Cover Letter Examples: 7 Samples for Any Job (Copy and Edit)

A good cover letter is short, specific and written for one job. Recruiters skim it to answer three questions: does this person understand the role, can they do it, and do they actually want it? University career services give the same basic advice: tailor each letter to the employer and position, keep it to one page, and follow a business letter structure. The seven cover letter examples below follow that structure. Copy the closest one, then replace every bracket with your own details.

The structure every cover letter follows

Part	What goes in it
Header	Your name, city and state, phone, email and optional portfolio or profile link; the date
Greeting	"Dear [Name]," or "Dear Hiring Manager,"
Opening (2 to 3 sentences)	The role you are applying for and a specific reason you want it
Middle (1 or 2 paragraphs)	Your strongest match to the job's main requirements, with one concrete result
Closing (2 sentences)	Thanks, availability for an interview, a confident last line
Sign-off	"Sincerely," or "Best regards," and your name

Example 1: sample cover letter for a job application

Dear [Hiring Manager's name],

I am applying for the [Operations Coordinator] position at [Company]. I have followed your expansion into [new region or product], and I would like to help the operations team keep that growth running smoothly.

In my current role at [Current employer], I coordinate shipping schedules for [number] retail locations. Last year I redesigned our order tracking spreadsheet into a shared dashboard, which cut late shipments by [percentage] and saved the team several hours a week. Your posting mentions vendor communication and inventory accuracy; both are a daily part of my job, and I enjoy solving the small problems that keep a schedule on track.

I would welcome the chance to discuss how I could support your team. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Why it works: it names the role, shows the writer knows something about the company, and gives a measurable result tied to the job's stated needs.

Example 2: short cover letter (email)

Subject: Application, [Job title], [Your name]

Dear [Name],

Please find my resume attached for the [Customer Service Representative] role. I have three years of experience handling customer calls and emails at [Company], where I consistently met our response-time targets and trained two new team members. I am drawn to [Company]'s reputation for [specific thing], and I would be glad to bring the same care to your customers.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,
[Your name]
[Phone]

Short cover letters work well for online forms with a text box, for hourly roles and when a recruiter asks for "a few lines about yourself".

Example 3: cover letter for an internship

Dear [Name],

I am a [second]-year [marketing] student at [University] and I am applying for the [Summer Marketing Internship] at [Company]. Your recent [campaign or project] caught my attention because [one specific reason].

This year I managed social media for [student organization], growing our event attendance through a new posting schedule and simple analytics. In my [course name] class, I led a four-person team that built a marketing plan for a local business, which the owner has started to use. I am comfortable with [tools listed in the posting] and eager to learn how a professional team plans and measures campaigns.

I would appreciate the opportunity to contribute to your team this summer. Thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Example 4: cover letter for students and first jobs

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to apply for the [Sales Associate] position at your [location] store. I am a high school senior who shops at your store regularly, and I would enjoy helping customers find what they need.

Although this would be my first paid job, I have volunteered at [organization] every weekend for the past year, where I greet visitors, answer questions and help keep displays organized. My teachers and volunteer coordinator can confirm that I am reliable and on time. I am available [days and hours], including weekends.

Thank you for considering my application. I would be glad to come in for an interview at any time.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

With little experience, focus on reliability, availability and how you treat people, and give one example from school, sports, volunteering or family responsibilities.

Example 5: cover letter for a teacher

Dear [Principal's name],

I am excited to apply for the [5th grade teacher] position at [School]. Your school's focus on [literacy, project-based learning, bilingual education] matches the approach I have built my teaching around.

During [number] years at [Current school], I have taught [grade or subject] to classes of [number] students with a wide range of reading levels. I introduced small-group reading rotations that helped more of my students reach grade-level benchmarks, and I communicate weekly with families through [method]. I hold a [state] teaching license in [area] and am trained in [relevant certification].

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how I can support your students and staff. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Example 6: career change cover letter

Dear [Name],

I am applying for the [Junior Data Analyst] role at [Company]. After [six] years in retail management, I am moving into data analysis, and I would like to start with a team that, like yours, uses data to improve [customer experience or operations].

In my current role I already spend much of my time in spreadsheets: I built the weekly sales and staffing reports for our district and used them to adjust schedules, which reduced overtime costs. To build on that, I completed a certificate in [data analytics] and an independent project analyzing [public dataset], which you can see at [link]. I combine those technical skills with years of explaining numbers to people who need to act on them.

Thank you for considering my application. I would be glad to discuss how my background could help your team.

Best regards,
[Your name]

Career changers should name the transferable skill early and show evidence that the switch is already under way, such as a course, certificate or project.

Example 7: cover letter for a skilled trade or hourly role

Dear [Name],

I am applying for the [Apprentice Electrician] position with [Company]. I recently completed [pre-apprenticeship program or coursework] at [school], including [specific skills or safety certification].

For the past two years I have worked as a [warehouse associate], where I operated equipment safely, kept a clean safety record and was trusted to train new hires. I am physically fit, comfortable working at heights, have a valid driver's license and reliable transportation, and I am available for early starts.

I would appreciate the opportunity to learn the trade with your team. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Interested in which trades pay best without a degree? See our article on jobs that pay well without a degree, which uses BLS pay data.

Cover letter examples for a resume: matching the two

• Use the same header, font and colors on both documents.
• Pick one or two achievements from your resume and explain them in the letter, rather than listing everything.
• Save both as PDFs named clearly, for example "Firstname-Lastname-Cover-Letter.pdf".
• Check that dates, job titles and company names match exactly.

Cover letter examples in Word

You do not need a special template. Open a blank document, set one-inch margins, choose a plain font such as Calibri, Arial or Georgia at 11 or 12 points, single spacing with a blank line between paragraphs, and paste in the example you chose. Keep it to one page. Export to PDF unless the employer asks for a Word file.

Common mistakes recruiters notice

• A generic opening such as "I am writing to express my interest in the position". Name the role and give a reason in the first sentence.
• The wrong company name left over from another application.
• Repeating the resume line by line.
• Talking only about what you want instead of what you will do for the employer.
• No evidence. Replace adjectives like "hard-working" with an example.
• Typos. Read it aloud and ask someone else to check it.
• Too long. More than one page is almost always too much.

After you apply

Prepare for the first interview question you will almost certainly hear; our article on how to answer "tell me about yourself" has sample answers. When an offer arrives, read how to negotiate salary before you reply.

Bottom line

The best cover letter examples share a simple pattern: a specific opening, one or two paragraphs that match your experience to the job's main requirements with a concrete result, and a short, confident close. Choose the example closest to your situation, rewrite it in your own words for each application, and keep it to one page.

Cover photo: "Young Woman in an Interview" by Amtec Photos, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.