Cover letter template: a flexible guide you can fill in for any job

The full template

Copy the text below into a document. Replace every bracketed placeholder with your own information. Keep the letter to one page, roughly 250 to 400 words.

[Your full name] [Your city and country or state/province] | [Your email] | [Your LinkedIn URL or portfolio link] [Date] [Hiring manager's name, or 'Hiring Team' if unknown] [Company name] [Company city, if known] Dear [Hiring manager's name / Hiring Team], I am applying for the [exact job title] role at [company name]. With [X years] of experience in [your field or function], I have [one concrete result or skill that matches the top requirement in the job posting]. In my most recent role at [previous or current employer], I [specific action verb] [what you did] and [measurable outcome, e.g., reduced processing time by 30 percent or grew the client base from 40 to 110 accounts in 18 months]. Before that, at [earlier employer if relevant], I [second achievement that covers a different skill the posting asks for]. These experiences have given me a strong foundation in [two or three skills named in the job description]. I am drawn to [company name] because [one specific reason tied to the company's product, mission, recent news, or team focus, not a generic statement about culture]. I believe my background in [relevant area] would help [company name] [specific goal or challenge you can contribute to, based on the posting or public information about the company]. I would welcome the chance to discuss how my experience aligns with what your team needs. I am available for a conversation at your convenience and can be reached at [your email] or [your phone number if you choose to include it]. Sincerely, [Your full name]

How to fill in each section

The placeholders are not interchangeable. Each one has a specific job, and getting them right is what separates a letter that gets read from one that gets skipped.

• [Exact job title]: copy it word for word from the posting. Do not paraphrase.
• [X years of experience]: use a round number or a range, such as 'five years' or 'three to four years'.
• [Concrete result in the opening]: pick the single achievement that best matches the top requirement. If the posting leads with 'manage cross-functional teams', your opening result should be about team leadership.
• [Specific action verb]: use verbs like led, built, reduced, negotiated, launched, or redesigned. Avoid 'responsible for' and 'helped with'.
• [Measurable outcome]: percentages, dollar amounts, headcounts, and time frames all work. If you do not have a number, describe the scope, for example 'across a 12-person engineering team' or 'for a portfolio of 200 enterprise clients'.
• [One specific reason for the company]: check the company's blog, recent press releases, or LinkedIn page. Mention something real, such as a product launch, a market they are entering, or a stated mission.
• [Specific goal you can contribute to]: connect your skill to something the company is visibly working on. This shows you read the posting and did basic research.

Common mistakes to fix before you send

Most cover letters fail for the same small set of reasons. Check yours against this list before submitting.

• Opening with 'I am excited to apply': cut it. Start with your experience or your result.
• Repeating your resume line by line: the letter should add context, not duplicate bullet points.
• Using the wrong company name: this happens when you copy a letter from a previous application. Search the document for every company name before sending.
• Vague company-fit paragraph: 'I admire your innovative culture' tells the reader nothing. Name something specific.
• Ending with 'I look forward to hearing from you': it is not wrong, but 'I am available for a conversation at your convenience' is slightly more direct and less passive.
• Going over one page: if your letter is longer than 400 words, cut the second achievement in paragraph two or shorten the company-fit paragraph.

Adjusting the template for different situations

The base template works for most applications, but a few situations call for small adjustments.

• Career change: add one sentence in paragraph two explaining why your transferable skills apply, for example 'Although my background is in operations rather than product management, I have spent the last two years leading roadmap prioritization for internal tools.'
• No direct experience: lead with a relevant project, freelance work, or coursework result instead of a job title. The structure stays the same.
• Senior or executive roles: the company-fit paragraph can be longer and more strategic. Name a specific challenge the company faces and describe how you have solved a similar one.
• UK and Australia: replace 'Sincerely' with 'Yours sincerely' if you used the hiring manager's name, or 'Yours faithfully' if you used 'Hiring Team'. The rest of the structure is the same.
• Short application forms with a text box instead of an attachment: cut the header block and the date. Start directly with 'Dear [name]' and keep the letter under 300 words.

How to tailor the template without starting from scratch each time

Keep a master version of the template with your best achievements already filled in. For each new application, you only need to change four things: the job title, the employer name, the opening result (if a different achievement fits better), and the company-fit paragraph.

Read the job posting once and highlight the top three requirements. Make sure your opening result and your two achievements in paragraph two each map to one of those three requirements. If they do not, swap in a different achievement from your master list.

Break-In Bad writes a tailored cover letter for each job it applies to, pulling from facts you have already confirmed during the resume process. If you are applying to many roles at once, that can save significant time while keeping each letter specific to the posting.

Formatting and file rules

Formatting affects whether your letter is readable, especially when it passes through an applicant tracking system before a human sees it.

• Font: use a standard serif or sans-serif font at 10 to 12 points. Times New Roman, Calibri, and Georgia are all safe choices.
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides is standard. You can reduce to 0.75 inches if you are close to one page.
• File format: submit as a PDF unless the posting specifically asks for a Word document. PDFs preserve your formatting across systems.
• File name: use a clear name such as 'Jane-Smith-Cover-Letter-Acme-Corp.pdf'. Avoid 'cover-letter-final-v3.pdf'.
• Header: match the header style of your resume so the two documents look like a set.