Most cover letters die in the final paragraph. The writer puts real effort into the opening hook and the middle two paragraphs that justify the application, then panics at the end and pastes in something they read on the first Google result: "I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, [name]."
The ending is the last impression you leave before the recruiter decides whether to read your CV. A weak close undoes a strong middle. A confident close pulls a borderline application into the interview pile.
What the closing paragraph is actually for
The close has three jobs, and only three:
- Tell them what you want next. A meeting, a call, a portfolio review. Specific.
- Remove friction. Make it trivial to say yes — mention your availability, attach what they'll need, point to your contact info.
- Leave one final reason to remember you. Not a recap of the whole letter. One sentence that connects your strongest argument to their immediate need.
If your close doesn't do at least two of those, rewrite it.
The patterns that read weak
These aren't "wrong" in a grammatical sense, but they signal a candidate who hasn't thought about how the letter lands.
- "I hope to hear from you soon." Hope is passive. Recruiters get 200 letters that hope.
- "Thank you for your time and consideration." Standard, fine, forgettable. If you only have one sentence at the end, don't waste it here.
- "Please do not hesitate to contact me." Triple negative. Nobody hesitates because of phrasing; if they want to call you, they'll call.
- "I would be a great fit for this role." Asserting fit without proving it is a tell. The middle of the letter is where you prove fit.
- "At your earliest convenience." A phrase that exists only in cover letters and 1950s business correspondence. It sounds servile, not professional.
- "References available upon request." Of course they are. Don't waste a line saying it.
- Any sentence about "taking your career to the next level" or "new challenges in a dynamic environment". Generic ambition language. Cut it.
A quick check: read your closing paragraph out loud. If it could be the last paragraph of any cover letter for any job, rewrite it.
What a confident close actually looks like
Four mini-templates you can adapt. None of them are scripts to paste in — they're shapes to write your own version into.
1. The forward-looking close
I'd welcome the chance to walk you through how I rebuilt the onboarding funnel at [previous company], because it sounds close to the problem your team is solving in Q3. I'm available for a call any weekday afternoon next week.
Why it works: it tells them what you want (a call), why it's worth their time (a relevant story they don't yet know), and removes friction (specific availability). No begging, no apology.
2. The proof-pointing close
The portfolio I linked above includes the three Spanish-market campaigns most relevant to this role. I'd be glad to walk through the data behind them whenever it's useful for your team.
Why it works: it sends the recruiter somewhere concrete (the portfolio) instead of asking them to imagine your work. The offer is open without being needy.
3. The single-sentence close
If anything in this letter resonates, my CV is attached and you can reach me on +33 6 12 34 56 78 or by email.
Why it works: it respects the reader's time. For experienced candidates, brevity is itself a signal of confidence. Especially strong when your middle paragraphs already did the heavy lifting.
4. The contextual close
I know your team is hiring fast ahead of the Series B announcement — happy to move quickly through interview rounds if it's useful.
Why it works: it shows you've done your research, and it answers the unstated question ("can this person start in time?") without you being asked. Use this when you actually have specific intel; faking it reads worse than the generic version.
Sign-offs that work, by language
The sign-off is one line, but it's where tone is set. Match it to the company's register.
English — short, neutral, professional. Any of these are safe:
- Best regards,
- Kind regards,
- Sincerely,
Avoid: Cheers (too casual for a first contact in most regions), Yours faithfully (dated outside the UK and even there, mostly), Warmest regards (overplayed).
French — French still uses the long formal closing. Don't try to anglicize it; recruiters notice. Pick one that matches the company's tone:
- Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées. (formal, banking / legal / public sector)
- Cordialement, (default for tech, startups, marketing, most private-sector roles — perfectly acceptable now even for first contact)
- Bien cordialement, (slightly warmer, still professional)
Avoid: Cordialement vôtre (awkward), Amicalement (too familiar), À bientôt (presumptuous).
Spanish — Spanish closings sit between English and French in formality. Pick by sector:
- Atentamente, (universal safe default)
- Un cordial saludo, (slightly warmer, fine for most private-sector roles)
- Reciba un cordial saludo, (more formal, fits banking, legal, institutions)
Avoid: Saludos alone (too casual for a cover letter), Sin más, (sounds dismissive), Quedo a la espera de su respuesta (the Spanish version of "awaiting your reply" — passive in any language).
A small mechanical detail that gets ignored
After your sign-off, drop two blank lines and then your full name. If you're sending a PDF, type your name; you don't need to scan a signature for a digital cover letter. Below your name, on its own line, put your phone number and email. Recruiters will copy-paste those from the letter when they need them, especially when they're triaging quickly from a phone.
If you used Postulit to generate the CV that accompanies the letter, your contact details are already at the top of the CV — but repeating them under the cover letter sign-off is still worth the two lines, because the cover letter often gets read first and forwarded separately.
A final read-through trick
Close the letter, walk away for an hour, then re-read just the last paragraph. Without the context of the rest of the letter, does it sound like someone who knows what they're worth, or someone hoping not to be rejected? If it's the second one, rewrite until it's the first.