Cover letter template: our 3 complete letters to personalise in 10 minutes

What a cover letter template is for (and what it does not do)

A recruiter spends about 30 seconds on your letter, according to France Travail. It is not there to retell your career: it answers one question — why you, for this role, now?

What a template gives you:

• The format: one page, a clean layout, the right details in the right place.
• The logical outline: hook, fit, motivation, interview request.
• The time saving: you start from a written base, not a blank page.

What a template does not do

A cover letter template sent as-is is spotted in two lines.

• It does not know the company. A raw copy-paste ends in the bin.
• It does not replace your examples. A figure, an internship: that is what sticks.
• It does not adapt to very specific roles: there, you cut.

The structure of a cover letter that works

The cover letter format expected in France is stable. Here is the skeleton, in order.

Header, top left: last name, first name, address, phone, email. Add your LinkedIn profile for a role in tech, marketing or consulting.

Recipient, top right: company name and, if possible, the recruiter (“Ms. Dupont, Recruitment Manager”). A named letter gets read more carefully.

Date and place: on the right, above the subject. For example “Lyon, 26 September 2026”.

Subject: short and precise. “Application for the account manager role (ref. 4521)” or, speculative, “Speculative application — marketing assistant”.

The hook: 2 to 3 lines. It is the only passage everyone actually reads.

The body in 3 paragraphs:

1. Who you are and why this company.
2. What you bring: skills, results, figures.
3. What you want: an interview, availability.

Layout and signature

The signature: a closing line, then first name and last name. That is the standard cover letter for French applications.

On layout: a classic font (Arial, Calibri, Garamond) at 10–12, single spacing, 2 cm margins, one page maximum. Send a PDF named LastName-FirstName-CL-CompanyName.pdf.

3 complete templates to copy

Everything in square brackets is to be replaced. Nothing else. These outlines also work as a cover letter for an internship, for an apprenticeship, or for a first role. Only the hook really changes.

[First name Last name]
[Address] · [Phone] · [Email]

[Company name]
For the attention of [Ms./Mr. Name, title]
[Address]

[City], [date]

Subject: speculative application — [target job title]

Dear Sir or Madam,

I work as a [role or function] and have been following
[company name] for several months, especially [a product
launch, a new office, a new website]. That development is
exactly why I am writing: your team is gaining ground in
[market], and that is where I can help.

At [previous company], I took on [a concrete assignment],
which delivered [a quantified result: +20% traffic, lead
times cut by 3 days, 50 files handled per week]. I am
proficient in [key tool] and [complementary skill], two
building blocks I also see in your [current projects /
needs].

I would be glad to discuss this in person, on [date] or
at a time that suits you.

Thank you for considering my application. Yours sincerely,

[First name Last name]

[First name Last name]
[Address] · [Phone] · [Email]

[Company name]
For the attention of [Ms./Mr. Name]
[Address]

[City], [date]

Subject: application for the [job title] role — ref. [number]

Dear Sir or Madam,

Freshly graduated with a [degree] from [school], I have
followed your company for [duration], first because of
[a sincere reason: your products, your local roots, the
way you work]. That is why I am naturally sending this
application to you.

My course gave me a solid base in [skill 1] and
[skill 2]. During my [duration] internship at [company],
I [assignment], which taught me to [a concrete skill:
manage a schedule, write deliverables, welcome clients].
My final-year project was on [topic]: I [action and
result]. I do not claim to know everything, but I learn
fast and I ask questions at the right time.

What motivates me about this role is [a precise element
from the posting]. I am available from [date] and mobile
across [geographic area].

Thank you for considering my application. I am available
for an interview. Yours sincerely,

[First name Last name]

[First name Last name]
[Address] · [Phone] · [Email]

[Company name]
For the attention of [Ms./Mr. Name]
[Address]

[City], [date]

Subject: application for the [job title] role — ref. [number]

Dear Sir or Madam,

After [number] years as a [previous role], I chose to
move into [new field]. This is not a sudden wish: I
[a concrete action: completed an X-hour certified
course, validated a professional title, spent a week
shadowing in a company]. That path is what brings me
to [company] today.

My previous job left me with transferable strengths:
[transferable skill 1], [transferable skill 2] and
the habit of working under pressure. At [previous
company], I [a quantified achievement]. On top of
that comes my recent training in [field], where I
worked on [a project or case study].

Your posting interests me especially because of
[a reason tied to the company], and I am ready to
invest in ramping up. I would be glad to explain my
path in an interview, at your convenience.

Thank you for your attention. Yours sincerely,

[First name Last name]

How to personalise a template in 10 minutes

The method, minute by minute.

1. 0–2 min — Highlight 5 elements in the posting: the 3 skills named, one word about the company, one word about its market. You are not writing anything yet.
2. 2–4 min — Replace the brackets. If one does not speak to you, delete it: a short letter beats hollow text.
3. 4–7 min — Rewrite the hook. It does 80% of the work.
4. 7–9 min — Cut empty phrases (“dynamic and motivated”, “rigorous and punctual”) and replace them with a fact.
5. 9–10 min — Read it out loud. Every sentence you stumble on will make the recruiter stumble too.

Hooks that work

A few examples to adapt, not to copy as-is:

• “Your posting talks about reviving an international client portfolio: that is exactly what I did for three years.”
• “You are opening an office in [city] in January: I know the local fabric and have lived there for [duration].”
• “Your posting mentions [tool] — I use it every day and have done since [year].”
• “The [job title] role with you is the logical next step after my project on [topic].”

The mistakes that get a cover letter rejected

These six mistakes come up in files that get no reply.

1. Unchanged copy-paste. A leftover company name in the text and it is over. Mistake number one.
2. Thinking a simple cover letter can be sloppy. “Simple” means short and clear, not full of errors: no dense block, no typos.
3. Summarising the CV. If the letter repeats the CV, it adds nothing. It should say the why that the CV does not.
4. A lukewarm hook. “I am writing following your posting” teaches nothing. Get to the point from the first line.
5. Starting with yourself. Your path before the company: no.
6. An amateur file name. cover letter final (3).docx looks careless. The file name is part of the message.

FAQ

Sources

• France Travail - 10 astuces pour écrire votre lettre de motivation
• France Travail - Réussir sa candidature spontanée
• ONISEP - La lettre de motivation : les règles de base
• Choisir le service public - CV et lettre de motivation
• HelloWork - La longueur idéale d'une lettre de motivation
• L'Étudiant - Lettre de motivation : conseils et modèles

Related articles

• Speculative applications: the complete method to land an interview in 10 days
• ATS CV: the guide to passing recruitment filters in 2026
• How to find a job quickly without sending 200 CVs