01
Keep the letter short; the CV is long
With a two- or three-page CV attached, the letter is the map, not the territory. Name the two or three most relevant achievements and let the CV carry the rest.
AU · cover letterFree · no sign-up · no watermark
Australian cover letter generator — A4 format and selection-criteria aware
Write an Australian cover letter on A4 with a day-first date, British spelling, and the work-rights line local recruiters expect — plus guidance for key selection criteria roles. Free, with no sign-up.
- Paper
- A4
- Date
- 16 September 2026
- Length
- 250–400 words
- Sign-off
- Yours sincerely
Cover letter studio
United States · cover letter
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Achievementsoptional
Educationoptional
Letterhead contact detailsprinted at the top of the letter, never in the body
Sets the paper size, date format, layout and length recruiters in United States expect.
- Document
- cover letter
- Paper
- US Letter
- Date
- September 16, 2026
- Length
- 250–400 words
Use United States conventions
Writes the local greeting, sign-off for a cover letter.
Off: an international English letter on United States paper. Turning it on writes the local greeting and sign-off below.
Preview — cover letter
Dear Hiring Manager,
Sincerely,
Add the hiring manager's name to personalise the greeting.
Tone
Measured and businesslike. The safe default for corporate, finance, legal and public-sector roles.
Career level
2–7 years. Leads with ownership and delivered results.
Letter length
240–320 words. The length most recruiters expect. In this market letters usually run 250–400 words.
Layout
Meridian · US & EU
Technology, product, marketing and most corporate roles.
Single column, plain text, no tables or images.
Paste the job description to begin.
Vocabulary
What a cover letter is called in Australia
Using the wrong word for the document is the first small signal that an application was not written for Australia. These are the terms you will see in job adverts.
cover letter
Australian English
The everyday name; 'covering letter' appears in older public-service guidance.
selection criteria response
Australian English
The separate document government, university and hospital roles require, answering each criterion.
key selection criteria
Australian English
The listed criteria themselves; often abbreviated KSC.
The conventions
How Australia reads an application letter
Australian applications sit between the British and the American habits. The paper is A4, the spelling is British, the date runs day-first, and the tone is plain and unceremonious — closer to 'tell me what you did' than to either British formality or American self-promotion. A letter of three or four paragraphs on one page is right for most private-sector roles.
The structural difference is the CV. Where an American resume is one page, an Australian CV is normally two or three, and for senior or academic roles longer still. Because the CV already carries the detail, the cover letter's job is to point at the two or three things that matter for this role and explain why they matter, not to compress a career history.
Government, university, hospital and many not-for-profit roles add a second document: a response to the key selection criteria. That response — each criterion addressed in turn, usually with a STAR-shaped example — is what the panel actually scores. The cover letter stays short and simply notes that the criteria response is attached. Trying to do both jobs in one document is the most common mistake in Australian public-sector applications.
At a glance
Australia cover letter: the quick facts
- Called
- Cover letter
- Paper
- A4
- Date style
- 16 September 2026
- Length
- 250–400 words, one page
- CV length
- 2–3 pages is normal
- Named recipient
- Dear Ms Alvarez,
- No name found
- Dear Hiring Manager,
- Sign-off
- Yours sincerely, / Kind regards,
- Photo
- No
- Work rights
- One clause near the close
What recruiters expect
Six rules that make a letter look like it belongs in Australia
02
Selection criteria are a separate document
For APS, state government, university and health roles, address each criterion separately in its own document or section as the advert instructs. In the cover letter write one line: 'My response to the key selection criteria is attached.'
03
Work rights in one clause
'I hold full working rights in Australia' or 'I hold a Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) with work rights for this employer'. Australian employers must verify this, and an unstated position is often read as needing sponsorship.
04
Plain, direct register
Australian business writing tolerates no inflation. State the result, the scale and your part in it. Superlatives and 'passionate about' read as imported copy.
05
Referees are named or promised
Two referees are standard, usually provided on request rather than printed in full. If the advert asks for them with the application, list name, role, organisation and contact on the CV — not in the letter.
06
British spelling, day-first dates
Organise, specialise, programme, centre; 16 September 2026. American spellings in an Australian application are noticed, particularly in law, education and the public service.
Paragraph by paragraph
The Australia paragraph plan
The generator follows this order. You can see it in the preview before you export anything.
