How to End a Cover Letter on a High Note
Most cover letters fizzle out with a weak closing. Learn how to end yours with a confident call-to-action that invites the recruiter to respond.
You nailed the opening. You wrote two tight paragraphs of compelling, specific body content. You’re almost there - and then you type something like:
“Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.”
And close.
We’ve all done it. It feels polite. It feels safe. But it’s also the writing equivalent of a handshake that trails off into nothing. After everything you’ve done to stand out, you’ve just ended on the most forgettable line imaginable.
Your closing paragraph is your last impression. It’s the moment where you either leave the recruiter with a clear sense of what to do next - or leave them with nothing. Strong candidates don’t waste this.
What NOT to Do in Your Closing
First, let’s clear out the common culprits. These closings are so overused they’ve become invisible:
- “Thank you for your time and consideration.” - Fine as a sentence, but it’s not a closing. It’s a period with extra words.
- “I hope to hear from you soon.” - Passive. You’re not in control of the conversation; you’re just waiting by the phone.
- “Please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience.” - “Feel free” and “earliest convenience” both weaken your ask. You’re essentially saying: “If you want to, maybe, at some point, reach out.”
- “I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my skills might align with your needs.” - The word “might” is doing a lot of damage here. You’re hedging before you’ve even been turned down.
- “I look forward to the possibility of joining your team.” - “Possibility” signals uncertainty. You’ve just undermined your own candidacy in the closing sentence.
The pattern: all of these closings are passive and apologetic. They treat the recruiter’s time as a burden you’ve imposed on them, and they treat the interview as something you’re hoping to be granted rather than something you’ve earned.
Here’s the reframe: a strong close is confident, clear, and mutually respectful. It doesn’t grovel. It doesn’t oversell. It simply makes the next step easy and clear for both parties.
The 3 Parts of a Strong Closing Paragraph
A great cover letter closing does three things, usually in this order:
1. Restate Your Core Value in One Sentence
You don’t need to repeat everything you said in the body. You just need one crisp sentence that reminds the recruiter why you’re the right fit. Think of it as the “headline” of your application, delivered one more time at the end when it’s freshest.
“I’ve spent the last seven years building and scaling operations functions for high-growth startups, and I’m genuinely excited about the challenges Meridian is navigating right now.”
“My background in clinical research and data science is exactly the combination your job description is asking for, and I’d bring both the domain knowledge and the technical depth your team needs.”
This sentence doesn’t need to be long. It just needs to be specific.
2. A Confident (Not Pushy) Call to Action
Tell the recruiter what you’d like to happen next. This is where most people go passive - don’t. You’re not demanding anything; you’re making it easy.
The tone you’re aiming for: a confident professional who expects the conversation will happen, and is simply making it convenient for both sides.
“I’d love to set up a call to talk through how my background maps to this role - I’m available anytime next week and happy to work around your schedule.”
“I’d welcome the chance to talk through what you’re building and where I might fit best.”
“I’ll follow up in a week or so if I haven’t heard back - and of course, feel free to reach me directly at any time.”
That last version - where you mention you’ll follow up - is a bold move, and it works when it’s appropriate. It signals initiative and confidence without being pushy. Use it when the role, company, and your experience all strongly align.
3. Genuine Gratitude
After the call to action, close with a brief, sincere thank-you. Not a full sentence of performative appreciation - just a natural acknowledgment.
“Thank you for the time you’ve put into considering my application.”
“I appreciate your time and the work your team is doing at Brightline.”
“Thanks so much for reading, and I hope we get to talk soon.”
Then your sign-off and name. Done.
5 Strong Closing Paragraph Examples
Here are complete closing paragraphs you can adapt. Notice that each one follows the three-part structure: value restatement → call to action → gratitude.
For a senior role in a growth company:
“I’ve helped two early-stage companies scale their engineering teams through the messy Series B-to-C transition, and I think that experience maps closely to where Novu is right now. I’d love to find a time to talk through your roadmap and where this role fits into it - I’m flexible this week and next. Thank you for your time, and for what you’re building.”
For a career change:
“My path from nursing to healthcare operations isn’t conventional, but I think that ground-level perspective is actually the rare thing this role needs. I’d genuinely welcome the chance to talk through how my background translates - and I’m happy to share some of the operational work I’ve done. Thank you for reading this far.”
For a first job or internship:
“I know I’m earlier in my career than some of the candidates you’ll speak with, but I also know I’m someone who ships things, learns fast, and shows up ready to do the work. I’d love the chance to demonstrate that in a conversation. Thank you so much for your consideration.”
For a technical role:
“Distributed systems at the scale your team is operating at are exactly the kind of problems I get out of bed for - and I think my work on the observability pipeline at DataCore would give us a lot to talk about. I’d love to schedule a technical screen whenever works for your team. Thanks for your time.”
For a creative or marketing role:
“I’d love the chance to walk you through some of the campaigns I’m most proud of - the stories behind the numbers are usually more interesting than the numbers alone. I’m available for a call any time this week. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”
Sign-Off Phrases: Which to Use and Which to Avoid
The sign-off after your closing paragraph is small, but it matters. Here’s a quick guide:
These work well:
- Best regards - Professional, warm, and safe for any context.
- Sincerely - Slightly formal, appropriate for more traditional industries (finance, law, healthcare).
- With appreciation - A touch warmer than “sincerely.” Works nicely.
- Best - Casual and clean. Works for startups and modern companies.
- Thank you - Direct and genuine. Better than most.
Avoid these:
- Respectfully yours - Overly formal and slightly dated.
- Yours truly - Feels oddly personal for a professional document.
- Cheers - Fine in casual emails, but slightly too informal for a cover letter (unless the company’s culture is explicitly very casual).
- Thanks! (with exclamation) - The exclamation point undercuts the professional tone you’ve been building.
- With warm regards - Harmless but generic.
When in doubt, Best regards is always correct.
Complete Closing Sections for Different Scenarios
Here’s how a full closing section looks - closing paragraph, sign-off, and name - for a few different situations.
Standard professional close:
I’d love to bring this approach to your team and talk through the specific challenges you’re navigating. I’m available for a call any time next week - please feel free to reach me at the number above. Thank you for your time and for the thoughtful work your team is doing at Brightline.
Best regards, Jordan Lee
Slightly warmer close for a culture-first company:
Working at a company that genuinely lives its values is something I don’t take for granted - and everything I’ve read about how your team operates tells me this is that kind of place. I’d love to find out firsthand. Thank you so much for reading this.
With appreciation, Jordan Lee
Confident close with follow-up signal:
My experience building data pipelines at this scale maps closely to what your engineering team is tackling, and I’m confident a conversation would make that clear. I’ll follow up in a week if I haven’t heard back, and of course you’re welcome to reach me directly at any time. Thanks for your consideration.
Best, Jordan Lee
Brief close for a company that values directness:
I’d love to talk. I’m available any time this week or next - pick whatever works for your team. Thanks for the time.
Best, Jordan Lee
The closing paragraph takes sixty seconds to write when you know what you’re doing. But those sixty seconds are read last - which means they’re what lingers. Make them count.
If you’re writing a dozen applications, tailoring the close every time adds up fast. Coverlttr handles the heavy lifting so every closing lands the same way this one does: confident, clear, and worth responding to.