How to End a Cover Letter
The two sentences that close a letter without begging or over-promising, which sign-offs to use, and why the aggressive follow-up line backfires.
Kazifi Careers Team · Careers & ATS specialists
Closings fail in two opposite directions. Some beg, and some over-promise. The workable version is short, confident and almost boring.
The two-sentence close
I have attached my resume and I would welcome the chance to discuss the role.
Thank you for considering my application.
Sincerely, Adaeze Okonkwo
That is the whole thing. One sentence pointing at the next step, one of thanks, a plain sign-off, your name.
The reason to keep it this plain: by the time a reader reaches the close, the decision is largely made by the content above. A closing paragraph cannot rescue a weak letter and can undermine a strong one.
What not to promise
Three closings that hurt, in ascending order of damage.
The performance promise. “I am confident I would be an asset to your team and would exceed your expectations.” It is unverifiable, and confident assertion about future performance reads as a substitute for evidence.
The plea. “I would be so grateful for the opportunity to prove myself.” Gratitude for an interview is fine; asking for a chance positions you as a supplicant rather than a candidate, and readers respond to it accordingly.
The pressure. “I will call your office next week to follow up.” This is advice that circulated for years and has aged badly. It commits you to something you probably will not do, it can conflict with the employer’s stated process, and to a recruiter managing two hundred applications it reads as a small threat.
Follow up if you want to. Do not announce it in the letter. See the follow-up email guide for doing it well.
Sign-offs, ranked
Safe everywhere: Sincerely. Best regards. Kind regards.
Acceptable: Regards. Respectfully, in government and some formal contexts. With thanks.
Avoid in US applications: Cheers, which is too casual. Warmly and Warm regards, which are for people you know. Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely, which are British conventions and look imported. Thanks, on its own, which is abrupt at the end of a formal letter.
Never: anything with an exclamation mark, and any sign-off followed by a quotation in your email signature.
Purdue’s cover letter guidance treats the closing as a brief, professional formality rather than a persuasive opportunity, which matches how they are actually read.
The one thing worth adding
If there is a genuine logistical fact the reader needs, the close is the place for it. One sentence, no elaboration.
Legitimate examples:
I am available to start from 1 April.
I will be in Denver the week of the 14th and could meet in person if that is useful.
I hold current CDL Class A certification, which I have listed on my resume.
That last kind is worth including when the requirement is a hard filter, because a reader scanning for it may not reach your resume.
What does not belong in the close
Salary. Unless the posting explicitly asks for expectations, in which case answer where it asks, not at the end of a letter.
Personal circumstances. Family status, health, age, religion, nationality and similar are not required and are protected characteristics under the practices the EEOC sets out as prohibited bases for employment decisions. Volunteering them does you no good and puts the reader in an awkward position.
A recap. In a 250-word letter, summarising the previous three paragraphs is visibly padding.
Conditions. “I am only able to consider roles with hybrid working” is a reasonable thing to establish and it belongs in a conversation, not as a closing line before anyone has spoken to you.
The email version
If your letter is the body of an email rather than an attachment, the close changes slightly.
Drop the “I have attached my resume” if you have said it earlier, keep the thanks, and put a proper signature block underneath: name, phone, email, and a portfolio link if relevant. See the job application email guide.
Do not add a read receipt, and check the signature does not carry a quotation or a promotional footer from your current employer.
A short checklist
- Two sentences, no more.
- No promise about your future performance.
- No announced follow-up.
- Sincerely or Best regards.
- Any hard logistical fact stated once, plainly.
- Nothing about protected characteristics.
- Your name spelled the way it appears on your resume.
Point seven sounds trivial and it catches people who sign a nickname on a document filed under their legal name.
Related
For the opening, see how to start a cover letter. For the whole structure, see the cover letter outline guide and the cover letter length guide. For graded full examples, see the best cover letter examples.
Or draft the whole letter with the cover letter generator, free at Kazifi.
Common questions
How do I end a cover letter?
Two sentences: one indicating you would welcome a conversation, one thanking them. Then a plain sign-off and your name. Confident and unremarkable is the target.
What is the best sign-off for a cover letter?
Sincerely, or Best regards. Both are correct everywhere. Avoid Cheers, Warmly, Yours faithfully in US applications, and anything that sounds like a farewell to a friend.
Should I say I will follow up in my cover letter?
Generally no. It reads as pressure, it commits you to something you may not do, and it can conflict with the employer's own process. Follow up if you want to, without announcing it.
Should I include my phone number at the end of a cover letter?
It is already in your letterhead and on your resume, so it is optional. If you include it, do so plainly in the signature block rather than as an instruction to call you.