Ending a Cover Letter: UK Closing Lines and 6 Examples
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
7 min read
Ending a cover letter well takes three sentences: restate why you fit in one line, ask for the interview, and give any dates you cannot do, then sign off with Yours sincerely if you named the person or Yours faithfully if you wrote Dear Sir or Madam. The constraint is that the last paragraph adds nothing new; it closes. The National Careers Service says: "If you know the name of the person you’re writing to, you should end the letter with ‘Yours sincerely’." Below are six complete closing paragraphs for UK applications, checked in October 2026, and the endings that quietly lose interviews. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.
You wrote a good letter, then spent forty minutes on the last two lines, and ended up with "I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience", which you would never say out loud to anyone.
What the last paragraph of a cover letter has to do
Prospects gives the job of the closing paragraph in one line: "Reiterate your interest in the role and indicate your desire for an interview. Now is the time to mention any dates when you're unavailable." That is three tasks. One sentence on the fit, one on the interview, one on practicalities, and then the sign-off.
The first example is the most common UK case: a graduate writing to a named person.
Graduate: named contact, graduate scheme application (78 words)
I would welcome the chance to talk about how my placement year in the planning team at Hartwell Logistics could help your operations graduates hit the ground running. I am available for interview at any time except 14 to 18 July, when I sit my final resits, and I can start in September.
Thank you for considering my application. My CV gives the full detail of my degree modules and placement.
Yours sincerely,
Amara Okonkwo 07700 900318 amara.okonkwo@example.com
Yours sincerely or Yours faithfully
The rule in the UK is short and still followed by many employers. The National Careers Service puts the other half plainly: "If you’ve addressed the letter ‘Dear Sir or Madam’, you should end the letter with ‘Yours faithfully’." Prospects says the same: "If you include a named contact, sign it off with 'Yours sincerely'. If you use a general greeting, finish with 'Yours faithfully'."
- Dear Ms Patel ends with Yours sincerely.
- Dear Sir or Madam ends with Yours faithfully.
- Dear Hiring Manager is a general greeting, so Yours faithfully is the safe choice, though many readers accept either.
- Kind regards and Best regards suit an application sent as an email body, after a first exchange, or to a small company that writes to you by first name.
Only the first word takes a capital: Yours sincerely, never Yours Sincerely. A comma after the sign-off is normal in the UK, and leaving it out is also accepted.
Entry level: Dear Sir or Madam, retail supervisor advert (65 words)
My two years running weekend shifts at a busy high street store mean I could take on your supervisor rota from the first week, and I would be glad to show you how I handled the Christmas staffing. I am free for interview on any weekday.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Callum Reid 07700 900452 callum.reid@example.com
Closing paragraph examples for experienced applicants
At mid level the closing paragraph names one result the reader will want to ask about. That gives the interview a starting question you already know how to answer.
Mid level: emailed application, small marketing agency (70 words)
The newsletter relaunch I describe above is the piece of work I would most like to walk you through, because it is close to the retention brief in your advert. I can do a call or come into the studio any day next week apart from Wednesday, and my notice period is four weeks.
Thanks for reading, and I hope we get to talk.
Kind regards,
Sofia Marchetti 07700 900687
Mid level: career changer, teacher moving into learning and development (77 words)
Ten years of planning lessons for thirty people who did not choose to be in the room is, I think, good preparation for designing training that busy staff actually finish. I would value the chance to discuss the induction programme in your advert. I am not available during the school week of 20 October, and I can start after the end of the autumn term.
Thank you for considering my application.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel Achterberg 07700 900233
Ending a speculative or senior cover letter
A speculative letter has no vacancy to ask about, so the ending asks for a conversation instead and says when you will follow up. Purdue OWL suggests a letter should state "when you will contact him or her", which suits this case best: one clear date, kept.
Mid level: speculative letter to an engineering consultancy (72 words)
I know you are not advertising at the moment, so I am not asking for an interview for a role that does not exist. I would value twenty minutes to hear how your water team is growing and whether someone with my modelling background could be useful next year. I will call your office on Thursday 15 October unless you would prefer I did not.
Yours sincerely,
Ruth Fairbairn 07700 900541 ruth.fairbairn@example.com
Senior: head of finance application, recruiter named (68 words)
The finance function you describe is close to the one I rebuilt over the last three years, and I would welcome a conversation about where your board wants it to be in two years. I am available for interview from 3 November; before then I am closing our half year accounts. My notice period is three months.
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Grace Wilmott 07700 900906
Endings that lose the interview
- A new claim in the last paragraph. If the best evidence is in the closing lines, move it up.
- Pushy certainty. "I will call you on Monday to arrange an interview" reads as pressure when you are answering an advert. Save follow-up dates for speculative letters.
- Apologising. "I know I may not have all the experience" closes the letter on the reader's doubt.
- The wrong sign-off. Yours faithfully to a named person tells a careful reader you copied the ending from somewhere else.
- No contact line. The National Careers Service also says to "Let them know how they can best contact you." A phone number and email under your name cost one line.
In the pile of applications I read for my own company, the endings were almost all the same sentence, so nobody lost the job on the last line. People lost it by ending a letter that never answered the advert. Fix the middle first; the ending takes ten minutes.
Where to go next
For the full letter, start with how to write a cover letter and the layout in our cover letter format guide. If you do not know who to address, our guide to the To Whom It May Concern letter covers the greeting side of the same problem, and the short cover letter examples show complete letters with these endings in place.
Frequently asked questions
How do you end a cover letter in the UK?
With a short final paragraph that restates your interest, asks for an interview and gives any dates you are unavailable, then a sign-off. Use Yours sincerely after a named greeting such as Dear Mr Hughes, and Yours faithfully after Dear Sir or Madam. Put your name, phone number and email underneath.
Is it Yours sincerely or Yours faithfully on a cover letter?
Yours sincerely when you addressed the letter to a named person, Yours faithfully when you wrote Dear Sir or Madam. Both the National Careers Service and Prospects give this rule. For Dear Hiring Manager, Yours faithfully is the safe choice. In an email application, Kind regards is widely accepted.
Can I end a cover letter with Kind regards?
Yes, when the application goes as an email body, when the employer has already written to you by first name, or when the company is small and informal. For a formal letter to a large employer, the public sector or a law or finance firm, Yours sincerely or Yours faithfully is the safer ending.
What should the last paragraph of a cover letter say?
Three things: one sentence on why you fit, a request for an interview, and the practical facts the reader needs, such as dates you cannot attend and your notice period. Prospects advises mentioning any dates you are unavailable here. Do not introduce new evidence; if it matters, it belongs higher up.
Should I thank the employer at the end of a cover letter?
A short thank you is polite and normal, and the National Careers Service suggests thanking the employer for considering your application. Keep it to one line, such as thank you for considering my application. Long expressions of gratitude or flattery about the company take space the reader would rather see used for evidence.
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