How to write a cover letter (UK): the honest guide
Updated 14 August 2026 · 5 min read
A good cover letter is not a formality you tick off. It is a short, specific pitch that ties your CV to this one job and this one employer. I like to sniff the advert first, work out the words that actually matter to them, then say plainly why you fit. That is the whole game.
A cover letter is a short, specific pitch that connects your CV to one job and one employer. In the UK it usually runs to half a page or one page, three or four short paragraphs, and its job is to answer the question the employer is quietly asking: why you, for this role. Do that with concrete examples that echo the advert, and you give them a reason to read your CV properly. It will not guarantee the job, but a clear letter gets you taken seriously, and a generic one gets you skipped.
What a cover letter is actually for
Your CV lists what you have done. Your cover letter argues why that matters here. Those are different jobs, which is why simply summarising your CV in prose wastes the letter.
The National Careers Service describes a cover letter as something that introduces you and asks the employer to consider your application. Think of it as three honest claims: I understand what you need, here is proof I can do it, and here is how to reach me. Everything else is packaging.
You will usually need one when you apply with a CV by email or on paper. Some online forms drop the letter and give you a "supporting statement" box instead. That is the same task in a different container, so the advice below still holds.
The four-part structure
Almost every strong UK cover letter follows the same shape. You do not need to be clever with it, you need to be clear.
- Opening: name the role and where you saw it. One or two lines. State the job title, the reference number if there is one, and where you found the advert. Skip the tired "I am writing to apply for the position of..." and get to something specific instead. There is more on this in how to start a cover letter.
- Middle: two or three concrete examples that match the advert. This is the body of the letter and where most people go wrong by being vague. Pick the two or three things the advert asks for most clearly, and for each give a short, real example of you doing it. "Handled a 40-call day on a busy reception" beats "excellent communication skills" every time.
- Why this employer. One or two lines showing you have actually looked at them. A recent project, a value, a location, a service they run. It does not need to be flattery, just evidence you are not firing off the same letter to fifty firms.
- Close: availability and a clear next step. Say when you can start or that you are available for interview, thank them, and sign off. Keep it short.
If you want that structure as a blank you can fill in, use the cover letter template rather than rebuilding it from scratch.
Length and format
Keep it to one side of A4, ideally less. Three or four short paragraphs is plenty. White space is your friend here, because a wall of text does not get read.
For the format itself:
- Header. Match your CV. Same name, phone and email at the top, so the two documents clearly belong together. If you are printing it, add the date and the employer's address below your details.
- Greeting. Try to find a name. "Dear Ms Okafor" lands better than "Dear Hiring Manager", and the advert or the company website often has one. If you genuinely cannot find a name, "Dear Sir or Madam" is the correct fallback.
- Email body versus attached letter. If you are applying by email, you can write the letter straight into the email body, or send a brief email and attach the letter as a PDF. Either is fine. Just do not leave the email blank with a bare attachment.
- Sign-off. "Yours sincerely" when you named a person, "Yours faithfully" after "Dear Sir or Madam". Then your full name.
Echo the advert's own language
Here is the discipline that separates a letter that works from one that does not. The advert already tells you what the employer cares about, in their words. A strong letter borrows those words back to them.
If the advert asks for someone "calm under pressure" who can "prioritise a busy caseload", those exact phrases should surface naturally in your examples. This is the same habit as tailoring a CV, and it matters for two reasons: a human reader sees an obvious match, and where applications are filtered by software first, matching the wording helps you clear it. We cover the software side in how to get your CV past an ATS, and the wider skill in how to tailor your CV to a job.
Read the advert, list the four or five things it asks for most, and make sure your letter visibly answers them. If you want a quick check that your CV and letter actually line up with a specific advert's wording, this is the moment to run it:
Check your CV against a job, free Paste your CV and the advert. The dog scores the match and flags the keywords you are missing. Runs in your browser, nothing uploaded. Check my CVThe mistakes that sink most letters
Most weak cover letters fail in the same handful of ways. Avoid these and you are already ahead of the pile.
| Mistake | Why it costs you | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Generic and reusable | Reads as a form letter, shows no interest in the role | Name the role, the employer, and tailor the examples |
| Just restates the CV | Adds nothing, wastes the one chance to argue your case | Explain why your experience fits this job |
| Too long | Does not get read past the first paragraph | Half a page to one page, cut the padding |
| Opening with "I am writing to apply for..." | Bland, blends into every other letter | Open with something specific to the role or employer |
| No proof, only adjectives | "Hardworking, reliable, a team player" means nothing on its own | Back each claim with one short, real example |
Where to go next
This guide is the map. The detail lives in the spokes:
- See finished letters you can learn from in cover letter examples.
- Start from a blank you can fill in with the cover letter template.
- Writing your first one with little to show? Read how to write a cover letter with no experience.
- Applying for care work, which has its own conventions? Use the care assistant cover letter guide.
- Stuck on the first line? How to start a cover letter fixes the hardest part.
One honest note to finish on. A good cover letter does not win the job by itself. It gets you read, taken seriously, and moved to the next stage. That is a real edge, and on most applications it is the difference between a reply and silence.