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Create ResumeA strong graduate cover letter in the UK should explain why you are applying for that specific role, why the employer makes sense for you, and what evidence you already have that suggests you could perform well. It does not need to sound overly formal, dramatic, or painfully grateful. Recruiters are not looking for a life story. They are looking for relevance, judgement, motivation, and signs that you understand the role beyond the job title.
The mistake I see most graduates make is treating the cover letter like a polite introduction. That is not enough. A graduate cover letter should position you. It should connect your degree, placements, internships, projects, part time work, volunteering, societies, or personal achievements to the job you want. The best ones make the recruiter think, “This person has actually understood the opportunity.”
A graduate cover letter is not there to repeat your CV in paragraph form. Please do not do that. Recruiters already have the CV. The cover letter has a different job.
It should answer the questions that are often not fully answered by a graduate CV:
Why this role
Why this employer
Why this industry
Why you are credible despite limited professional experience
What kind of contribution you are likely to make
Whether you understand the reality of the job
That last point matters more than many graduates realise. A lot of graduate applications sound enthusiastic, but not informed. There is a difference between “I am passionate about marketing” and “I am interested in how consumer insight, campaign performance, and brand positioning influence commercial growth.” One sounds like a student trying to get hired. The other sounds like someone beginning to understand the work.
When I read a graduate cover letter, I am not expecting a finished professional with ten years of polished commercial experience. That would be absurd. It is a graduate role. But I am looking for signs of maturity, effort, and relevance.
Recruiters and hiring managers usually notice:
Whether you have addressed the actual role, not just the company
Whether your motivation sounds specific or copied
Whether your examples match the skills in the job description
Whether you can communicate clearly without overcomplicating things
Whether you understand what the employer is likely to value
Whether your tone feels professional but still human
A graduate cover letter gives you room to show that understanding. It lets you explain the logic behind your application, especially if your CV is not perfectly obvious. Maybe your degree is not directly related. Maybe your strongest experience is from part time work. Maybe you have transferable skills but not a neat internship with a famous company name attached to it. That is exactly where a good cover letter can help.
Here is the honest recruiter view: a cover letter will not save a completely unsuitable application, but it can absolutely strengthen a borderline or promising one. It can also damage a good application if it is generic, careless, or full of empty claims.
Whether you have done more than skim the careers page
The strongest graduate cover letters are usually not the fanciest. They are clear, grounded, and specific. They make it easy for the reader to understand why the application makes sense.
A hiring manager does not sit there thinking, “What a beautiful sentence.” They think, “Can I see this person joining the team, learning quickly, communicating well, and handling the basics without creating chaos?” That is the real evaluation happening behind the scenes.
This is why vague enthusiasm is weak. Employers hear enthusiasm from almost every graduate applicant. What they rarely see is evidence based motivation. That is where you have an opportunity.
Weak Example
I am extremely passionate about your company and believe this role would be the perfect opportunity for me to develop my skills.
Good Example
I am applying for this graduate analyst role because it combines research, problem solving, and commercial decision making. During my final year project, I worked with large data sets to identify customer behaviour patterns, and I enjoyed turning raw information into clear recommendations. That is the type of work I want to build on in a business focused environment.
The second version is stronger because it gives the recruiter something to evaluate. It links motivation to evidence. It does not just announce interest. It explains it.
A good graduate cover letter does not need to be complicated. In fact, complicated is usually where things start going wrong. You want a clean, logical structure that helps the recruiter follow your thinking quickly.
Use this structure:
Opening paragraph: state the role and give a specific reason for applying
Motivation paragraph: explain why the company, industry, or programme interests you
Evidence paragraph: connect your experience, degree, projects, or work history to the role
Fit paragraph: show the qualities you would bring and how you work
Closing paragraph: end professionally and confidently
This structure works because it mirrors how recruiters assess applications. They want to know what you want, why you want it, and whether there is evidence that you can do it.
Your opening should be direct. Do not waste space with “I hope this email finds you well” or a long personal introduction. The recruiter wants to know what you are applying for and why.
Weak Example
I am writing to express my interest in the graduate position advertised on your website.
This is not wrong, but it is flat. It could belong to anyone applying for anything.
