Cover letter template for Word (free download)
Cover letter template for Word (free download)
Looking for a job has become a few minutes of work per posting: you read the ad, adjust your CV, send it and move on. The page almost nobody takes care of is the one that goes with the CV: the cover letter. That is the document where you explain, in your own words, why you are applying for that particular position and not another one, what you have done before that looks like what the company needs, and how they can reach you.
This template is written for the person looking for work, in the first person. It is not a company letter or an internal note: it is a personal document, one page long, adapted to each posting and sent together with the CV. Here you will find what the person who signs it is asking for, which details to have at hand before writing the first line, and which mistakes make the letter useless.
The file downloads in Word format, needs no extra software and can be saved as a PDF before you send it. The blocks are already in order: city and date, addressee, subject line, greeting, the body paragraphs, the closing, the signature and the enclosure line.
⬇ Download cover letter (.docx)
What a cover letter is
It is a short letter, one page long, that accompanies the CV when someone applies for a vacancy. Unlike the CV, which is a data sheet organised in sections, the cover letter is written as continuous text in the first person: the person who signs it speaks about themselves, their experience and their interest in one specific position.
Its value is not in repeating the CV but in interpreting it. The CV says what a person has done; the letter says why that fits what the company is looking for and what the person can contribute during the first months. When a posting receives dozens of similar CVs, the letter is what makes one application memorable: it explains the context of an achievement, clarifies a change of sector and leaves a clear way to get in touch.
A personal cover letter has no company letterhead, because no company issues it: the candidate writes it. Its header is the sender's own details (full name, phone, email and professional profile), and that is why they deserve a second look before sending, the same way you check a paper document before signing it.
What the sender is asking for
It helps to be clear about what is being requested, because that sets the tone of the text. The person who signs a cover letter asks for three specific things: that the application be read by the person who decides, that they be considered for an interview for the advertised position, and that they be told through which channel and within what timeframe the process will continue. They are not asking for a favour: they present their case and make themselves available.
That request is made in three short paragraphs. The first presents the application, the experience and the main qualification; the second sets out one achievement with a concrete result and the contributions the candidate expects to make; the third confirms availability for an interview, mentions the enclosure and thanks the reader for their time. Everything else (details, dates, job titles, contacts) is there to support those three ideas.
What it is for
- Applying for one specific position, with the exact title of the vacancy and the place where you saw it advertised.
- Summarising in two or three lines the experience and the qualification that actually match the advertisement.
- Highlighting one achievement with a measurable result instead of repeating the list of duties already listed in the CV.
- Proposing concretely what the candidate can contribute during the first months in the role.
- Leaving contact details within easy reach (phone, email and professional profile) so the company does not have to look for them.
- Announcing the enclosure and making clear that the CV is attached to the message.
- Serving as a reusable draft: one file per vacancy saves you from writing the whole letter again every time.
What the template contains
The file brings these blocks, in this order. The fields in square brackets are the ones you replace with every application.
| Block | What goes there |
|---|---|
| City and date | The place you are writing from and the date you send the letter. It should match the day you send the application, not the day you downloaded the file. |
| Addressee | Company name, the person and position you are addressing (the “Attn.” line) and the city. If the advertisement names the person who selects, use that name. |
| Subject line | The position you are applying for and the full name of the candidate, in a single line. |
| Greeting | A courteous opening. If you know the person's name, greet them by name; if not, use a general greeting. |
| Application paragraph | The position, where you saw the vacancy, the years of experience in the field and the main qualification. |
| Achievement and contribution paragraph | One concrete result from a previous job and two or three contributions you could make in that role, at that company. |
| Availability paragraph | That the CV is attached, that you are available for an interview and that you can provide any further information. |
| Thank-you paragraph | A courteous closing line thanking the reader for considering the application. |
| Closing and signature | Sign-off, full name, phone number, email address and professional profile. |
| Enclosure | The final line announcing that the CV is attached. |
How to use it, step by step
- Download the file and save it with a name that identifies the vacancy, for example “cover-letter-inventory-analyst”. That way you will not mix up versions when you apply for several roles at once.
- Gather the details before you write. Keep the original advertisement at hand and check proper names, dates and job titles against the source itself, not from memory.
- Fill in the city and the date with the day you actually send it. If you are sending the letter next week, leave them blank until then.
- Complete the addressee and the subject line by copying the company name and the job title exactly as they appear in the posting, without abbreviations.
- Write the application paragraph and the achievement paragraph, two or three lines each. One idea per paragraph: first what you offer, then the results you have delivered.
- Adjust the availability paragraph, the thank-you line, the closing and the signature with your complete contact details.
- Review the letter before you close it: read it aloud, fix accents and proper names, and confirm that the date and the city belong to this application.
- Save a PDF copy with the job title in the file name and note down the channel you used, who received it and on what date. That note is what later lets you follow up with facts instead of guesswork.
Details to have at hand before you write
| Detail | Where to confirm it |
|---|---|
| Full company name and city | In the advertisement, on the company website or in the message from whoever published the vacancy. |
| Exact title of the vacancy | In the headline of the posting and in the body of the advertisement. |
| Name and position of the recipient | In the advertisement; if it is not there, address the letter to the recruitment team. |
| Where you saw the posting | The job board, the professional network or the contact who shared the vacancy with you. |
| Years of experience and main qualification | Your own CV, with the dates checked so that they match the ones in the letter. |
| One achievement with a measurable result | Your work records: figures, deadlines, volumes, project names. If you cannot prove it, leave it out. |
| Contact details and professional profile | Your phone, your email and your profile, tested before you send anything. |
| Channel and file format | Whatever the company requires: ask the contact which format and which channel they prefer. |
Common mistakes that drain the letter of value
- Leaving square brackets unfilled. A “[position]” or a “[company name]” left in the letter you actually sent is the mistake that gets noticed fastest and is hardest to explain in an interview.
- Sending the same letter to every vacancy. If the subject line mentions one role and the body talks about another, the application loses credibility at once.
- Dates that do not add up. A letter dated before the advertisement, or a period of experience that does not match the CV, forces the reader to doubt both documents.
- Details you never checked. Misspelled company names, altered job titles or a contact name copied wrong give the impression of rushed work.
- References who were not warned. Naming someone as a reference without asking their permission first is an oversight that can cost you the opportunity.
- Spelling and punctuation mistakes, especially in proper names, job titles and company names.
- Files sent the wrong way: a CV saved under a different file name, in a format that will not open, or in a language other than the letter.
When it is worth moving to a system
The letter itself does not need a system: you write it and you send it. What does get out of hand is the record of your applications. When you send three or four a month, a folder with the PDF letters and a spreadsheet with five columns is enough: company, role, date sent, channel and status. The problem starts when the list grows and you have to remember who you wrote to three weeks ago, who asked for a test, who was promised an answer and when it is worth following up.
At that point a flat file stops being enough, because it forces you to rebuild the story every time you follow up. A system such as Kardex Tauro keeps each letter and each CV together with the date it was sent, the contact and the status of the process, so that follow-up is based on data rather than memory. It is not essential for applying to a single job, but it is for keeping order once your applications run past a dozen.
This template is a general guide for personal use: adapt it to each vacancy, check every detail before you send it, and confirm with the company which channel, which format and which documents they require in order to receive your application.
