Your CV says what you've done. Your cover letter says why it matters — to this employer, for this job, right now. Plenty of strong candidates never hear back, not because their experience is thin, but because their cover letter reads like a form letter that could have been sent to anyone. Writing one in English adds a second layer of difficulty: get the tone wrong and you sound either robotic or far too casual, and the reader quietly moves on to the next application. The good news is that a cover letter follows a pattern you can learn. Here's how to write one that sounds natural, makes your case quickly, and actually earns you the interview.
Know what a cover letter is really for
A cover letter isn't your CV rewritten as paragraphs — the reader already has your CV in front of them. Its job is to join the dots: to show, in your own words, why you fit this particular role and why you want it. Think of it as your answer to the silent question every hiring manager is asking — why should I interview you rather than the fifty other people who applied? Keep it to one page, three or four short paragraphs, somewhere around 250 to 350 words. Go much longer and it simply won't get read to the end.
Open with something real
The quickest way to lose a reader is to begin with I am writing to apply for the position advertised on your website. It's grammatically perfect and completely forgettable — it's what everyone writes, and it wastes your most valuable line. Name the role and the company, then give them a reason to keep reading. Try something like: I've spent three years turning around underperforming retail teams, so the Store Manager role at Brightwell caught my eye straight away. In a single sentence you've named the job, shown a relevant strength, and sounded like a real person instead of a template.
Show the match — don't just claim it
Anyone can type I am a hard-working team player with excellent communication skills. It carries no weight because there's nothing behind it. Choose two or three things the advert actually asks for and prove you have them with a concrete example. Rather than I have strong leadership skills, write I led a team of eight and cut our average response time by 30% in six months. Numbers, results and short stories persuade; adjectives don't. Read the job description closely and echo a few of its own words back — if they're after someone “organised and proactive”, use those words where they honestly apply. It quietly signals that you read carefully and understood what the role needs.
Get the English tone right
This is where second-language writers often overcorrect into stiff, old-fashioned English. You don't need Please find enclosed herewith or I would be most grateful for your kind consideration. Modern professional English is warm but direct: I've attached my CV, I'd welcome the chance to discuss the role, thank you for considering my application. A couple of conventions still matter in the UK. If you know the person's name, open with Dear Ms Okafor and sign off Yours sincerely; if you don't, use Dear Hiring Manager and close with Yours faithfully. Contractions like I've and I'd are perfectly fine and sound natural — just steer clear of slang, and keep your sentences shorter than you think you need to. Clarity reads as confidence.
Edit it like the job depends on it
It might. A single spelling slip in a letter praising your “excellent attention to detail” undoes the whole message. Read the finished letter aloud — your ear catches awkward phrasing that your eye glides straight over. Check that every sentence earns its place, delete anything that merely repeats your CV, and make absolutely sure the company's name is spelled correctly and is the right company. Reusing an old letter and forgetting to change the name is more common than you'd think, and it ends an application on the spot. If you have the time, leave it overnight and read it again with fresh eyes in the morning.
A strong cover letter is really just clear thinking expressed in clear English, and both improve quickly with practice and honest feedback. If you'd like help making your professional writing sharper and more natural — for job applications, emails, interviews and everything in between — our live online courses at Kensington English give you the guidance and real practice to write with confidence. Your next opportunity might be just one well-written page away.