Good Example
I am applying for the Graduate Marketing Executive role because I am interested in how data, customer insight, and creative messaging work together to influence buying decisions.
This opening gives the reader immediate context. It tells them the role and shows a more thoughtful reason for applying.
This is where many graduates accidentally sound generic. They write things like “your company is innovative” or “you are a market leader” or “I admire your values.” These phrases are everywhere, which means they stop meaning much.
If you mention the company, be specific. Refer to something meaningful:
A product or service area
The type of clients they support
Their graduate training structure
Their industry position
Their recent growth or focus area
Their approach to technology, sustainability, customer experience, research, or operations
But be careful. Do not turn this into a copied company biography. Recruiters know what the company does. They work there. The point is not to prove you can read the website. The point is to explain why that information connects to your career direction.
Weak Example
I am particularly impressed by your commitment to excellence and innovation.
Good Example
I am particularly interested in your work with early stage technology clients because it would allow me to build commercial understanding while learning how growing businesses make hiring, investment, and operational decisions.
The second example is better because it links the company to the candidate’s development and the work itself. That is what makes motivation believable.
This is the most important part of the graduate cover letter. You need to show why the employer should take your application seriously.
Your evidence can come from:
Your degree
Dissertation or final year project
Internships
Placements
Part time jobs
Volunteering
Student societies
Sports leadership
Freelance work
Personal projects
Do not dismiss experience just because it is not glamorous. Some of the best graduate evidence comes from ordinary jobs explained properly.
A retail job can show customer communication, pressure handling, sales awareness, stock management, teamwork, and reliability. A society committee role can show stakeholder management, planning, budgeting, event coordination, and persuasion. A dissertation can show research discipline, data interpretation, writing, and independent problem solving.
The issue is not whether the experience sounds impressive on the surface. The issue is whether you can explain its relevance.
Weak Example
My degree has given me strong communication and teamwork skills.
Good Example
Through my business management degree, I developed strong research and presentation skills, particularly in modules where I had to analyse company performance and present recommendations under time pressure. I also strengthened my teamwork skills through group projects where I often took responsibility for organising deadlines and keeping work moving when priorities changed.
The second version gives a recruiter more to work with. It explains where the skills came from and how they were used.
This paragraph should show what you would be like to work with. Graduate employers often care deeply about attitude, learning speed, communication, ownership, and resilience.
This does not mean writing “I am hardworking and enthusiastic.” Everyone says that. Instead, show the behaviour behind the claim.
Weak Example
I am a motivated individual with excellent interpersonal skills.
Good Example
I work well in situations where I need to learn quickly, ask sensible questions, and take ownership of small details. In my part time hospitality role, I became comfortable dealing with customers, managing competing tasks, and staying calm when service became busy.
This sounds more real. It shows the practical behaviour a manager can imagine.
Your closing should be polite, confident, and simple. Do not overdo the gratitude. Do not sound desperate. Do not write three sentences about how honoured you would be. Employers are not doing charity. They are hiring because they need capable people.
Good Example
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my academic background, customer facing experience, and interest in commercial problem solving could contribute to your graduate programme. Thank you for considering my application.
That is enough. Professional. Clear. No begging.
A UK graduate cover letter should usually be around 300 to 500 words. One page is enough. If it is much shorter than 250 words, it may look thin or low effort. If it goes beyond one page, it usually means you are either repeating your CV or including details the recruiter does not need.
For most graduate roles, aim for:
Three to five concise paragraphs
Clear relevance to the role
One or two strong examples
No filler
No long personal backstory
No repeated information from your CV unless you are adding context
Here is the practical test I use: if a sentence does not help the recruiter understand your motivation, evidence, fit, or communication style, it probably does not need to be there.
Graduates often think longer means more committed. Recruiters usually experience longer as more work. That is not the impression you want to create.
A strong cover letter respects the reader’s time. It makes the case clearly, then stops.
Your graduate cover letter should include the right kind of detail. Not every achievement belongs in it. Not every module, society, or job needs mentioning. Choose the evidence that best supports the role.
