Content gets you the interview, but format gets you read. Here is exactly how to lay out a cover letter in 2026: the header, the greeting, length, font, and spacing.
Put your name and contact details (email, phone, city, and a LinkedIn or portfolio link) at the top. For a formal letter, add the date and the employer's details below that. For an email or online application, a simple name-and-contact header is enough; skip the dated business-letter block.
Use the hiring manager's name whenever you can find it: "Dear Ms. Lopez,". If you genuinely cannot, "Dear Hiring Manager," is the safe default. Avoid "To Whom It May Concern" and "Dear Sir or Madam", which both read as dated and impersonal.
Three or four short paragraphs: a strong opening, one or two paragraphs of evidence, and a brief close. Left-align everything. Do not indent, and leave a blank line between paragraphs rather than using tabs.
"Sincerely," or "Best regards," followed by your name. On a printed or PDF letter you can leave space for a signature, but it is not required for digital applications.
[Your Name]
[Email] · [Phone] · [City] · [LinkedIn]
[Date]
[Hiring Manager Name]
[Company]
Dear [Name],
[Opening: the role, where you saw it, and your single strongest match.]
[Body: two or three requirements you meet, each with a concrete proof point.]
[Why this company: one specific, genuine reason.]
[Close: you would welcome an interview; thank them.]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
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PDF, unless the job posting specifically asks for Word. A PDF keeps your formatting identical on every device, where a Word file can shift depending on the software opening it.
Use "Dear Hiring Manager,". Check the posting, the company team page, and LinkedIn first; a real name is better, but a clean generic greeting beats a wrong guess or an outdated "To Whom It May Concern".
Use the same font and header style so the two look like a set. You do not need heavy graphics; recruiters and applicant tracking systems both prefer a clean, text-based layout that is easy to read and parse.
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