How to fill in the cover letter template
- Choose the design, paper size and color above and download the Word file. Leave the download untouched and save your letter as a new file named after the company.
- Fill in the header with your name, the job title you go by and your contact details. If you already made a resume with our template, copy these lines from it so both documents say exactly the same thing.
- Write the date, then the address block: the person you are writing to, the company and its address. Take the address from the ad or the company website, or delete those lines if you apply through an online form.
- Put the job title from the ad in the Re line, with the reference number if the ad gives one. Then type over the greeting and the three bracketed hints with your own paragraphs.
- Sign off with the closing line and your name. In a printed letter, the empty space above your name is for your signature.
Before you send it, search the file for an opening bracket. Any hit is a placeholder you have not replaced yet.
What goes into the three paragraphs
The bracketed hints in the Word file give each paragraph one job.
- Why this role. Name the position and where you found it, then give one honest reason why this company and this work appeal to you. Choose a detail you could only write about this employer, such as a product you use or a project they announced, rather than general praise.
- What you bring. Pick two or three requirements from the ad that you clearly meet. Back up one of them with a short example: the situation, what you did and what came of it.
- Closing. Sum up in a sentence why you are a good match, say that you would welcome a conversation and thank the reader. Mention that your resume is attached if it is.
The PDF example follows this pattern with a made-up marketing manager, so you can see how much fits into each paragraph.
Tailor the letter to each job
Write each letter for one specific ad. Read the ad again first and mark the tasks and skills it mentions more than once or lists first. Those are the points your second paragraph should cover.
Use the words the ad uses where they are true for you. If the ad asks for experience with event planning, write event planning rather than a synonym. Rewrite the first two paragraphs for every application; the closing can stay much the same.
Change the date, the address block, the Re line and the greeting each time as well. A letter addressed to the wrong company is an easy mistake when you reuse a file, so check those four places last.
Match it to your resume
The three designs here are the same three as on the resume template, with the same header. Choose the same design, color and paper size on both pages and your application reads as one set.
| Design | Header | Letter text |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | Large name, job title and a contact line, with a thin colored line underneath | 11 pt, generous spacing |
| Modern | A tinted band across the top: name in color on the left, contact details on the right | 11 pt, generous spacing |
| Compact | Name and job title on one line, contact line and a thin colored line below | 10 pt, tighter spacing for a longer letter |
On the resume, the Modern design keeps contact details and skills in a colored sidebar. A letter is one column of continuous text, so the sidebar becomes a band across the top: your paragraphs keep the full width of the page, and the colored header still matches the resume.
Let the two documents work together: the resume lists what you did, the letter picks one or two of those points and explains why they matter for this job.
Length, tone and a last check
Each design holds three paragraphs on one page with room to spare. Write to that limit, and shorten sentences before you add a fourth paragraph.
Write the way you would speak to a colleague you respect: plain sentences, first person, no stock phrases you would not say out loud. Read the letter aloud once and rework any sentence you trip over.
The readability checker highlights long sentences and long words. If an online form gives you a text box for the letter with a limit, the word counter or the character counter tells you how close you are before you paste it in.
Sending it as Word or PDF
Follow what the ad asks for. If it wants a Word file, upload the .docx you edited. If the choice is yours, save the letter as a PDF from your word processor: in Word, use Save As or Save a Copy and pick PDF as the file type. Open the PDF once to check that nothing moved, and name it with your name, such as sam-rivera-cover-letter.pdf.
Frequently asked questions
Is the cover letter template free?
Yes. Download it as often as you need, for as many applications as you send. There is no signup and no watermark, and the Word file has no line with our web address in it, so there is nothing to delete before you send the letter.
Why does the PDF show a letter from someone else?
You write your own letter in the Word file. The PDF is the same design filled in by a made-up applicant, Sam Rivera, the same invented person as in the resume template example, so you can see how three full paragraphs, a real address block and a signature sit on the page. The company, the address and the people in it are invented.
Does it match the resume template?
Yes. Classic, Modern and Compact use the same header, the same type sizes for your name and contact details and the same five colors as the resume template. Pick the same design, color and paper size on both pages and the two documents look like one set.
What if I do not know the name of the hiring manager?
Look in the job ad first, then on the company website or a professional profile of the team. If no name turns up, delete the name line from the address block and write a greeting to the role or the team instead, such as Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Marketing Team.
Can I use it for an email application?
Yes. Write the letter in the Word file, then copy the greeting, the three paragraphs and the closing into the email. Leave out the date and the address block, and put the job title in the subject line instead of the Re line. If the ad asks for an attachment, send the letter as a file as well.
What if my letter runs onto a second page?
Each design fits on one page as it comes, with plenty of room below the signature. If your text grows past the page, switch to Compact, which uses smaller type and tighter spacing, or cut the sentences that repeat what your resume already says.