Include:
The exact job title or graduate scheme name
A specific reason for applying
A clear connection between your background and the role
One or two relevant examples
Evidence of transferable skills
A sentence showing why the employer interests you
A professional closing statement
Do not include:
Your entire education history
Generic praise for the company
Claims with no evidence
Salary expectations unless requested
Personal information that is not relevant
Apologies for lack of experience
Overused phrases like “I am passionate about people” unless you explain what that actually means
Anything copied from a template without adapting it
One of the most common graduate mistakes is over explaining weaknesses. For example, “Although I do not have direct experience in this field...” Stop doing that unless you genuinely need to explain a career pivot. You are applying for a graduate role. The employer already knows you are early career.
Do not lead with what you lack. Lead with what you bring.
A better version would be:
Good Example
My academic background in psychology has helped me build strong research and analytical skills, and my customer service experience has developed my ability to communicate clearly with different types of people. I am now looking to apply these strengths in a graduate recruitment role where understanding candidate behaviour and client needs is central to the work.
That is much stronger than apologising for not having recruitment experience.
Below is a complete graduate cover letter example you can adapt. Do not copy it word for word. Recruiters can usually smell a template from three tabs away. Use the structure, logic, and tone, then make it specific to your role.
Example
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am applying for the Graduate Business Analyst role because I am interested in how organisations use data, process improvement, and stakeholder insight to make better commercial decisions. My degree in Business Management has given me a strong foundation in research, analysis, and problem solving, and I am keen to apply these skills in a practical business environment.
I am particularly interested in your graduate programme because of its focus on structured training and exposure to different business functions. I am looking for a role where I can build broad commercial understanding while contributing to projects that improve how teams work, make decisions, and serve customers.
During my final year, I completed a project analysing customer retention strategies in the subscription services market. This involved researching competitor activity, reviewing customer behaviour trends, and presenting recommendations based on the evidence I collected. The project strengthened my ability to work with information, identify patterns, and explain findings clearly. I also developed strong organisation and communication skills through my part time retail role, where I regularly handled customer queries, managed competing priorities, and worked closely with colleagues during busy periods.
I would bring a practical, curious, and reliable approach to the role. I enjoy understanding how processes work, asking questions that clarify the problem, and turning information into useful recommendations. I am also comfortable learning quickly and taking responsibility for the quality of my work.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my academic background, customer facing experience, and interest in business improvement could contribute to your graduate team. Thank you for considering my application.
Kind regards,
[Your Name]
This example works because it does not pretend the graduate has years of experience. It uses the evidence they do have properly. It connects education, work experience, motivation, and role fit into one clear argument.
Generic cover letters are painfully common. They usually sound polite, enthusiastic, and completely forgettable. The problem is not always the candidate’s ability. It is often that they have written what they think employers want to hear, instead of showing how they actually think.
A generic graduate cover letter usually includes phrases like:
I am passionate about this industry
I am a hardworking individual
Your company is a market leader
I have excellent communication skills
I believe I would be a great fit
This role would help me develop my career
None of these phrases are automatically wrong. The problem is that they are unsupported. They do not tell the recruiter anything specific.
To make your cover letter stronger, ask yourself:
What part of the role genuinely interests me
Which part of my background proves I can handle this work
What would this company care about most in a graduate hire
What have I done that shows learning ability, responsibility, or judgement
What would make my application make sense to someone reading quickly
Then write from that logic.
Weak Example
I am passionate about finance and would love the opportunity to work for your organisation.
Good Example
I am interested in finance because I enjoy analysing performance, understanding risk, and using evidence to support better decisions. In my final year, I chose modules in corporate finance and financial reporting because I wanted to understand how businesses evaluate growth, cost, and investment decisions.
The good example is not louder. It is clearer. That is the point.
Tailoring does not mean inserting the company name three times and hoping for the best. Tailoring means reading the job description and identifying what the employer is really asking for.
A graduate job description might say:
Strong communication skills
Analytical mindset
Ability to work in a team
Interest in the industry
Good attention to detail
Ability to manage deadlines
Customer focus
Commercial awareness
Behind those phrases, the employer is usually asking practical questions.
When they say strong communication skills, they mean: can this person explain things clearly, listen properly, write professionally, and avoid creating confusion?
When they say analytical mindset, they mean: can this person look at information, spot patterns, and make sensible conclusions instead of guessing?
When they say team player, they mean: will this person contribute without needing constant chasing, drama, or hand holding?
