Graduate Cover Letter Template & Tips

Letter Tips for Graduates

A good cover letter explains why you and why this role in a clear, professional way. Use these 10 tips to write a confident, focused letter that supports your CV.

1. Keep it to one page

Recruiters read quickly, so short and focused is best.

• Aim for ½ to 1 page (300–500 words).
• Use short paragraphs (3–5 lines).
• Leave plenty of white space – no dense blocks of text.

2. Use a simple, professional structure

Follow a clear structure that works for almost any early‑career role:

1. Header – Match your CV (name, phone, email, LinkedIn).
2. Date and employer details – Company name and address.
3. Greeting – “Dear {{Hiring_Manager_Name}}” if you know it, or “Dear Hiring Manager” if not.
4. Intro paragraph – Who you are and what you’re applying for.
5. Skills paragraph – 2–3 key strengths that match the job.
6. Experience paragraph – A short example or two showing you can do the work.
7. Motivation paragraph – Why this company/role.
8. Closing paragraph – Thanks + availability for interview.

3. Match your tone: professional, confident, and friendly

The tone should be:

• Professional but not overly formal.
• Confident without sounding arrogant.
• Clear and straightforward (avoid very long sentences).

Example tone:

I recently graduated from a UK university and I am keen to apply my analytical skills and attention to detail in a structured graduate role. I was particularly interested in this position because…

Avoid slang, emojis or very casual phrases.

4. Focus on the employer, not just yourself

Show you understand what the employer needs.

• Mention the role title and team or department.
• Refer to specific points from the job description.
• Explain how you can help them, not just what you want to gain.

Instead of:

I am looking for a role where I can develop my skills.

Try:

I am keen to contribute to your team’s work on {{Team_Focus}}, using my experience with Excel and data handling to support accurate, efficient reporting.

5. Use a simple paragraph formula

You can use this formula for each main paragraph:

• Skills paragraph:
  • 1 sentence: the key skills you bring.
  • 1–2 sentences: evidence (university or work example).
• Experience paragraph:
  • 1 sentence: the role you held.
  • 2–3 sentences: what you did and what you achieved.
• Motivation paragraph:
  • 1 sentence: why this employer.
  • 1–2 sentences: what you like about the role/team/sector.
  • 1 sentence: how you hope to grow and contribute.

This keeps your letter structured and readable.

6. Match your skills to the job description

Treat the job description like a checklist.

• Highlight 3–4 key requirements (e.g. “attention to detail”, “Excel”, “customer focus”, “teamwork”).
• Show you have each one with a short example.

Example:

The role requires strong attention to detail and confidence with spreadsheets. Through my dissertation and group projects I regularly worked with large data sets in Excel, checking for errors, using formulas to summarise results and producing charts for presentations.

This helps both ATS and hiring managers see the fit quickly.

7. Use specific examples, not generic claims

Avoid vague sentences like “I am good with people” or “I work well in a team”.

Weak:

I have good communication skills and work well with others.

Stronger:

As a Student Ambassador, I spoke with 30–50 prospective students and parents at each open day, answering questions clearly and adapting how I explained information for different audiences.

Concrete examples are more convincing and memorable.

8. Avoid common cover letter mistakes

Watch out for:

• Copy‑pasting the same letter without changing company or role names.
• Repeating your entire CV in paragraph form.
• Very long sentences that are hard to follow.
• Overly informal phrases (“Hey”, “Hi guys”, “Cheers”).
• Spelling the company name or hiring manager’s name incorrectly.

Always proofread and check that every reference to the employer and role is correct.

9. Use a final checklist before sending

Before sending your cover letter, check:

• Is it 1 page or less?
• Does it clearly state the correct role title and employer name?
• Have you used specific examples to show your skills?
• Does each paragraph serve a clear purpose (skills, experience, motivation)?
• Is the tone professional, confident and friendly?
• Are there no spelling or grammar errors?
• Does the header match your CV?

If you can tick these, your cover letter is in strong shape.

10. Connect your cover letter and CV

Your cover letter and CV should work together:

• The cover letter tells the story and explains why you.
• The CV provides the detail and evidence.
• Use the cover letter to draw attention to 2–3 key points on your CV that are most relevant to the job.

Example final line:

Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how I can contribute to {{Employer}} in more detail.