How to End the Perfect Cover Letter

When you're looking for your next big job opportunity, writing applications can become a chore. Every advertisement places its own demands, and to give yourself the best chance of getting through to the interview stage, you need to tweak your CV every time and write an attention-grabbing cover letter that's finely crafted to suit each vacancy and company. You've written an amazing intro and compelling body copy that perfectly highlights your achievements, but you're having a hard time making it through the final stretch "How in the world do I end this cover letter?" you might be thinking to yourself. The truth is, closing a cover letter is a difficult task for many jobseekers. There's a lot of pressure because, sometimes, the cover letter is the only element the recruiter will read when whittling down the list of applicants for the first time. If you want to land an interview with your cover letter, you don't want to sound vague or wishy-washy. Your cover letter should illustrate why you are the best fit and how you will help the company or organisation achieve success. However, when writing the closing paragraph of your cover letter, it's easy to have a passive voice, because you don't want to appear overconfident. For example, if you say, "I look forward to hearing from you," that's great - but that alone doesn't seal the deal. The recruiter has probably read that same sentence a hundred times for this vacancy alone. Move past this generic default option and recognise that the closing paragraph of your cover letter must be one of the strongest elements because it is the last impression you leave in the reader's mind.

Don't Leave Your Final Paragraph Until last

A common mistake is to leave the last sentence of the cover letter until last. That might sound logical - it's quite sensible to start by making any necessary tweaks to your CV, then by writing the cover letter, starting at the start, and ending at the end. But if you're writing multiple applications, or even just putting substantial effort into getting one single application completed, it's likely you'll feel quite fatigued by the time you get to the closing paragraphs of your cover letter. Trying to sell yourself does not come naturally to a lot of people and, combined with the pressure of searching for employment, writing a job application and cover letter can be exhausting. There are ways around this, though. By having several stock sentences prepared in advance, you can fall back on a pre-written paragraph that you know will add a strong finishing touch to your cover letter, without adding to your stress. Having numerous sign-offs already prepared gives you a choice, so you can pick one that's suitable for the specific application, employer or role. People say you only get one chance to make a good first impression, but it's equally true that you only get one chance to leave a positive last impression in the reader's mind. So instead of rattling off a generic "I look forward to hearing from you" at the last minute, it can be hugely beneficial to write some rock-solid sign-offs before you even start your next job application.

5 Examples of How to End a Cover Letter

If you're going to prepare several different closing sentences in advance, give yourself a selection of different content to choose from. That way, you can take each application on its own merits, look at what you know about your potential new employer, and end your cover letter with a sentence that not only plays to your strengths, but aligns with what you know about the job and the company too. Here are five phrases to include in the final paragraph of your cover letter that will help you seal the deal for your next interview. You might not use all five, but by having them all in your arsenal, you stand a much better chance of bringing your application to a compelling close.

1. "I am very excited to learn more about this opportunity and share how I will be a great fit for XYZ Corporation."

Strong cover letter closings are enthusiastic and confident. You want the reader to have the impression you are truly passionate about the position and working for their company. This statement will also illustrate your ability to fit into the company culture and how your personality and work ethic is exactly what they're looking for. If you opt to end your cover letter with this kind of sign-off, make sure you are able to research the company culture as an outsider. Look for mission statements on the employer's website, in their public press releases or, if possible, speak to a current or recent employee. Be ready, because the recruiter may choose to ask you about this at the interview stage.

2. "I believe this is a position where my passion for this industry will grow because of the XYZ opportunities you provide for your employees."

It's always a good idea to explain what you find attractive about working for the company and how you want to bring your passions to the table. By doing this, you can illustrate how much thought you dedicated to applying for the position and how much you care about becoming a part of the company. This can significantly strengthen your application, because it shows the reader that your motivation when applying was not simply that you needed a job. Of course that will always be the main motivating factor, but by demonstrating a genuine interest in the company, you can stand out against all the candidates who are just applying for everything they can find.

3. "If I am offered this position, I will be ready to hit the ground running and help XYZ Company exceed its own expectations for success."

