A cover letter written in the right way can really help you stand out from the crowd when applying for a job.
If you’re yet to write a cover letter, then you may find it useful to download and use one of the five templates below.
Each template is designed to help people in different situations – such as explaining CV gaps, a career change, a speculative application, a recommendation from a friend, or a more general one that you can customise as much as you like.
We hope you find them useful. If you have any feedback or suggestions for other templates we should add, please do let us know at [email protected].
Notes on how to use the templates are included towards the bottom of the page.
General cover letter
Cover letter expressing your interest in a company that isn’t currently advertising for a role
Cover letter explaining that you have been recommended to apply for a position by someone who works at the company.
How to use the cover letter templates
For Word documents:
- Click the link to download the file to your computer
- Open the file and make any edits necessary to make it work for you – be sure not to leave in any of the placeholder or explanation content
- Once you have finished editing, save your new version – and do remember to change the name of the file to something sensible, such as [Your Name] – Cover Letter
For Google Docs:
- The versions linked to above are Read Only – so you will need to make a copy to start editing it for yourself
- You will need to be signed into a Google account to create your own version – if you have a Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive or any other Google product account, then your login details for that will work fine
- To duplicate the Google Doc, click the link for the cover letter you’d like to use for yourself
- When the file has opened in your browser, go to the menu at the top of the page – then click ‘File’ > ‘Make a copy’
- You can then name the file what you like, such as [Your Name] – Cover Letter, and begin editing
- Ensure when you are editing that you remove any placeholder or explanation content before sending to the prospective employer