
target of 300-plus orders with a 99% accuracy rate. This gave me strong
attention to detail and the ability to keep pace under pressure, which
are two of the things this role calls for.

I want to work for your team in particular because the site is a ten-
minute cycle from home and runs the early shift I prefer. I would bring
a clean attendance record and someone who mucks in when a van is late.

I have attached my CV, which sets out my full experience. I would
welcome the chance to talk it through. Thank you for considering my
application.

Yours sincerely,
Jordan Blake

Notice the middle paragraph names a real thing done, then draws the two skills out of it, rather than just claiming "I am hardworking and detail-oriented". Claims are cheap. Evidence gets read.

How to use it without sounding templated

The template is not the problem. Leaving it half-filled is. Three rules:

1. Change the two skills for every advert. Read the job description, take the two things it repeats or leads with, and name those. This is where matching your CV and letter to the advert wording pays off.
2. Never leave a bracket in. A stray [Company] in a real letter is an instant reject. Read it out loud before you send.
3. Cut the "why this employer" line if it is generic. "I admire your commitment to excellence" says nothing. If you cannot name something specific, a shorter, honest letter is stronger.

For pulling the right words out of the advert and lining them up against your CV, the free checker helps:

If you want more on the structure behind the skeleton, see the full guide on how to write a cover letter. For finished letters in specific situations rather than a blank template, the cover letter examples guide has full samples you can borrow from.

The header and contact block

Your header should match your CV, not compete with it. Same name spelling, same phone number, same email address. Put your town rather than your full street address; employers do not need your postcode to invite you to an interview, and it keeps a public document tidy. If you have a tidy LinkedIn or portfolio, one line for it is fine. No date of birth, no marital status, none of that.

The greeting

Try hard to find a name. Check the advert, the company website's team page, or search the job title plus company on LinkedIn. A named greeting beats a generic one every time. If you truly cannot find one, "Dear Hiring Manager" is fine and modern. The old "Dear Sir or Madam" still works but carries a rule: if you use it, sign off "Yours faithfully". If you used a name, sign off "Yours sincerely". Getting that pairing right is a small signal that you know what you are doing. There is more on openings in the how to start a cover letter guide.

Email body or attached document?

Where the letter goes changes how you format it, not what it says.

If you attach it, send a PDF so the layout holds on their screen. Name the file plainly, like YourName-Cover-Letter.pdf, not "coverletterfinalv3". If you are pasting into the email body, drop the printed header block, because your email already carries your details, and lead with a clear subject line naming the role.

A final, honest point: a good cover letter gets your application read and gives you the best shot. It does not guarantee the job, and no template can. What it does is stop you being filtered out for a blank or generic letter, which is a real risk you can remove in about fifteen minutes.