By adding this piece to your conclusion, you will be able to add some flair and excitement to your cover letter. The reader will become intrigued by your enthusiasm to "hit the ground running". Employers look for candidates who are prepared for the position and are easy to train. Therefore, this phrase will definitely raise some curiosity and the reader will want to discover what you have to offer for their company. Again, if possible, make sure you know what the company's long-term goals actually are. Look for mission statements on their website or in their press releases. Look also for any social or environmental commitments. You're making promises you need to be ready to deliver on, so expect to be asked for more details at the interview stage and have your answer prepared so you can reinforce the positive impact of an already strong statement.

4. "I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss how my qualifications will be beneficial to your organisation's success."

You want to make it clear in your cover letter how the employer will benefit from your experience and qualifications. You want to also express how your goal is to help the organisation succeed, not how the position will contribute to your personal success. There are plenty of ways to vary the wording of this to suit the tone of your cover letter, so make it your own voice and focus on the specifics of how you can help your potential new employer. A key point here is that you are signposting the reader towards a meeting in person - likely to be a first-round job interview either face-to-face, by webcam or by telephone - and that gives you the opportunity to get yourself in front of them where you're in a strong position to start persuading them to give you the job. It's a bold technique but if you feel you have the communication skills, backed by strong enough qualifications or experience, this can be a very powerful way to sign off your cover letter.

5. "I will call you next Wednesday to follow up on my application and arrange for an interview."

The most essential part of your closing is your "call to action" statement. Use strong language: don't say that you "hope" to hear from the company, say that you "look forward" to hearing from them. Better yet, tell them that you will follow up proactively, if you don't hear from them by a certain date. Be specific about that date and the action you will take, and what you are expecting from the reader (usually that they will schedule an interview with you). It's a little presumptive to expect a personal response to a speculative job application, especially for a high-demand vacancy where the recruiter might have hundreds of applications to sift through. However, this can send the right message that you expect to be one of the strongest applications of those hundreds, and at least worthy of a personal response whether you reach the initial round of in-person interviews or not.

Follow Through

Be prepared to follow through on any promises you make in your cover letter. If you say you will be in touch on a specific date, make sure you get in touch on that date - not the day before, and not the day after. Show your potential employer that you keep your promises and that you have an eye for detail. You can do this in several different ways:

• Keep a copy of your cover letter close at hand. Clearly mark which letter relates to which company, so if you get an unexpected phone call, you can easily find the right document to jog your memory about exactly what you wrote in your application.
• Have a calendar handy. If a paper calendar is too old-fashioned for you, use the one on your phone or computer. Just make sure you can double-check dates during an active telephone call, if the recruiter calls you without warning.
• Write follow-up emails ahead of time and store them in your email client's Drafts folder. Revisit them and give them a fresh edit before sending them out. You benefit from a second look, while saving yourself time on the day you want to send the email.

Ultimately, you want to continue seamlessly from the end of your cover letter, into your next interaction with the employer. That might be a follow-up email or telephone call initiated by you, or a phone call from the interviewer that could come at any moment. Or the next significant interaction you have might be a first-round face-to-face interview. If you have multiple job applications active at the same time - which is standard for most jobseekers unless you are extremely committed to a single vacancy - don't confuse one cover letter with another, especially if you have used a different sign-off or made different promises. Give every application the respect it deserves, as if it were the only job you applied for. The interviewer doesn't need to know they are one of 20 companies you have contacted in the past week. Similarly, don't worry how many other applications they might have received for the role. You can't control anyone else's application, so just focus on making yours the best it can be.

Conclusion

The closing of your cover letter is the most important element to leave a strong lasting impression and help you land your next interview. By crafting a confident and enthusiastic closing paragraph, you will leave the reader feeling like you would be the best candidate for the position. Our examples above will hopefully serve as a valuable starting point, giving you some ideas of the different ways to end a cover letter using strong and positive language. But you should play to your own strengths by writing something in your own voice, tailored to the vacancy or company, and unique from what other candidates may have said. By sticking to these best practices, you can craft a cover letter that not only complements your CV, but works in its own right to portray you as a positive, self-confident and highly engaged prospective employee, who will be an asset to any employer.