How to Sign a Cover Letter (With Examples)

With so many applicants competing for the same job, you want to make sure every element of your application leaves the right impression.

Regardless of your letter’s contents, an improper closing section conveys a sense of unprofessionalism and ruins the entire application.

This article will show you exactly how to sign and end your cover letter professionally — so you leave a positive impression rather than a negative one.

Key Takeaways:

• The end of your cover letter is what will create your final impression, so it’s important to summarize what makes you a good fit for the job, convey confidence, and thank the reader.

• Avoid more casual phrases and avoid using exclamation points; express excitement about the job without slipping into less formal prose.

• To be as professional as possible, you might want to physically sign your cover letter if you’re giving someone a hard copy, or use a digital signature for an electronic submission.

How to End a Cover Letter

Your cover letter should maintain a professional and formal tone throughout. This is especially true for the closing, as it’s the section that leaves a final impression on the reader.

“Formal” doesn’t require that you’re robotic and cold. Feel free to be friendly or positive, but always avoid casual language. Don’t use “thanks” or “cheers”, and avoid acronyms.

Every effective cover letter closing accomplishes three goals:

• Summarizes your strengths. Sum up the relevant skills and qualifications you’ve mentioned and explain how you can bring value to the company.

  Be sure not to just list and repeat what you’ve already said before, rather summarize your strengths in a fresh and concise way

• Shows confidence and initiative. A generic cover letter closing such as “I look forward to your reply” will be read as nothing more than an empty courtesy.

  Stand-out and convey a more action-oriented tone, with a line such as : “I look forward to discussing with you how my skills can create value and solutions for the team.”

  The second line has a greater sense of urgency and initiative, while remaining polite and professional.

• Thank the reader. Be sure to show appreciation and offer thanks to the reader for their time and consideration.

  As always, remain professional rather than casual. Avoid phrases such as “Cheers” or “Yours.”

  A closing statement such as “Sincerely,” or “Best regards,” works perfectly. We’ll provide more examples later in the article.

Examples of How to End a Cover Letter

While reading the following examples, note how they achieve the three goals:

• Summarizes strengths

• Conveys initiative and confidence

• Thanks the reader

1. Example 1.

   “I believe my six years of experience as a marketing specialist, specifically in the food industry, will be a perfect match for this role. I look forward to speaking with you on how my skills can bring value to the team. Thank you for considering my application.”

2. Example 2.

   “With my extensive software engineering experience, I believe I can develop effective technical solutions for your firm. I would welcome the opportunity to further discuss with you how my qualifications can contribute to the team’s success. Thank you for your time.”

3. Example 3.

   “With my eight years of experience as managing director of similar projects, I am confident I can provide insight and value towards your firm’s goals. I would love the chance to speak with you on the position and what skills I could bring. Thank you for your consideration.”

4. Example 4.

   “I am fascinated by your firm’s approach to creating effective user experiences. I would be delighted to discuss with you how I could leverage my ten years of UX experience to upgrade your solutions even further. Thank you for considering my application.”

5. Example 5.

   “I look forward to any chance to speak about the position and what I can bring to the firm. I believe my personal values and extensive experience in the medical research field would make me a great fit for your organization. I appreciate your time and consideration.”

Examples of How NOT to End a Cover Letter

See if you can spot the more subtle errors in the next few examples.

1. Example 1.

   “I believe my eight years of experience as a commercial trucker, especially in long-haul, will be a great match for this role. I look forward to speaking with you on how my skills can bring value to the team.”

   This person summarized their strength well and conveyed a sense of initiative and enthusiasm, but forgot to thank the reader.

2. Example 2.

   “I look forward to an opportunity to discuss with you the position. I greatly appreciate your time and consideration.”

   This example thanks the reader and is forward-looking, however it does nothing to remind the recruiter of the applicant’s qualifications.

3. Example 3.

   “With my two years of experience as a sales representative, I am confident I can provide the necessary qualifications and skills. Thank you for considering my application.”

   While they thanked the reader and summarized their abilities, the writer offered no call to action for the reader to follow-up with them.

   Now that we’ve covered the contents of your cover lettering closing, we’ll explain why and how you should add your signature to top it all off.

Does your Cover Letter Need a Written Signature?

It’s commonly asked if it’s really required to end cover letters with a handwritten signature. The answer is it depends on your letter’s format.

Cover letters written on paper should always include a handwritten signature. Doing so is considered proper business etiquette, and forgetting to do so will be seen as unprofessional by recruiters.

Even if the particular reader of your letter doesn’t care, it’s smart to err on the side of caution.

For cover letters delivered through email, a signature isn’t required. However, there’s no harm in creating an electronic signature to add a touch of professionalism.

Keep reading to see exactly how you should sign both an emailed and printed cover letter.

The formal rules for how to write a cover letter may seem numerous and pointless, but it’s important to follow them to avoid standing out as unprofessional amongst other applicants following them.

How to Sign an Uploaded or Printed Cover Letter

Most cover letters are emailed these days. However, you might find yourself needing to upload or mail a printer cover letter and wonder how to sign it.

In these cases, a handwritten signature would be included between the sign-off and your printed full name. Keep this in mind when you’re typing it out so you remember to leave enough room.

Your signature should always be written in black ink. The sign-off should always use professional language. Use the same font as the rest of your cover letter and avoid using italics. Consider the following choices:

Avoid casual sign-offs such as:

There is never really any reason to use a sign-off other than the proper four listed above. Just as is the case for greetings such as ”Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Sir Or Madam,” using uncommon sign-offs just isn’t worth the risk.

The cover letter should be formatted single-spaced throughout, with an additional space between sections. This includes between your closing paragraph and sign-off. If your contact details are not written in the header, include them after your name.

Cover Letter Signature Examples

Here we’ll provide you both a template and a visual example to help you sign your own printed cover letter. Note the spacing used in these examples.

How to Sign an Emailed Cover Letter

Emailed cover letters do not need a handwritten signature. However, doing so adds a touch of professionalism and won’t hurt your letter.

An emailed letter with a signature looks the exact same as a printed one, except that your signature would be created electronically. Look up how to generate an electronic signature for whatever email service you use.

If you choose to not include a signature, then the rest of the sign-off stays the same. Same single-spacing, with consistent font and no italics.

Signature Examples for Emailed Documents

Final Thoughts

The importance of sending a well-written cover letter is underrated. Even with an impressive resume, hiring managers know you as nothing more than a name on a paper and a list of achievements.

Cover letters convey two things that resumes alone cannot: professionalism and initiative.

A discussion of your qualifications and achievements in your letter, followed by an offer for further discussion, is what will lead the recruiter to pick up the phone.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

Expert

Matt Warzel, CPRW, CIR

Matt Warzel a President of a resume writing firm (MJW Careers, LLC) with 15+ years of recruitment, outplacement, career coaching and resume writing experience. Matt is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR) with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing Focus) from John Carroll University.