When they say commercial awareness, they mean: does this person understand that businesses have customers, costs, deadlines, competitors, and performance expectations?
When they say attention to detail, they often mean: will this person make careless mistakes that create extra work for everyone else?
That is what you should respond to in your cover letter.
Do not try to cover every requirement. Choose the most important ones and provide evidence. A focused cover letter is stronger than one that tries to tick every box superficially.
A simple tailoring method:
Identify the three most important requirements in the job description
Match each one to evidence from your degree, work experience, or activities
Use one paragraph to show the strongest connection
Mention the company only where it genuinely supports your motivation
Remove anything that could be sent unchanged to ten other employers
That final point is brutal but useful. If your cover letter could be sent to ten different graduate schemes without changing anything except the company name, it is not tailored.
Most weak graduate cover letters fail for predictable reasons. They are not always badly written. Sometimes they are just written from the wrong perspective.
A cover letter should not be a written version of your CV. If your CV says you studied economics, worked in retail, and joined a finance society, your cover letter should explain why those details matter for this job.
The recruiter does not need repetition. They need interpretation.
Some graduates write like they have swallowed a corporate policy document. The result is stiff, unnatural, and slightly painful to read.
You can be professional without sounding robotic. Clear language is better than grand language.
Weak Example
I hereby submit my application for your esteemed organisation.
No. Absolutely not. This is not a Victorian apprenticeship request.
Good Example
I am applying for the Graduate Operations Associate role because I am interested in how well organised processes improve customer experience and business performance.
Much better. Human, professional, and clear.
Enthusiasm is useful only when it is attached to something specific. “I am passionate about consulting” does not tell me much. “I enjoy breaking down messy business problems and building structured recommendations” tells me more.
You are a graduate. Limited experience is expected. Do not write as though you are asking the employer to overlook a crime.
Instead of apologising, position your transferable evidence properly.
Graduate candidates often write about what the role would do for them: develop skills, gain exposure, build experience, learn from experts. That matters, but employers also want to know what you can contribute.
A better balance is: “Here is why I am interested, and here is what I would bring.”
Some candidates write a beautiful paragraph about the company and barely mention the job. That is a mistake. Employers are not hiring fans. They are hiring people to do work.
Always connect your motivation back to the role.
If your cover letter relies on “passionate, hardworking, motivated, team player,” it will blend in. Replace labels with proof. Recruiters trust behaviour more than adjectives.
A lack of formal experience does not mean you have nothing to say. It means you need to use the evidence you do have more intelligently.
Many graduates underestimate their existing experience because it does not look corporate. That is a mistake. Employers hire graduates for potential, but potential still needs evidence.
Useful evidence can include:
Academic research
Group projects
Presentations
Dissertation work
Customer service jobs
Tutoring
Volunteering
Student societies
Sports teams
Family responsibilities
Personal projects
Online courses
Portfolio work
Campus ambassador roles
The trick is to translate the experience into employer language without exaggerating it.
For example, if you worked in a café, do not just say you made coffee. You may have handled pressure, prioritised tasks, dealt with customers, supported colleagues, solved small problems quickly, and stayed reliable during busy shifts.
That matters. It may not sound glamorous, but hiring managers care about reliability more than graduates think. A candidate who turns up, learns quickly, communicates clearly, and takes responsibility is valuable.
Weak Example
I do not have office experience, but I am willing to learn.
Good Example
My part time hospitality experience has helped me become confident working under pressure, communicating with customers, and managing several tasks at once. I am now looking to bring that same reliability and learning mindset into a graduate office based role.
This is a stronger position. It does not pretend the experience is something it is not. It explains the transferable value.
Not all graduate cover letters should sound the same. A cover letter for consulting should not read like one for marketing. A cover letter for engineering should not use the same evidence as one for HR. This sounds obvious, but many graduates still use one general version and lightly decorate it.
Here is what different graduate employers may be looking for.
Focus on organisation, problem solving, communication, commercial awareness, and the ability to work across different teams. Show that you understand business roles are often about improving processes, supporting decisions, and keeping work moving.
Focus on analytical ability, accuracy, numerical confidence, risk awareness, and interest in how financial decisions are made. Avoid saying you are interested in finance only because it is “fast paced” or “prestigious.” That tells employers very little.