- Header
Letterhead and date
Name, email, mobile, suburb and state, then a day-first date. The employer's address block is optional and rarely used for online applications.
- 1
The role and where you saw it
Include the reference number for APS and health roles. One line on your current position and one result that shows fit.
- 2
Two or three pieces of evidence
Each tied to a requirement in the advert, each with scale and outcome. This is where the long CV gets its index.
- 3
Australian specifics
Work rights, notice period, willingness to relocate between states, and — for criteria-based roles — the note that your response is attached.
- 4
Close
One line on why this organisation, one line asking for the interview, 'Yours sincerely,' or 'Kind regards,' and your full name.
The shape on the page
What the finished cover letter looks like
Layout only — the generator fills this with your own facts, never with placeholder text you have to remember to delete.
Jane Doe
jane.doe@email.com · 0412 345 678 · Fitzroy VIC
16 September 2026
Dear Ms Alvarez,
[Opening: the role, the reference number, and your current position with one result.]
[Evidence: two or three achievements tied to the advert's requirements, with scale and outcome.]
[Australian specifics: work rights, notice period, and 'my response to the key selection criteria is attached' where relevant.]
[Close: why this organisation, and the request for an interview.]
Yours sincerely,
Jane DoeReady to use
Phrases that read as native in Australia
Copy one straight into the letter — the generator already uses the greeting and sign-off for this market when conventions are on.
Named recipient
Dear Ms Alvarez,
Use the name from the advert — most Australian postings publish a contact.
No name found
Dear Hiring Manager,
Private sector; close with 'Kind regards,'.
Panel roles
Dear Selection Panel,
APS, university and health applications.
Criteria note
My response to the key selection criteria is attached.
One line, third paragraph.
Work rights
I hold full working rights in Australia.
One clause near the close.
Notice period
My notice period is four weeks.
Common in Australian applications and useful to the hiring manager.
Sign-off
Yours sincerely,
After a named greeting.
Sign-off, neutral
Kind regards,
After 'Dear Hiring Manager' or 'Dear Selection Panel'.
Before you send
The final check
Do include
- One A4 page, 250–400 words.
- Day-first date and British spelling.
- The advert's contact person is addressed by name where one is published.
- Key selection criteria are answered in a separate document where required.
- Work rights and notice period are each covered in one clause.
- No photo, no date of birth, no marital status.
- The CV is allowed to be two or three pages — do not compress it to one.
- Referees are offered, not listed in the letter.
Never do this
- Do not answer the selection criteria inside the cover letter when a separate response is requested.
- Do not force the CV onto one page; Australian recruiters expect more detail than the US norm.
- Do not omit work rights — silence is read as needing sponsorship.
- Do not use American spelling in a government or education application.
- Do not list referees with full contact details unless the advert asks.
Finding the posting
Where Australia advertises the roles worth writing for
Seek
The dominant Australian board; most adverts publish a contact name and a reference number.
APS Jobs
Federal government roles; selection criteria and the ILS classification drive the application.
LinkedIn
Strong in Sydney and Melbourne professional services and tech.
EthicalJobs
Not-for-profit and community sector, where values alignment belongs in the letter.
Questions
Australia cover letter FAQ
How long should an Australian cover letter be?
One A4 page, 250 to 400 words, three or four paragraphs. Criteria-based government applications keep the letter this short and put the detail in the separate selection criteria response.
What are key selection criteria?
The list of skills, knowledge and attributes the panel scores, published in the position description. You answer each one in turn with a specific example — often two to three pages in total — and the cover letter simply notes that the response is attached.
Should my CV be one page?
No. Two to three pages is normal in Australia and longer for academic, medical and senior roles. The one-page rule is American and does not travel well here.
Do I need to mention my visa?
State your work rights in one clause. If you hold citizenship, permanent residency or an unrestricted work visa, say so; if you need sponsorship, say that plainly too.
Is 'Yours sincerely' correct in Australia?
Yes, after a named greeting. After 'Dear Hiring Manager' or 'Dear Selection Panel', 'Kind regards' is the more natural close, and 'Yours faithfully' is used only with 'Dear Sir or Madam'.
Applying elsewhere
Cover letter conventions for other countries
Each guide sets the generator up for that market: paper size, date format, layout, length and the local greeting.