Cover Letter Examples: Openings, Body and Closing Lines

Most cover letter examples are complete letters — which is why they never quite fit: wrong industry, wrong experience level, wrong tone. This guide takes the opposite approach and gives you a kit of fully written building blocks: four opening lines for four situations, two body paragraphs and three closing lines — each with an explanation of why it works. You pick, combine and adapt.

A kit, not a blueprint: how to use these examples

Each building block stands on its own and combines with any other — replace the placeholders in square brackets with your facts. The formal frame (letterhead, date, subject line according to the German DIN 5008 standard) is covered in our guide to the German application letter; complete written-out letters are in our guide to application letter templates. This article is about the text itself: the sentences between salutation and closing formula.

Four opening lines for four situations

1. With experience and an achievement — for anyone with professional experience:

„As [position] at [company] I have been responsible for [core task] for the past [X] years — most recently [achievement with a number]. I want to put this experience to work as [position] with you.“

Why it works: your strongest argument sits in the first sentence, proven rather than claimed.

2. With a referral — when someone at the company pointed you to the role:

„[Name], [position] at your company, told me about the opening — and advised me to apply, because [reason].“

Why it works: borrowed trust. An internal referral is the most credible signal a first sentence can send.

3. As a career changer — when your industry changes but your strengths remain:

„[X] years in [previous industry] taught me two things: [strength 1] and [strength 2]. I now bring both to you as [position].“

Why it works: the change is not apologised for — it is presented as a dowry.

4. With enthusiasm for the product — only if it is genuine and verifiable:

„I have used [product] every day for [period] — so I know exactly what your customers value about it. Now I want to work on it from the other side.“

Why it works: user experience is evidence, not a compliment — which sets this line apart from „your renowned company“.

Two body paragraphs: requirement meets evidence

The body always follows the same structure: pick up a requirement from the ad, answer with evidence.

„You are looking for someone who [requirement from the ad]. That is exactly what I did at [company]: [task] — with the result that [concrete outcome, ideally with a number].“

„[Second requirement] is equally familiar to me: in [project or role] I took on [activity] and [evidence: scope, budget, team size or result].“

The difference to weak body paragraphs in one line:

• ❌ „I am a team player, a strong communicator and resilient.“ → ✅ „In project [name] I coordinated three departments — the launch shipped on time.“

Three closing lines

1. Classic and confident: „I look forward to meeting you in person — I am available from [date].“

2. With an outlook: „I would be happy to explain in an interview how I would approach [core task] for you.“

3. When a salary expectation is required: „My salary expectation is [amount] euros gross per year. I look forward to your invitation.“

All three avoid the conditional: ❌ „I would be delighted if you could perhaps give me the opportunity“ → ✅ Write actively — applying is no reason to shrink.

A complete short example

This is how opening 1, one body paragraph and closing 1 sound combined:

Sehr geehrte Frau [Last name],

as a sales representative at [company] I have grown the existing-customer revenue of my region by [X] per cent over the past four years. I want to put this experience to work as an account manager with you.

You are looking for someone who develops existing accounts systematically. That is exactly what I did at [company]: I built a win-back programme for inactive customers — with the result that [concrete outcome].

What attracts me to [company name] is [concrete reason]. I look forward to meeting you in person — I am available from [date].

Mit freundlichen Grüßen [First name Last name]

Adapting the blocks to the job ad: three steps

1. Highlight the requirements: write out the two or three most important points of the ad — they usually top the list of responsibilities.
2. Match your evidence: note one concrete example from your experience for each requirement — project, responsibility, result.
3. Mirror the vocabulary: pick up the ad's terms without copying them word for word:

Wording in the ad	Your building block says
„independent project management“	„managed projects independently, most recently [project]“
„confident use of [tool]“	„have worked with [tool] daily for [X] years“

The most common mistakes

1. Using blocks unchanged — without your facts they remain someone else's sentences
2. Wanting all four openings at once — one strong hook is enough
3. Qualities instead of evidence in the body — „resilient“ claims, a project proves
4. An apologetic closing — conditional garlands weaken everything before them
5. Ignoring the ad — blocks without reference to the requirements stay interchangeable

Checklist before sending

• Opening matches your situation — experience, referral, career change or product?
• Every body paragraph: requirement picked up, evidence delivered?
• At least one result with a number or scope?
• Closing active, no conditional?
• Ad's vocabulary mirrored, not copied?
• All placeholders replaced and proofread aloud?

If you would rather not assemble the blocks yourself: our AI cover letter generator combines opening, body and closing directly from your profile and the job ad into a first draft — the requirement-evidence structure is built in, and you check the facts and give the text your voice.