Focus on customer understanding, creativity linked to evidence, communication, campaign awareness, and interest in behaviour or brand positioning. Marketing is not just “being creative.” Employers want to see that you understand audience, data, message, and outcome.
Focus on communication, judgement, confidentiality, relationship building, organisation, and interest in how people decisions affect businesses. Do not reduce HR to “I like helping people.” That is too vague. HR and recruitment involve decisions, trade offs, process, compliance, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations.
Focus on technical projects, problem solving, learning ability, collaboration, and explaining technical ideas clearly. If you mention tools or languages, connect them to what you built or solved.
Focus on technical foundation, project work, safety awareness, precision, problem solving, teamwork, and practical application. Employers want to see that you can connect academic knowledge to real constraints.
The role should shape the cover letter. Same candidate, different angle. That is not being fake. That is positioning.
Use this template as a structure, not a script. The more you personalise it, the better it will work.
Example
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am applying for the [Graduate Role Title] because I am interested in [specific area of the work] and want to build my career in [industry or function]. My background in [degree or relevant experience] has helped me develop [two or three relevant strengths], which I am keen to apply in a practical professional environment.
I am particularly interested in [Company Name] because [specific reason linked to the role, training, clients, products, projects, values, or industry focus]. This appeals to me because [explain why it connects to your career direction or interests].
During [degree, project, internship, part time role, volunteering, or society experience], I developed [relevant skill] by [specific action or responsibility]. This helped me learn how to [outcome or behaviour relevant to the role]. I also gained experience in [second relevant area], which would help me contribute to [specific part of the graduate role].
I would bring [personal working qualities] to the role, along with a willingness to learn, ask thoughtful questions, and take responsibility for producing reliable work. I am particularly drawn to this opportunity because it would allow me to develop in [specific area] while contributing to [team, clients, customers, projects, or business goals].
Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my background, skills, and interest in [role or industry] could contribute to your team.
Kind regards,
[Your Name]
A template is useful for structure, but the content still needs judgement. If you fill this with vague phrases, it will still sound like a template. The value comes from the specifics you choose.
A graduate cover letter stands out when it feels considered. Not dramatic. Not over polished. Considered.
The best ones usually have a few things in common:
They show the candidate understands the role
They use specific evidence rather than broad claims
They sound like a real person, not a template
They explain motivation without flattery
They connect academic and work experience to employer needs
They are easy to read quickly
They do not try too hard
That final point matters. Some graduates overwrite because they want to sound professional. The result can feel unnatural. You do not need to impress recruiters with complicated wording. You need to help them understand your fit.
A strong cover letter gives the recruiter confidence in your judgement. It says: this person understands what they are applying for, has thought about the match, and can communicate clearly.
That is more powerful than a page full of polished nonsense.
Before you submit your graduate cover letter, read it as if you are the recruiter. Not as the hopeful applicant. Not as the person emotionally attached to every sentence. As the person scanning dozens or hundreds of applications and looking for reasons to shortlist.
Ask:
Does the first paragraph clearly state the role and a specific reason for applying
Could this letter be sent to another company with minimal changes
Have I explained why my experience is relevant, not just listed it
Have I included evidence for my main claims
Does my motivation sound specific and believable
Have I avoided apologising for being a graduate
Is the tone professional but natural
Have I removed generic phrases that add nothing
Is it under one page
Have I checked spelling, grammar, names, and formatting
Please check the company name. Then check it again. Sending a cover letter to one employer with another employer’s name in it is more common than it should be, and yes, recruiters notice. It is not a small detail. It signals carelessness, and carelessness is one of the fastest ways to lose trust in an application.
Also check the file name if you are uploading it. Use something clean, such as:
First Name Last Name Graduate Cover Letter
First Name Last Name Cover Letter Company Name
Do not upload something called “Cover letter final final version 3”. We have all been there, but the recruiter does not need to see the evidence.
Written by Simar Malhi, a recruiter and headhunter with international recruitment experience. I write about CVs, job applications, hiring decisions, and the reality behind recruitment processes. My goal is to help candidates understand more honestly how employers, recruiters, and hiring managers actually select candidates.
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